Copying a texture into a layer mask... how?

This question has been plaguing me for years and I thought I'd come and finally scratch that itch once and for all.
See this image? http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/072/7/0/Grunge_Texture_by_skeelar_stock.jpg
Say I want to use it as an opacity mask on a specific layer, or specific group of layers. How do I do it?
I mean, I know I can select with the wand and then add a layer mask in the shape of whatever I selected, but the transparency/alpha info will be stripped. Portions of the mask will either be transparent or opaque.
Copying a layer with gradients -- like a that of a worn-out paper texture -- into a layer mask is something I haven't been able to do. But I'm sure it can be done, because masks can do different levels of alpha just fine (they'd be pretty useless if they didn't).

J Maloney wrote:
Select all, Copy (or copy merged if you've got multiple layers) in the file you want to make into a mask. Go to the image in which you'd like to add the mask. Select the layer you'd like to mask. Create a layer mask. Make sure that mask is active by alt-clicking it. Paste.
Whoa, that actually worked. Alt-clicking the mask is what did the trick.
IMO, they should have made it work simply by clicking the mask and pasting into it. Having to alt-click it is, in my view, completely unnecessary. Not knowing that I had to hold down ALT has cost me who-knows-how-many hours over the years.
But hey, that's how the program works so that's what I'm going to have to do from now on. Thanks, J!

Similar Messages

Colored texture pasting as black and white into a layer mask

Hello all,
First time poster, long time lurker here.
I'm pasting a colored layer into a layer mask I created in order to texturize a shape I made. Whenever I Option + Click the layer mask and then paste the texture, it pastes in black and white instead of color, see screen capture below (pardon the watermark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC8Da4V0FAc
Am I missing something here? Thanks in advance!

If you want to add a texture to a shape, create a new layer, fill it with your texture, then ALT+click their separation line in the layers panel.
This creates a what is called a Clipping Mask: http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/revealing-layers-clipping-masks.html.

In RGB mode, why does pasting 50% gray into a layer mask actually put K 59% in the mask?

Create a new (small) document in RBG mode, 8 bit, transparent background.
Fill the resulting Layer 1 with 50% gray, 100% opacity. The eyedropper reports RGB=(128,128,128).
Copy the layer to the clipboard.
Create a new Layer 2. Fill it with Green #00ff00 (the contents don't actually matter here).
Add a layer mask to Layer 2.
Bring that mask up for editing.
Paste in the contents of the clipboard. The eyedropper reports the contents of the mask as K 59%.
I was expecting 50% gray (or K 50%). Why did I get K 59%?
Addenda:
I'm using CS3 on a Mac. I haven't had a chance to see if the same thing happens with more current versions of PS.
Apply the layer mask in Layer 2. Extract the transparency to a new layer. The eyedropper gives the RGB of the
new layer as (106,106,106), with variations pixel by pixel of plus/minus 1.
Take the Difference between that new layer and Layer 1; the eyedropper gives the RGB of the difference as (22,22,22),
again with variations of plus/minus 1.
Paste the contents of the clipboard into a new layer. The eyedropper gives the RGB contents of that new
layer as (128,128,128), both without and with a Black & White adjustment applied.
Create a new layer, add a layer mask, fill the mask with 50% gray. The eyedropper gives the contents of
the new mask as (128,128,128) (now as expected).
The 50% gray used above is just for simplicity. I'm actually interested in inserting a complicated RGB
image containing only shades of gray into the layer mask. This example indicates that pasting won't
preserve the gray levels. Indeed, when I replace the initial 50% gray with a Black to White gradient,
the differences between the initial gradient and the one in the mask range roughly quadratically from 0 at 0,
22 at 128, and 0 at 255.

Thanks. First doing Edit > Color Settings, Gray > Gray Gamma 2.2 resulted in putting 50% gray in the layer mask.
Does changing the Gray setting have any effect on channel calculations, via Image > Calculations?
Or what you get from
Image > Apply Image, Channel > Transparency ?
I don't see "sGray" listed among the options for Gray in the Color Settings. Is it somewhere else?

How can I Copy/Paste a Black & White Photo into a Layer Mask

I have a landscape picture.
Then I will copy it into another layer and convert it to black and white. I will make some changes to the B&W photo
Then I want this B&W photo to be the layer mask of a "Layer-Multiply" of the original ...
I tried copy and paste as it is, but it doesn´t works
Please help me with the steps or what I am doing wrong.
Regards
Roberto

You can paint not only a black and white photo, but also a coloured one.
Once you have copied the photo (Ctrl A and Ctrl C), before trying to paste, be sure that the layer mask is active, Alt click in the layer palette in the mask icon on the right : you get a white screen and the mask icon is shown selected. Only then can you paste into the mask (Ctrl V). To exit the mask view, Alt click again or click in the layer icon on the left.
When you paste a coloured pictures it is automatically converted to grayscale.

