How to Add a Layer Mask in Photoshop

Mytour will guide you today on how to create a layer mask in Adobe Photoshop, which allows you to hide or reveal parts of another layer.

Open or create a Photoshop file. Double-click on the blue Photoshop icon labeled "Ps," then click on the File tab in the menu bar at the top of the screen and do one of the following:

• Click Open... and double-click the project to open an existing file.
• Click New... to create a new file, then add the image you want to use.

Ensure no image is selected. Click on the Select menu at the top of the window and choose Deselect from the dropdown menu.

Select the layer. In the "Layers" section of the Photoshop window, click on the layer you wish to cover.

Click on the Layer menu at the top of the window. A dropdown menu will appear.

• On Mac, this option is located at the top of the screen.

Choose Layer Mask from the dropdown menu. Another menu will appear.

Click on Hide All. This option is located on the popup menu. The entire selected layer will be hidden.

To save changes to your project, click on File in the top-left corner and select Save from the drop-down menu.

• If this is a newly created project, the action will open the 'Save As' window. Enter a file name, choose a location to save, and click Save again.

To open or create a Photoshop file, double-click the blue Photoshop icon labeled 'Ps,' then click on the File tab in the top menu bar. Choose one of the following options:

• Click Open... and double-click on an existing project to open the document.
• Click New... to create a new document, then add the image you'd like to use.

Ensure you haven't selected any image. Click the Select menu at the top of the window and choose Deselect from the dropdown list.

Select the layer. In the 'Layers' section of the Photoshop window, click the layer you wish to hide.

Select the section you want to hide or show. Depending on the level of detail you want to retain, use one of the following tools:

• Marquee Tool - This is used for selecting larger areas without needing precise borders. Click on the dotted line icon near the top of the 'Tool' section, then click and drag the mouse to select the area you want to display or hide.
• Pen Tool - Ideal for selecting finer details. Click on the pen icon in the 'Tool' section, then click and drag to select the area you want to show or hide.

Click on the Layer option at the top of the window. A dropdown menu will appear.

• On Mac, this option is located at the top of the screen.

Select Layer Mask from the dropdown menu. Another menu will pop up.

Click on the Reveal Selection (To reveal selection) or Hide Selection (To hide selection) option. The Reveal Selection option will show the selected area while the rest of the layer remains hidden, whereas the Hide Selection option will hide the selected area and keep the unselected portion visible.

Move the mask if necessary. If you want to move the mask to reveal it over another layer, click and drag the covered layer up or down to the desired position in the 'Layers' section.

Save the changes to your project. Click on File at the top-left corner and choose Save from the dropdown menu.

• If it's a newly created project, this action will open the 'Save As' window. Enter a file name, select the destination folder, and click Save again.

You need to understand the purpose of the Select and Mask option. This tool allows you to select a part of an image that will serve as the 'visible' portion of the layer mask, which is particularly useful when you want to remove a person from a background (or vice versa).

Open or create a Photoshop file. Double-click on the blue Photoshop icon with the letters "Ps", then click on the File tab in the top menu bar and proceed with one of the following actions:

• Click Open... and double-click on an existing project to open the file.
• Click New... to create a new document, then add the image you want to use.

Select a layer. In the 'Layers' section, click on the image that you want to turn into its own layer mask.

Click on the Select. This button is located at the top of the Photoshop window (Windows) or screen (Mac). A dropdown menu will appear.

Click on the option Select and Mask… in the middle of the dropdown menu. The "Properties" window will appear on the right side of the Photoshop interface.

Click on the "View" dropdown menu. This menu is located at the top of the "Properties" section on the right-hand side of the window. A dropdown list will appear.

Click on the Onion Skin option located within the dropdown menu. This feature allows you to select parts of an image to be used as a layer mask.

• You can also press the O key.

Select the "Quick Selection" tool. Click the brush icon at the top of the column containing several brushes on the left side of the window, or press the W key.

• If the transparency of the image is higher or lower than 50%, you will first need to adjust the "Transparency" slider in the right menu back to the 50% level.
• This tool may already be selected by default.

Select the area to save. Click and drag your mouse around the layer area you want to display. You will notice the transparency of the selected areas gradually decreasing.

• The areas that are not selected will be cut out of the layer once you finish.

Remove unnecessary details. These are remnants of the original background that make the image look untidy, but you can eliminate them by:

• Clicking the "View" dropdown again.
• Clicking the On Black or On White option depending on the color of the image.
• Pressing the R key to select the "Refine Edge Brush" tool.
• Clicking and dragging around the edges of the image.

Refine the image. You can check for remaining imperfections by clicking the "View" dropdown, selecting Black & White, choosing the "Quick Selection" brush, and clicking on any small black spots still present in the image area.

• The entire background of the image will also appear black, so there’s no need to work on the background.

Save the image as a layer mask. Click on the "Output To" dropdown on the right side of the page, choose Layer Mask from the menu, and click OK at the bottom of the dropdown.

Save the changes to the project. Click on File in the top-left corner and select Save from the dropdown menu.

• For a newly created project, this action will open the "Save As" window. Enter a file name, choose the save location, and click Save again.

• Double-click the layer mask in the Layers window to adjust the Density and Feather sliders for the layer mask's transparency and sharpness.

• The layer’s coverage will have no effect if that layer is not above the layer you want to display.