Hi,
I am a newbie here and glad to have found this site. I make Computer generated scrapbooking since April 2003. I worked with Photoshop in the past but since i am SAHM i forgot here and there somthing in PS.
Recently i downloaded Masks in jpg format that is told to use even in PS. Ok, but how can i made use of them, put them in the Filters?
These Masks looks like edges or something else that can be used for Photographic Edges, hope i explained well what i mean. I thought to make of them for my photoscraps instead to give the pics the traditional frames effect.
Thanks for any help
cgbypaco

First you should check if the size of the mask and the picture you want to use it for are aproximately the same size. - Open the two files - Size the mask to the picture (mask file) - select all and copy - Double-click on the picture (photo file) - Add a mask (circle in square) to the picture - option-click (I think also option-click on PC of alt-click) on the mask [what should happen is that you 'jump in' the mask and your screen turns white] - paste If you click on the picture (or option-click) you should return to the picture, which now has the mask applied. You can resize the mask afterwards, but be sure to click on the little chain picture, to prevent the photo from sizing too. If this does not work out, you can also paste the mask in a new alpha channel and make a selection from that. But that sounds a bit to overwhelming for a newbie, I presume. Good luck!

Thank you very much, i appreciate any help. I will have a try for this, but i also wnat to know the 2nd way like paste the mask in alpha channel. In fact i am not a really newbie at photoshop, but to this group here. I worked as a graphist for 7 years in a furniture store, but i did not almost learned all about Photoshop, because the most thing i had to find out by myself. The graphic i had to create were not with many effects at all, only simple one and i had to be gone quickly. No time for nothing, because i had to manage the graphic staff from a to z alone, and i couldnt spent to much time on one single project. There were to many to do for years. BTW i will say thank you cgbypaco

When you go to the channels tab, you can click on the tiny 'document' icon, you get an empty alpha channel. Click on that and paste the source image (that also should be the same size as the target file). If you make the picture AND the extra channel visible, you get to see a kind of a preview to the end result, everything that is black will be masked/gone later. You can resize or filter or distort or whatever the alpha channelin any way you like. That is one of the main reasons to use an alpha channel instead of a mask. I hardly use any of those pre-made Edge FX things any more, I bake my own borders! You can make a selection of an alpha channel (option-click on the channel or use 'make selection'). With that selection you can make a new layer once you click on the layer or add a mask to the layer the picture is in (it should have been double-clicked, not be a background layer anymore, but Layer 0 or something). Have fun!

Wow, this sounds to me like more fun and experimenting. That's what i like to learn. For sure i will have a try at this. Thank you