The Awesome Power of Layer Masks

[Vikki]

The following tutorial will show you a typical retouching use for layer masks. Once you get the hang of it, (it's easy!) you'll have a valuable imaging tool that will enable you to refine and improve your retouching projects. It's uses are limitless!
This tutorial will work with any version of Photoshop that allows layer masks.
 [details]

[Doug Nelson]

An excellent tutorial on a very important topic. Very well thought-out.

I need to start including more arrows and such to the tutorials I do. They help a lot, but I'm just too lazy

Thanks for contributing this, Vikki.

[sjcampbel]

Excellent!!! Excellent!!!! Excellent!!!!

Now to use it on "Son of Horror Restoration"

[Ed_L]

I only have one criticism. It's too late coming! This is something I would have absolutely loved to find a couple of years ago. Great tutorial Vikki. I's amazing that something we find mysterious is really so easy. This gets a 10 from me.

Ed

[Duv]

I feel like a leetle kid in a candy store. Your tutorial is so easy. Why can't I intuitivly think this thru myself? I'm spending way too much time on this site. I'm lovin it!!

Duv

[DannyRaphael]

One of the best I've seen, Vikki, especially with the very practical example and great screen shots.

Well done...
~Danny~

[Vikki]

Thanks for the feedback! It's good to know, and it makes the work that goes into writing tutorials worthwhile.

Danny, a little trick I found to get a bigger and better shot of the layers palette: I increased the palette thumbnail size to the largest setting.

[GOLDCOIN]

Vickie...

It's printing out as I'm typing this "thank you!."

It's alway so wonderful when someone will take their valuable time to create such an informative tutorial to share with others.

And also love the very visible pix, helps the learning process.

GoldCoin

[Hunter]

For those of us Corel folk out there the "layer mask" in PS is the same as the "clip mask" in Photopaint.

I did a tutorial on my colorization techniques and how I use the clipmask all over the place. Just translate "layer mask" for "clip mask" and it might be of help to PS users.

my tute: http://www.retouchpro.com/tutorials/...p?m=show&id=43

[Rexx]

One of the reasons I really love working with Photoshop is the number of easy to remember keyboard shortcuts.

For working with masks, learn this one:
X
X switches the brush between foreground and background colour!

[SMETZ99]

Great tutorial on a subject that everyone will use.

Thanks for the information....

[Gary Richardson]

Great Tutorial. May I add a thought for those who might not have Layer Masks (e.g. Photoshop Elements). For those users, the following can be used.

Copy and Blur Background as in tutorial, then click on Background and click Add New Layer to add an empty layer between Background and Background Copy. Now click on Background Copy to make it active, and click Layer-Group With Previous. The blurred Background Copy will now be totally masked. Click on Empty Layer, and paint on it using any colour. Wherever there is colour the Background Copy will show, sort of a Layer mask in reverse. To partly reveal things, reduce opacity of Paintbrush. To remask areas, erase paint strokes.

[Hyrule]

Hi Vikki,

I was just looking at your tutorial, “The Awesome Power of Layer Masks”, but I could not view the pictures. I’ve made the adjustments referenced in RetouchPro’s “Red X Instead of Image” section and have been able to view other tutorials and pages at RetouchPro. Can you help me solve why the pictures on your tutorial are not displaying?

Thanks,

Tim

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Hyrule

Hi Vikki,

I was just looking at your tutorial, “The Awesome Power of Layer Masks”, but I could not view the pictures. I’ve made the adjustments referenced in RetouchPro’s “Red X Instead of Image” section and have been able to view other tutorials and pages at RetouchPro. Can you help me solve why the pictures on your tutorial are not displaying?

Thanks,

Tim

Tim:

Vikki is making the transistion to semi-retirement, so she may not see your request as soon as she would have in the past. Just in case and if you've tried everything here...
http://www.retouchpro.com/pages/red-x.html

...note the last line: "If you have other problems (or other solutions), email me via the Contact page." It may not be clear that "me" = Doug Nelson, the site owner and tech guru.

Here's his e-mail address: dnelson@retouchpro.com

Give Doug a shout. He usually responds within a couple hours and if he can't get you over the hump, nobody can.

Hope you get fixed up soon. Vikki's tutorial is very informative.

~Danny~

[Vikki]

I seem to be having problems with my service. I've changed the links to my PBase site. The tutorial should be working now.
Thanks,
Vikki

My PBase Gallery