"using a mask with a Photoshop brush" to use for weathering...?

Someone introduced me to this site,"http://www.cgtextures.com/" for using as a mask with a Photoshop brush, which is then used for weathering. I have CS5 version, could someone explain to this big dummy how to set that up? I am dumbfounded, and just dumb, learning this on the fly. I greatly appreciate your help and support on this. I'm trying to do a re-skin for a caboose, into Western Pacific. It needs to be altered with it, being too bright without it. Look and see...

This is rather a broad question and you could get any number of answers. CGTextures is one of the sites that provide free or low cost textures and there are thousands of images on those sites.

While you could use a mask to affect an image, it is but one of many solutions. This what I would suggest. Others may provide different ideas.

The first thing you need to do is learn how to use the layers in your image editor. You will find tutorials for that on the web somewhere.

Get a copy of your texture into your image editor. Lock it so it cannot be altered. Add one, or more, layers and experiment with those. You can use most image editing tools in a layer to add an effect over the top of the original image. To get a weathering effect you would probably need to reduce the opacity of the layer so it doesn't completely obscure the original texture. I'd suggest around 20-40 % opacity. Try some of the editor tools such as brushes to see what they do. Some editors come with effects tools such as scratches. These are special brushes that "paint" a scratch with your chosen colour.

The only way to do this is to experiment and record your results. Make sure you save your image with its layers in the native format for the image editor so you can retain the layers. If you only save as a TGA file the layers will be collapsed and will overwrite the original.

Experiment with blending modes too. For example you could put a texture of a rusty patch, set it to screen and it will, um...blend very nicely with the background.



You can come up with things like this:

Thinking a little about the masking aspects of your question, I tried this simple experiment. I downloaded the "metalscratches0027_s.jpg" file from CGTextures. This is a metal image with scratches (duh!).

I then created a simple reddish background (RGB 165, 27, 29) and added the metal scratches file as a mask with opacity set to 25%. This is the result:




The metal scratches file has dark scratches on a light grey steel finish so the masking effect provides lighter coloured scratches from the original reddish colour.

There are some "leaking" textures within the metal grouping that may provide what you are after. Be prepared to modify the original to crop out undesired sections.

thanks for the help and suggestions guys, I'll give it a whirl tomorrow.

Paul

There's also the dodge or burn brushes if you have the full edition of Photoshop, but you will also have to use other functions such as paint Brushes.

Cheers

AJ