Effects on Masks

This is a note to myself on how NOT to do something in PSP.  I discovered this weekend that I could make a very interesting effect by creating a mask layer over an image and then applying an effect to the mask layer.  Unfortunately, then I saved the file as a version 9 .pspimage file and now I can't open it anymore.  I'm going to share how I did the effect on the mask layer as it was a nice way to preserve the original image up to the point where I wanted to save.

1.  Create the original image.  Mine is an alpha that I made for SNL challenge #64.

2.  Select the area that you want to mask.

3.  Create the mask from the selection.

4.  Here is my original set of layers and my new set of layers.

Original Layers	New Layers

5.  With the mask layer selected, it is possible to apply an effect to the mask layer.  I applied a texture using a plugin.  I thought this would also be a good way to apply a grunge effect and preserve the original image.

Before

After

6.  However, in PSP 9 at least, once I saved the image, I could not open it again.  I received the "This is not a valid Paint Shop Pro Image file" message.  If the image is saved using only the effects in PSP (not a plugin), then the image will open.  Odd, no?

In conclusion,  you can apply effects to mask layers, but you cannot re-open a saved image if the effect is created using a plugin.