Adobe 13101332 User Guide - Page 315

Adobe Photoshop Help Using Help | Contents | Index Using Layers Back 315 In the Layers palette, both the layer and vector masks appear as an additional thumbnail to the right of the layer thumbnail. For the layer mask, this thumbnail represents the grayscale channel that is created when you add the layer mask. (See "Storing masks in alpha channels" on page 280.) The vector mask thumbnail represents a path that clips out the contents of the layer. B A C D E F Layer palette: A. Layer mask selected B. Layer mask link icon C. Layer mask D. Vector mask E. Vector mask link icon F. New Layer Mask Creating and editing layer masks You can obscure an entire layer or layer set, or just a selected part of it, using a layer mask. You can also edit a layer mask to add or subtract from the masked region. A layer mask is a grayscale image, so what you paint in black will be hidden, what you paint in white will show, and what you paint in gray shades will show in various levels of transparency. Background painted with black, head painted with white, neck painted with gray To add a mask that shows or hides the entire layer: 1 Choose Select > Deselect to clear any selection borders in the image. 2 In the Layers palette, select the layer or layer set to which to add a mask. 3 Do one of the following: • To create a mask that reveals the entire layer, click the New Layer Mask button in the Layers palette, or choose Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal All. • To create a mask that hides the entire layer, Alt click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the New Layer Mask button, or choose Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide All. Using Help | Contents | Index Back 315