CS4 Layer Mask Selections

After making a selection with the Lasso tools in a layer mask, I can't copy this selection with the Cmd-C keyboard shortcut. When I looked at the Edit menu the Copy command was grayed out. The only way I could find to 'activate' the selection was to use the Return key - this then allows the Cmd-C to work as expected. Selections in regular layers work OK.
This layer mask selection activity works in CS3 - why is there a change with CS4 ?

Seems OK now - don't know what I changed !!

Similar Messages

Can't select layer mask, also some tools not working -- in CS2

Photoshop 9.0.2 on WinXP Pro (3 GB RAM; Used space: 18.4GB; Free space: 214GB; Video card: 256MB ATI Radeon X1300PRO)
Hi, I have a couple image layers (each created by merging several others) that each also have a mask attached. I cannot get the layer mask selected on either one. I have found that I can delete the layer mask, and start with a new one and make edits, but it is a one-time shot: once I de-select it I cannot get back to it to make any further changes. (I have only a standard mouse, not a Wacom tablet/pen mouse, nor does anyone nearby, or perhaps even in the building. See: http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3bbfe832 )
Also, when I have the layer selected and try to draw on it (in black) with the Brush tool, it paints red. Then I was able to Erase the red brush strokes just a minute ago without disturbing the integrity of the image. However, I just tried it again and more red was painted onto the image layer (in the currently assigned size of the Eraser).
Incidentally, yesterday and this morning I couldn't get the Eraser tool to do *anything* at all.
Everything I *can* do does show up in the History palette.
I also just happened to notice that when I select any layer in the doc that the small frame appears around the thumbnail to indicate it is selected, but that the entire row itself does not become highlighted as it normally does. And when I check the eye to make the layer disappear, the red brush strokes (both from the Brush and Eraser) still show.
I generally work on a network, but after I started having these problems I moved the file to my desktop and have worked from there since early yesterday with apparently increasingly odd issues. I have a co-worker who experienced the same inability to select the layer mask a couple days ago, but his system has since returned to "normal" (and while continuing to work across the network). Thanks!

>, but obviously need to brush up on the details.
you really should. imo, the quick mask is one of the best and most flexible selection tools available in photoshop! you should either check out the help on it (F1) and/or google for some tutorials.
I set mine (double click the quick mask icon in the tool bar) so that painting black paints a "selection" rather than a "mask" (painting white clears the selection). in that way, the quick mask tool in effect becomes a quick selection tool that can take advantage of all your various brushes and brush effects (opacity, flow etc.) when making or adjusting selections.

Layer mask not responsive

I have noticed in PSE 12 and 13 when I do layer mask selection or doing refine edge the software is not responsive. It happens in my windows 7 but work very well on OSX ..Please help

Steve,
That will take a real bite out of editing a Layer Mask, as will having the Blendin Mode of the Brush set to something, besides Normal.
Glad that you found it, and happy editing,
Hunt

Trouble fading layer with layer mask

I'm trying to blend a photo with a background color. I select the new layer mask (selected), I select the gradient tool (color into transparent), and then draw a line to fade the image layer into the background later and it does nothing. Why isn't this working? Every tutorial I have looked at tells me to do these steps. How do I fix this??

I don't see any black on your mask. It should look something like this: Whatever is painted black on the mask will be masked on the layer, depending on the transparancy of the black.

How to know if a layer mask is full white ?

Hi,
I need a script to know if a layer mask is full white, meaning it can be deleted without any visual effect.
I can get layer mask selection, but it allways report full image size
getLayerMaskSelection()
doc.Selection.Bounds
gives (0.0, 0.0, 4000.0, 2400.0) even with doc.Selection.Invert()
Any idea ?
Basically, I try to delete all empty layer masks.

