Hey All - Need some expert help again:

I seem to be having a problem with masking. When I open an image and I want to add a Levels… layer to mask off part of the image, I cannot see the effects on the actual image. I also noticed that the icon beside the white box is different the what others have. As you can see in the layers stack I tried to black out part of the image by painting directly on the image, but I see not effect on the image, but I do see the effect in the white box.

I am use to using Layer Masks but I have been trying to use the Levels Adjustment Layer. So using Levels Adj Layers for masking effects is new to me.

What am I doing wrong?

I hope this makes sense! The image in blue below is from my screen shot.

Jon

I seem to be having a problem with masking. When I open an image and I want to add a Levels… layer to mask off part of the image, I cannot see the effects on the actual image. I also noticed that the icon beside the white box is different the what others have. As you can see in the layers stack I tried to black out part of the image by painting directly on the image, but I see not effect on the image, but I do see the effect in the white box.

I am use to using Layer Masks but I have been trying to use the Levels Adjustment Layer. So using Levels Adj Layers for masking effects is new to me.Jon

Jon, I'm afraid that I wasn't clear yesterday in my answer to another masking question, and you have become confused because of that. The Levels adjustment layer is used to change certain aspects of an image (contrast, color shift, etc.) -- it is NOT used to "mask off part of an image". Yesterday we were showing you how to adjust the contrast on an image which needed the shadows to be darkened, and my answer included the use of a Levels adjustment layer. The Levels adj. layer darkened the shadows, but it also darkened areas which should not be darkened that much, and I showed you that you could paint on the adjustment layer itself to change "the effect of the Layer mask" -- not to mask off any of the actual image. All of the adjustment layers work this way -- you run the adjustment to make the changes that you want, and if you need to change the effect to just a bit of the image, you can make that change by painting on the mask. First, though, you try to make adjustments by using the controls in the adj. layer. You can also use different layer blend modes (Soft Light, Multiply, Luminosity, etc.) to make changes to the effect of the adjustment layer.

Okay, now if you are applying a Levels adjustment to your image, first you have to move the sliders on one or more channel options (RGB, R, G, B) to make a change to the look of the image -- then IF that effect is too strong in an area of the image (and you cannot use one or more of the sliders to make it look right), you can paint on the Levels mask with black to lessen the effect. Just painting on the mask WITHOUT adjusting the Levels layer will not show any change in the image -- because there was no change created by the Levels adjustment layer in the first place to make a change to (unless you change the layer blend -- if you place a Levels adj. layer above an image, don't run Levels, but change the layer blend to Multiply, etc. -- you can make a change to the look of the image and you can use the mask to adjust that change.

Hope that helps, rather than confuses...

C.J. - Thank you very much for clearing things up. You were right that I was confused. I thought that there was something new that I never tried before. Although I have been using Photoshop for some time, I never "REALLY" used it, if you know what I mean. I have been forcing myself to explain my knowledge and use of Photoshop. I upgraded to Photoshop CS from version 6.0. I never really used adjustment levels that much. I always used layers and a lot of the "auto" menu options. I have really improved my productivity and time saving learning the right way to do things. I have learned so much here reading and studying the tutorials, and everyone has been very helpful.

There is so much to learn - I Love It!

Thanks Again!
Jon

...I never really used adjustment levels that much. I always used layers and a lot of the "auto" menu options. I have really improved my productivity and time saving learning the right way to do things. I have learned so much here reading and studying the tutorials, and everyone has been very helpful.

There is so much to learn - I Love It!

Thanks Again!
Jon


Jon, that's the way most of us RetouchPro members started, so just keep up the enthusiasm and keep reading/practicing. I'd been looking for one of Russell Brown's Quicktime tutorials for you to read, and think that this one would be helpful -- (even though the subject is lighting, he uses masks, adjustment layers, and adjustments to the adjustment layer, and this is vitally important to learn if you're going to become adept at using PShop
http://www.russellbrown.com/images/tips_movies/DynamicLighting.mov

Russell Brown is an Adobe expert, and is funny/interesting/weird to listen to while teaching techniques that make a big difference in using PShop well.
If you find him helpful, he has a number of tutorials -- http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html


Happy viewing!