Copy and paste layer mask into another layer mask

I know there is a way to do this.
How can I copy and paste on layer mask into another.
I need to use the same mask for multiple layers and images.
Thanks

In the same document, click on the layer mask, option drag to a new layer
To copy mask to a different document with both documents open, select the layer, Duplicate Layer to the other document (destination). Then in the other document, option drag the mask to whatever layer you want, delete the layer you duplicated (you don't need it anymore, you just needed the mask)
Or to copy mask to a different document with both documents open, load mask as a selection. Save selection to the other document (destination). Then in the other document load the new alpha channel and apply as a layer mask. Delete the alpha, you don't need it anymore.
Edit: J always beats me to it

How to copy a shape into same layer as original

In Elements 11 each time I copy a shape the pasted copy appears in a new layer. I would like to have the pasted copy stay in the same layer as the original shape. How do?

When you paste, it's always going to come in on a new layer, just merge them back together again afterwards, or use the shape selection tool to alt/option drag a shape with the add to shape button turned on. The shape selection tool is the gray arrow in the list of shape tools in the tool options.

Anybody having trouble pasting texture into the opacity masks box in the transparency window?

Very frustrating, works sometimes, sometimes doesn't. When I cut and paste the texture into the "black box" in the transparency window it doesn't copy and appears white on my document.

this is what I should get in the newest illustrator, but this was done in CS5 - I'm familiar with this process... just don't know why it works sometimes in the newest illustrator and sometimes it doesn't, it's frustrating.

How do I copy a photo into a layer?

When I try to copy a photo or a portion of a photo for pasting in to a layer, I get this message: "Could not complete the copy command because no pixels are selected." Now what?

You have to make a selection first.
For selection of an object, let's say a car, use one of the selection tools, e.g. selection brush, lasso tool, and select the car. You should seem "marching ants" surrounding the car - indicating that it is an active selection. Then, go to Edit>copy to place the selected car on the clipboard. Next open the 2nd picture, go toEdit>paste, and position the car with the move tool.
If you want to select something in its entirety, go to Select>all. You will see the "marching ants", then proceed as above.
The pasted item should be on a separate layer. Be sure that the layers palette is open so that you will be able to work on the appropriate, active layer. The message which you reference most likely is due to selecting from an inappropriate layer in your work flow.

Moving a layer's alpha channel into layer mask

(CS3)
I have a raster layer that has some semi-transparent pixels. I'd like to make the layer itself fully opaque, and move the contents of its alpha channel into a layer mask. How would I go about doing this? (If possible, merging the alpha channel with what I have already placed into the layer mask.)
Thanks!

kopo88 wrote:
(CS3)
I have a raster layer that has some semi-transparent pixels. I'd like to make the layer itself fully opaque, and move the contents of its alpha channel into a layer mask. How would I go about doing this? (If possible, merging the alpha channel with what I have already placed into the layer mask.)
Thanks!
Copy the alpha channel into your clipboard, then paste it into the mask. To paste into a layer's mask, alt click the mask to make the mask the focus then ctrl v to paste. To remove focus, alt click on the mask again or click on another layer. As to how to mix the two, you could probably do it using calculations.

How to paste an image on a layer mask?

Hi All,
I've just started using PS Elements 10 again after not having used it for some time, and I've forgotten a few things. When I paste an image which I've selected from another image (image A) into a layer mask for image B, the image A selection appears in black and white. Also, is there a quick way to return PS Elements 10 to its default settings? I'd be grateful if you could help with these questions. Cheers!

Hi Again Michel,
I guess I'd better say what I'm trying to do and then maybe you can help me. Maybe I'm not using the correct tool. What I wanted to do is cut a person from an image and superimpose this person on a second image. I thought I did this using the layer mask. When I do this, and look at the background image, all I can see is an outline of the shape of the person's image on the second image. Can you perhaps point me to a video which explains how to do this. I thought I had to use a layer mask to do this. Thanks for staying with me.

How can I copy a pdf into word document

I'm trying to copy a pdf into a word document; how do I do that?

In Acrobat use File>Export (or Save As Other) to DOCX.

Layer mask alters Colors

Hey!
If I
Start a new Photoshop-File in RGB-Mode
Create a new layer and fill it with RGB = (8,8,8)
Add a Mask
Copy the (8,8,8) Color (strg +a, strg +c), and paste it into the layer mask (alt + click, strg + v)
What I get is not a (8,8,8)-plain-color in the mask, but a dithered image with (7,7,7) and (9,9,9).
Can anyone explain this strange behaviour to me? Is it only a bug in my version (CS6 13.0.1)?
Bonus Question:
Considering this strange behaviour: How can i turn an image exactly into a layer Mask?

