Can you tell me how to -------

Question

Please be patient with me, , i am a trueblue newbie to Photoshop CS5, I have been using Elements8 so I have some knowledge, i thought anyway.  What i want to know how to do is cut a shape out of a photograph using a shape.  In Elements i would simply drag the selection of the photograph then click on "simplify Layer" then ctrl click on the shape layer, make the photo layer the active layer then go inverse and then I would get a new layer with the photo in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners.
  I want to cut out a rounded rectangle shape on my photo and I cannot figure it out, there is no "simplify layer" command that i can find, and i suppose it would different steps to take altogether anyway.  Can one of you great people help this newbie out/  Thanks

Answer 1

Photoshop is much more powerful then Elements and has a huge learning curve.  All feature of photoshop are not available at all times. Feature are often state dependent and when a dependant state condition is not met Photosho grayes the feature out. I did a sequence of screen capture to show some features of Full Photoshop. I created a new document and on top of the white background layer I placed in an image file. Then on top that smart object layer I added an empty layer then targeted the smart object image layer.  I used the custom shape tool to draw out a heart shape Path. Note the Path Palette bottom icons are grayed out when the target is the smart object image layer however when I change the target to the empty layer the icons are not grayed out and I can use the icon to load the path as a selection. Then I can delete the empty layer and use the add layer mask icon in the layers palette to add a layer mask to the smart object layer.  This does not crop the layer it only mask the layer (a cropping Mask) The whole image is still there and the mask is linked to the object.  I can use ctrl+T free transform to move and size both the object and mask for they are linked.  I can unlink the pair and tagget one or the other in this case I targeted the object and I can position and size the image within the cropping mask.  Its a lot to grasp but its easy.http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/ShapeCutout.jpg The reason why the icons were grayed out and why the path could not be loaded as a selection is smart object layers are a special type of layer that you can not use many normal phtoshop tools on them like you can not make a selection on one. However you can have an active selection and targer when you target one.  Some Photoshop behaviors don't always seen to make sense.  You learn them and live with them. You can also double click on a Smart Object Layers layers palette smart icon and open the embedded object in photoshop make changes and do a File>save and the changes will be reflected into the smart object layer you double clicked on.... I also did not have to add the empty layer I could have targeted the background layer and made the selection them targeted the smart object layer to add the layer mask.