ptg Selections & Masks 169 Editing layer masks In these instructions, you’ll edit a layer mask by applying strokes with the Brush tool. In the instruc- tions on the next two pages, you’ll edit a mask by using controls on the Masks panel. ese are very important skills to learn. To reshape a layer mask: 1. Choose the Brush tool (B or Shift-B). 2. On the Options bar, click a brush on the Brush Preset picker, choose Mode: Normal, and choose an Opacity of 100% to hide layer pixels fully or a lower opacity to hide them partially. 3. Do either of the following: To display the mask as a colored overlay on top of the image, Alt-Shift-click/Option-Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail on the Layers panel. A–B To display the mask in black and white with the image hidden, Alt-click/Option-click the layer mask thumbnail on the Layers panel. 4. Do either or both of the following: Paint with white as the Foreground color to reduce the mask and reveal pixels on the layer. C Paint with black as the Foreground color to enlarge the mask and hide pixels on the layer. D ➤ You can change brush settings, such as the size or hardness, between strokes. Right-click in the image to display a temporary brush preset picker. 5. When you’re done editing the layer mask, click the layer thumbnail to restore the normal display. If it’s hard to see the overlay because it’s too similar to the image color, you can change the overlay color or opacity. To choose layer mask display options: 1. Double-click a layer mask thumbnail on the Layers panel (or click the mask thumbnail, then choose Mask Options from the Masks panel menu). 2. In the Layer Mask Display Options dialog, do either or both of the following: E Click the Color square, choose a dierent overlay color from the Color Picker, then click OK. Change the Opacity percentage. 3. Click OK. 4. To view the change in the document, Alt-Shift- click/Option-Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail. C Only the mask is displayed in the document window. We’re eliminating areas from it by painting with white. D We’re enlarging the mask by painting with black chosen as the Foreground color. B e m a s k i s r e s h a p e d . A We’re painting out (remov- ing) areas of the mask, which is displayed as a red overlay on top of the image. E By using the Layer Mask Display Options dialog, you can change the Color and/or Opacity of the mask overlay. ptg 170 Chapter 9 e Density control on the Masks panel aects the opacity of the overall mask, whereas the Feather control aects the opacity of its edge. Both of these useful controls are nondestructive, meaning they don’t alter the original mask and can be readjusted at any time. To adjust the density or feather value of a layer mask: 1. Click a layer that contains a layer mask, and display the Masks panel. A 2. Click the Select Pixel Mask button, then do either or both of the following: Reduce the Density value to lighten the black part of the mask and partially reveal layer pixels. B–C e lower the density, the more transparent the mask. Increase the Feather value to soften the edge of the mask, for a more gradual transition between the masked and unmasked areas ( A , next page). To refine the edges of a layer mask: 1. Click a layer that contains a layer mask, and dis- play the Masks panel. Zoom to around 100%. 2. Click Mask Edge; the Rene Mask dialog opens. 3. Use the Rene Mask controls to adjust the soft- ness or sharpness of the edge of the mask, as you would for a selection in the Rene Edge dialog (see page 161). We’ve found the following set- tings to be helpful for cleaning up the edge of a mask: a low Radius value (1–2), a low Contrast value (5–7), and a slightly negative Contract/ Expand value to shrink the mask inward (to hide more background pixels). ➤ We recommend keeping the Feather slider in the Rene Mask dialog at 0 because it’s destructive, and using the nondestructive Feather slider on the Masks panel instead. To swap the black and white areas in a layer mask: Do either of the following: Click a layer that contains a layer mask, display the Masks panel, then click the Invert button. Click a layer mask thumbnail on the Layers panel, then press Ctrl-I/Cmd-I. ➤ Repeat either method above to restore the original state of the mask. B A mask is hiding all but the two owers on an image layer, which is stacked above a solid white Background. C We reduced the Density of the mask to 77%, to allow it to partially reveal the surrounding layer pixels. A By looking at the upper left area of the Masks panel, we know that a Pixel Mask is selected. ptg Selections & Masks 171 USING THE MASKS PANEL TO DRAW ATTENTION TO PART OF AN IMAGE B e o r i g i n a l h a r d - e d g e d m a s k i s h i d i n g e v e r y t h i n g b u t t h e c a r o n a n image layer, which is stacked above a solid white Background. C We reduced the Density value and increased the Feather value for the layer mask to make the transition between the masked and unmasked areas more gradual. e car is still the star of the show, but the soft imagery around it provides a complementary setting. A We increased the Feather value of the mask to 96 px, to make the transition between the masked and unmasked areas more gradual. ptg 172 Chapter 9 Working with layer masks By default, a layer and its layer mask are linked and, when moved, travel as a unit. If you want to move either component separately, you have to unlink them rst. To move the layer content or mask independently: 1. On the Layers panel, click the Link icon between the layer and layer mask thumb- nails. A–B e icon disappears. 