It's the way Photoshop works. Copying RGB then pasting into a single channel such as a mask or alpha channel will involve a conversion from document RGB profile to grayscale working space profile (as defined in Edit > Color Settings).
If a doc has sRGB profile and grayscale working space is sGray, or doc has Adobe RGB profile and grayscale working space is Gamma 2.2, then gray RGB values will copy and paste into a mask without change in value.
In any case, if you copy a single colour channel, say R, then that can be pasted into a mask and the values will not change.

Layer Mask Transparency not White

When I go to make a selection in Photoshop CS6 and then click on layer mask from the background layer, the inverse selection is trasparent, rahter than white. How do I change this? Thank you!

Sorry for not describing it in better detail. Here is another example. When I go to crop image and expand my canvas beyond the borders and click ok, the background should be white, instead it is transparent.
When I try to convert a selection from my background image into a layer mask by selecting and then clicking on the mask icon, my background is transparent rather than white. I have cleared all my settings and am totally stumped on what I should do. Any help would be much appreciated!

Apply selection to layer mask

Hello,
iam looking for a solution to apply a previeuws
selction to a layer mask of a adjustment layer.
My code mange to select the mask - but when i apply the
selection it creates layer above.
I need to go into the layer mask (alt and click) and then paste.
Then go out.
Scriptlistender isnt helping so much.
app.activeDocument.selection.selectAll(); //selects stuff on the preview layer
app.activeDocument.selection.copy(); //copy that stuff - to paste it into the mask later
var adjLayer = doc.layerSets.getByName("ao").artLayers.getByName("ao"); //searching for a group and specific layer
var mask = ExtendedLayer.selectLayerMask(adjLayer); // extern function wich selects the mask (does not go "into" the mask - just selects it)
pastMask = function()
// Selectin recorded by Script listender
var idslct = charIDToTypeID( "slct" );
    var desc321 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
        var ref212 = new ActionReference();
        var idChnl = charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" );
        var idChnl = charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" );
        var idMsk = charIDToTypeID( "Msk " );
        ref212.putEnumerated( idChnl, idChnl, idMsk );
    desc321.putReference( idnull, ref212 );
    var idMkVs = charIDToTypeID( "MkVs" );
    desc321.putBoolean( idMkVs, false );
executeAction( idslct, desc321, DialogModes.NO );
// paste, recorded by script listender
var idpast = charIDToTypeID( "past" );
    var desc322 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idAntA = charIDToTypeID( "AntA" );
    var idAnnt = charIDToTypeID( "Annt" );
    var idAnno = charIDToTypeID( "Anno" );
    desc322.putEnumerated( idAntA, idAnnt, idAnno );
executeAction( idpast, desc322, DialogModes.NO );
pastMask();
Any help would be really nice.!
Thanks alot
Alpha

app.activeDocument.selection.selectAll(); //selects stuff on the preview layer
app.activeDocument.selection.copy(); //copy that stuff - to paste it into the mask later
var adjLayer = activeDocument.layerSets.getByName("ao").artLayers.getByName("ao"); //searching for a group and specific layer
activeDocument.activeLayer = adjLayer;
pastMask = function()
// Selectin recorded by Script listender
var idslct = charIDToTypeID( "slct" );
    var desc321 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
        var ref212 = new ActionReference();
        var idChnl = charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" );
        var idChnl = charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" );
        var idMsk = charIDToTypeID( "Msk " );
        ref212.putEnumerated( idChnl, idChnl, idMsk );
    desc321.putReference( idnull, ref212 );
    var idMkVs = charIDToTypeID( "MkVs" );
    desc321.putBoolean( idMkVs, true );
executeAction( idslct, desc321, DialogModes.NO );
// paste, recorded by script listender
var idpast = charIDToTypeID( "past" );
    var desc322 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idAntA = charIDToTypeID( "AntA" );
    var idAnnt = charIDToTypeID( "Annt" );
    var idAnno = charIDToTypeID( "Anno" );
    desc322.putEnumerated( idAntA, idAnnt, idAnno );
executeAction( idpast, desc322, DialogModes.NO );
pastMask();

Brush Tool is not working with Layer Mask

Working with Windows platform, using Photoshop CS4, Brush Tool is not working with Layer Mask, how can I resolve this challenge?

Also, do you have any Selections active - maybe hidden?
When you have your Layer Mask's Channel active, do your Colors change to black and white?
Good luck,
Hunt

Copying a texture into a layer mask... how?

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