Fluid Mask Photoshop plugin

**Terry_Ratigan** · 08-01-2005, 08:38 AM

It seems my earlier posts have been eaten in the database problem so I'm reposting this question.

I'm not that great at making cutouts and always struggle with getting my paths right with the pen tool. I like the look of this plugin from Vertustech called Fluid Mask which claims to make the job easier.

Trouble is all I can find are puffed up press releases and no third party reviews. Has anyone used it yet and can point me in the right direction.

Many Thanks,

Tel.

**brokensoul2271** · 08-01-2005, 08:40 AM

theres a free trial... Why dont you just give it a try... You'll never know if you're going to like it unless you actuall try it...

**Terry_Ratigan** · 08-02-2005, 02:57 PM

I took the plunge and have been mucking around with the demo.

As I said I'm not that great with the pen tool and this software allows me to select the areas I want with just a few brush or pencil strokes. From there it's just a matter of assigning my selection to one of the three mask types.

What I found especially clever though was the way it automatically found edges and borders allowing me to remove unwanted bits quickly without having to create multiple selections.

The only downside is the pricing. I don't do enough of this kind of work to justify the £299 cost which is a great shame because it's a terrific piece of kit.

Tel.

**II_IcOnZ_II** · 08-04-2005, 03:56 AM

Tell me the name of the program and maybe I can get you the full version for free

**Terry_Ratigan** · 09-28-2005, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry_Ratigan

The only downside is the pricing. I don't do enough of this kind of work to justify the £299 cost which is a great shame because it's a terrific piece of kit.

It's just been pointed out to me that VertusTech have recently reduced the price of their Fluid Mask software to £179 and increased the free upgrade period from 6 to 12 months.

Cheers,

Tel.

**AndrewK** · 09-29-2005, 08:58 AM

So is it any good?

**Terry_Ratigan** · 09-29-2005, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewK

So is it any good?

Personally I think the software is very good. On the test images I've tried it on the results were excellent and I was able to remove a difficult background from an object in a fraction of the time it would usually take.

However, it also depends on how comfortable you are with Photoshop's built-in tools such as Extract Filter and the Pen Tool, the complexity of the images you're dealing with and the quality of the results you require. As I mentioned there's a free trial available. Why don't you give it a go?

Tel.

**Terry_Ratigan** · 01-20-2006, 07:25 AM

Just noticed that they've now released a version for Windows if anyone wants to play around with the trial version. If its anything like the Mac one I used its going to be pretty good.

**Katfish** · 03-23-2006, 10:54 AM

Hi,

I know this is an old thread - but for those who are still interested in an cut-out tool: Vertus has release Fluid Mask Version 2 beta for Windows today. The demo is available at the vertustech.com web site now. A lot of features have been improved since version 1 and it definitely makes masking and creating cut-outs very intuitive.