Layer Masks

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[The following update was added Aug. 3, 2001.]
An Elements user, Helge Hanson, sent me an excellent technique for simulating layer masks. It works exactly the same as a real layer mask.
It’s faster than making a real layer mask. It looks a little bit confusing in the Layers palette, so you’ll need to make sure and name your layers to remind yourself of what the various layers are doing. Here’s how it goes:

1. In the document to which you want to add a layer mask, add a new adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer). Use Brightness/Contrast or Levels. In the dialog box that appears, make no changes—just click OK to add the layer with no alteration. [Do not use one of the Fill layers for this technique. You may think that you can use a fill layer’s mask to avoid the problem described in the Update note below. If you use a Solid Fill layer and have any transparency in the grouped layer above, the fill color will show through. This is not what you want.]
2. Drag the new adjustment layer to be directly under the layer you want to mask. In the case used here, that would be directly below the apple’s layer.
3. Click on the layer that you want to mask (the apple’s layer) and choose Layer > Group with Previous. Or use the shortcut of Alt-clicking on the line between the two layers.
4. Click on the adjustment layer’s mask icon to put the mask into edit mode. Paint on the mask as described in this tutorial. Alt-click on the mask to see it alone, without the image. Alt-Shift click on the mask icon to see the mask as a red rubylith overlay on the image when editing it.

Here is what your Layers palette should look like.

     This is a beautiful, simple method for getting all the benefits of a true layer mask.
[Update: Nov. 6, 2001. Well, it was too good to be true. There is one flaw with this technique. An Elements user, Don Fukushima, discovered this problem and was kind enough send me an email to let me know about it. If your image has areas that are completely transparent in the (combined) layers below the adjustment layer, you won’t be able to mask the areas on your layer that overlap those transparent areas. If you have a proper background layer (which does not allow transparency) this won’t happen. Real layer masks do not have this problem.]

I hope you are clever enough to notice that adjustment layers and fill layers always have their own layer mask, already in place when you add the layer. All mask editing techniques work on those masks in the same way that they work on a “regular” layer mask. Note that it is usually better to use soft, low opacity brushes to hand-edit adjustment layer masks (and the gradient tool).
     Think about that. You therefore have complete control over how much and where that adjustment or fill color is applied. By editing the mask, you can add or remove the adjustment or fill at will. And all without touching the original image below. This is true non-destructive editing.
     If you want to make use of all of the power that is in Elements, you have to master masks.

There is a related technique that uses a grouped adjustment layer as described above. See more in the Multilayer Masks tutorial.

If you would like to download a zipped pdf file of this tutorial, combined with the previous “Simulated Alpha Channels” lesson, please click on the link below, and save it to your hard drive. Please note that this is the same .pdf file as the one found at the end of the Simulated Alpha Channels tutorial; the two tutorials are combined on the .pdf.
Masks pdf
313 KB
If you don’t know how to expand a zipped file or use Acrobat Reader, download the file, above, and then go here to find instructions

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Copyright © 2004 by Jay Arraich.
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All photographs copyright ©2004 by Jay Arraich
jay@arraich.com