2. Click either the layer thumbnail or the layer mask thumbnail, depending on which one you want to move. 3. Choose the Move tool (or hold down V to spring-load the tool), then drag in the docu- ment window. C 4. Click between the layer and layer mask thumbnails to make the link icon reappear. To duplicate a layer mask or move it to another layer: Do either of the following: To move a mask, drag its thumbnail to another layer (you can’t move it to the Background). To duplicate a mask, Alt-drag/Option-drag its thumbnail to another layer. When you load a mask as a selection, it displays in the document as a marquee of “marching ants.” To load a mask as a selection: 1. Do either of the following: On the Layers panel, Ctrl-click/Cmd-click a layer mask thumbnail. On the Layers panel, click a layer mask thumb- nail, then on the Masks panel, click the Load Selection from Mask button. A A layer mask is hiding the center of the tile layer and revealing part of the underlying Background image. C With the Move tool, we dragged the mask in the document window to reveal a dierent part of the Background. (If you want to move the layer imagery instead, click the layer thumbnail before dragging.) B We clicked the Link icon to disengage the layer image from the mask, and also clicked the layer mask thumbnail. ptg Selections & Masks 173 To deactivate a layer mask temporarily: Do either of the following: On the Layers panel, Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail A (the thumbnail won’t become selected). On the Layers panel, click a layer mask thumb- nail, then at the bottom of the Masks panel, click the Disable/Enable Mask button. B A red X appears over the thumbnail on both the Layers and Masks panels, and the entire layer is now visible. To reactivate the mask at any time, repeat either method above. One disadvantage of using layer masks is that they occupy some storage space (albeit a small amount), so when you’re done using them, consider apply- ing those whose eects you’re pleased with to make them permanent and deleting those you don’t need. When you apply or delete a mask, its thumbnail disappears from the Layers panel. Note: Before applying or deleting any masks — a permanent change — use the File > Save As com- mand to copy the le, and preserve the original le that contains the layer masks for future editing. To apply or delete a layer mask: Do either of the following: On the Layers panel, click a layer mask thumb- nail, then on the Masks panel, click the Apply Mask button to apply the mask or the Delete Mask button to delete it. On the Layers panel, right-click a layer mask thumbnail and choose Apply Layer Mask or Delete Layer Mask. A To deactivate or activate a layer mask via the Layers panel, Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail. A red X appears in the thumbnail. B To deactivate or activate a layer mask via the Masks panel, click the layer mask thumbnail on the Layers panel, then click the Disable/Enable Mask button on the Masks panel. SOME MASK TOPICS IN OTHER CHAPTERS ➤ “Editing the adjustment layer mask” on page 202 ➤ “Fading the edge of a layer via a gradient in a layer mask” on pages 244–246 ➤ “Working with the Smart Filter mask” on page 322 ➤ “To use type shapes as a layer mask” on page 349 ptg 174 Chapter 9 Comparing the selection methods Now that you’re acquainted with most of the selection methods in Photoshop, you can use the following summary to shop and compare. SELECTION METHOD WHAT IT’S BEST FOR SELECTING Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tools Rectangular and round shapes; you can specify a width-to-height ratio or dimensions (page 148) Lasso tool Irregular areas; very useful for cleaning up selections created with other tools or commands (page 149) Polygonal Lasso tool Straight-edged shapes (page 149) Quick Mask mode Paint a mask onto a document in Quick Mask mode (and remove areas of the mask where necessary); it converts to a selection automatically when the document is returned to Standard mode (pages 166–167) Magnetic Lasso tool Objects or fi gures that are clearly delineated from their background in tonality or color (see Photoshop Help) Quick Selection tool Well-defi ned shapes, including irregular areas; creates selections by detecting color boundaries (pages 152–153) Magic Wand tool Color areas based on a Tolerance range; good for selecting a back- ground area, such as sky or water; use the Lasso or Quick Selection tool afterward to add areas or remove stray areas from the selection (pages 154–155) Color Range command Discrete color areas; via a dialog, lets you select all occurrences of one color or a specifi c tonal range (pages 156–157) MODIFY SELECTIONS HOW IT WORKS Add or subtract with a selection tool Shift to add; Alt/Option to remove; Alt-Shift/Option-Shift to select the intersection of the existing and new selections Refi ne Edge command Refi ne the smoothness, sharpness, or precision of a selection edge; preview the selection on different backgrounds (pages 161–165) Grow and Similar commands Enlarge a selection based on the current Tolerance setting of the Magic Wand tool; the Similar command selects noncontiguous, similar areas Convert a selection to a path Convert a selection to a path, reshape it by manipulating its anchor points, then convert it back to a selection; or to create a smooth, precise path, trace a shape with the Pen tool, then convert it to a selection PRESERVE SELECTIONS METHOD Save a selection as a layer mask; refi ne the mask; load the mask as a selection Save a selection as a layer mask (page 168); refi ne a selection before saving it as a layer mask via the New Layer with Layer Mask option in the Refi ne Edge dialog (page 161); change the mask density or feather value using the Masks panel (page 170); refi ne the mask edges using the Refi ne Mask dialog (page 170); load a layer mask as a selection (page 172) Save a selection as an alpha channel Save a selection as an alpha channel to the Channels panel (page 160) . the tile layer and revealing part of the underlying Background image. C With the Move tool, we dragged the mask in the document window to reveal a dierent part of the Background. (If you. then do either or both of the following: Reduce the Density value to lighten the black part of the mask and partially reveal layer pixels. B–C e lower the density, the more transparent the. 3. Click OK. 4. To view the change in the document, Alt-Shift- click/Option-Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail. C Only the mask is displayed in the document window. We’re eliminating areas