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Bostonsportswx
Bostonsportswx
Participant
April 11, 2019
Answered

Coloring/shading Within Specified Borders

  • April 11, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 756 views

Hello,

I do apologize in advance as I'm sure the answer to my question is out there. I have done a quick search, however, since I can't specifically think of the proper word it makes the search difficult and I just don't have a whole ton of free time to do a substantial search.

I'm fairly new to Photoshop and trying to learn on the fly, but there is something I'm trying to do and hoping someone would be able to help. What I'm trying to do is make it so I can color on a map, but not color over a particular area.

I do stuff with coloring on maps (particularly maps of the United States). I have a ton of templates and different layers too...so one layer is a US map (with Canada and Mexico attached), another layer would be the oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico) and Great Lakes, and another layer would be state outlines, county outlines, city outlines, and major interstates. What I only want to do is color within the United States...not over Canada, Mexico, or the bodies of water. The bodies of water is easy b/c I can just put that layer below the "coloring" layer.

I know there is something you can do with like selecting an object (in this case Canada and Mexico) and by doing a series of steps it will prevent me from coloring over them. If someone would be willing to explain the process (or either direct me to a great source which explains) I would be extremely grateful.

Thank you

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Norman Sanders

    Make a duplicate layer of the map (Cmd+J)

    Make a Selection of only the United States* and Cmd+J to put the USA on a separate layer with a transparent surround as indicated in the Layers panel.

    Click the "Lock transparent pixels" symbol to the right of the the word Lock above the layers in the Layers panel

    At this point anything you paint that goes beyond the nation's border will not be accepted

    (An alternate method, using a Mask, would produce the same effect. In that method, work may go beyond the border in the art, but be masked out and not seen.)

    *Also Hawaii and Alaska?

    1 reply

    Norman Sanders
    Norman SandersCorrect answer
    Legend
    April 11, 2019

    Make a duplicate layer of the map (Cmd+J)

    Make a Selection of only the United States* and Cmd+J to put the USA on a separate layer with a transparent surround as indicated in the Layers panel.

    Click the "Lock transparent pixels" symbol to the right of the the word Lock above the layers in the Layers panel

    At this point anything you paint that goes beyond the nation's border will not be accepted

    (An alternate method, using a Mask, would produce the same effect. In that method, work may go beyond the border in the art, but be masked out and not seen.)

    *Also Hawaii and Alaska?

    Bostonsportswx
    BostonsportswxAuthor
    Participant
    April 11, 2019

    Thank you for the information!

    I don't need to worry about AK and HI on these maps. I have a separate map of only AK and HI.

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