Creating the Fan of Leaves

The first element I started with was the single leaf image, which, when later multiplied, would provide a headdress for the face. I double-clicked on the Background image to turn it into a normal layer and then used a Vector Mask to isolate the leaf from its background (Figures 15.148 and 15.149). I knew this element was going to be scaled and rotated many times and I wanted to retain as much of the original detail as I possibly could, so I converted the layer into a Smart Object by Control-clicking on the layer (that's the same as pressing the right mouse button in Windows) and choosing Group into New Smart Object.

Figure 15.148. The leaf was isolated from its background using a Vector Mask.
Figure 15.149. Layers ...

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