taygull wrote:Thanks Robert,
I did learn Elements 2.0 does not offer a mask, I found under the search a plug-in that adds this feature. I'm not sure it is working like it should, I'm not sure I'm bright enough to figure it out though!

I'm no expert on masks (or even layers, for that matter), but I think I have learned this much, and it reflects my electronics and programming background.
Masks often use just two colors - black (which has a numeric value of zero) and white (which has a numeric value of 255 [In the 8 bit per channel systems]).
Multiplying something by zero (painting the mask black) nullifies or cancels it out.
Multiplying something by 255 (painting it white) turns it on full, or enables it.
Thank goodness they keep this stuff simple.
It reminds me of the ship's captain who had everything he needed to know written on a small piece of paper, which he consulted briefly before each voyage. When he died, the First Mate went through his personal effects to find out what secrets the Captain had written on that piece of paper. When he finally found it, all it said was:
Left is Port.
Right is Starboard.
