The TK Basic V6 panel provides an easy way for photographers to start using luminosity masks. It's free, installs in Photoshop CS6 and all versions of Photoshop CC, works on Mac and Windows computers and employs advanced Photoshop calculations to make 16-bit masks. It has many useful and unique features.
- Rapid Mask engine. The Basic V6 panel uses the same core process for generating masks as the TK7 RapidMask module. New masks are calculated and displayed on screen at near real-time speeds.
- Mask-based interface. Users see masks up front to make intelligent choices about which one to use.
- Intuitive layout. Top-to-bottom workflow with numbered sections for creating and deploying masks.
- Click-tracking. The last button clicked retains an accent-colored shadow. Users always know which mask they last generated.
- Multiple output options. Curves, Levels, Brightness/Contrast and Hue/Sat adjustment layers are available in the "Layer" menu. Selection, Channel, and Apply buttons provide additional output options.
- Compact design. Small footprint so image area is not obscured. The module can also be conveniently tucked up above any standard Photoshop panel.
- Instant help. Moving the mouse over any button provides information on what it does in the window at the bottom of the panel.
- Active selection indicator. Provides visual feedback that Photoshop has an active selection even if it's too weak to generate selection borders or if the marching ants have been turned off.
- Language switch. Settings dialog offers six language options for the panel's user interface.
The TK Basic panel is essentially the light version of the TK7 RapidMask module. It has the same core process and speed, and similar layout and features as its big brother. There are many ways to use luminosity masks when developing images in Photoshop. Adding them as layer masks on adjustment layers and painting through active luminosity selections are the two most common techniques. The Basic panel makes it easy to add these methods to the Photoshop workflow. It's a great way to not only learn what luminosity masks can do for an image, and also to see how easy it is to use them as the Rapid Mask engine does all the hard work in the background. Luminosity masks need to be fast and intuitive in order to become a standard part of a creative workflow. The TK Basic V6 panel makes this possible and is the ideal tool for quickly getting up to speed with these techniques.