Here is another way
function selectLayerMask(visible){
 var rc = false;
 try {
 var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
 var ref = new ActionReference();
 ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" ), charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" ), charIDToTypeID( "Msk " ) );
 desc.putReference( charIDToTypeID( "null" ), ref );
 desc.putBoolean( charIDToTypeID( "MkVs" ), visible );
 executeAction( charIDToTypeID( "slct" ), desc, DialogModes.NO );
 rc = true;
 } catch (e) {}
 return rc;
function isRevealAllMask(){
 var ref = new ActionReference();
 ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID( "Chnl" ), charIDToTypeID( "Ordn" ), charIDToTypeID( "Trgt" ) );
 var desc = executeActionGet(ref).getList(charIDToTypeID( "Hstg" ));
 var histogram =[];
 for(var h=1;h<256;h++){
 histogram.push(desc.getInteger(h));
 return histogram[254] == histogram.toString().match(/[^,0][0-9]*/);
function selectComponentChannel() {
 try{
 var map = {}
 map[DocumentMode.GRAYSCALE] = charIDToTypeID('Blck');
 map[DocumentMode.RGB] = charIDToTypeID('RGB ');
 map[DocumentMode.CMYK] = charIDToTypeID('CMYK');
 map[DocumentMode.LAB] = charIDToTypeID('Lab ');
 var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
 var ref = new ActionReference();
 ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID('Chnl'), charIDToTypeID('Chnl'), map[app.activeDocument.mode] );
 desc.putReference( charIDToTypeID('null'), ref );
 executeAction( charIDToTypeID('slct'), desc, DialogModes.NO );
 }catch(e){}
var hasMask = selectLayerMask(true);
if(hasMask){
 var revealAll = isRevealAllMask();
 selectComponentChannel();
 if(revealAll) alert('mask is all white');
Also if you have one of the newer versions of Photoshop that support mask density you might also want to check that. If the density is set to 0 this will not show the alert for non-all white mask even though the appear white in the GUI

Can't delete Layer Mask content in PS CS4.

I am completely baffled with this and am thinking that it's something obvious I am just missing.
I have a photo open and click on the "Create new fill or adjustments layer" button at the bottom of the Layers panel.
In CS3 I able to create a layer (say Levels) and apply it, then select the eraser tool and delete sections of that adjustment layer that I did not want revealing an unaltered section of the original photo behind it.
I can not seem to do this in CS4. I can add the layer and select the eraser tool but it will not delete anything.
:s Help??
Thanks.

>You have to make sure and explicitly target the Layer mask in order to affect it. good point. make sure the mask is selected first. :) >CS3 has buggy targeting behavior really? i don't think i've ever noticed it. <shrug>

How to select copy and paste an image that has a layer mask

Hi,
when I select, copy and paste the image it still has the content that I removed using the layer mask.
I want to paste it over another psd whilst maintaing the transparency.
Any help would be much appreciated.
PSD is at
http://sdrv.ms/16DoRft
The small jpg is because I don't know what you will see in the skydrive psd
Michael

Wow that was so easy!
Thanks!
I spent at least half and hour trying to figure out why it wouldn't work.
Michael

Loading a layer mask as Selection in Script

If you have a layer (Layer 1), that has a mask on it, if you look at the Channel list in Photoshop, you will see a channel named "Layer 1 Mask" of which you can load the selection using the "Load Selection..." dialog.
If a layer has a mask, even if the layer is the active layer, the mask is not a channel object in script. At least, it not exposed.
activeDocument.channels.length returns the number of component channels plus any alpha channels. In an RGB image with only the layer mask it returns 3.
activeDocument.channels.getByName("Layer 1 Mask") throws an error.
So I don't see a way to tell if a layer already has a mask or how to load that mask as a selection, apply or discrad the mask, or turn the mask off without using scriptlistner.
I personally am using C#, and I tried the following which worked:
curDoc.Selection.Load(curDoc.Channels["Blue] ,null, null);
But this doesn't:
curDoc.Selection.Load(curDoc.Channels["Layer 1 Mask"] ,null, null);
Any help would be appreciated
Carl

As far as I know scriptlistner is the only way to deal with a layer's channel masks. A vector mask is part of the pathItems collection when the layer is active.

Am I Missing Something Obvious? Layer Mask Not Confined to Selection.

Hello, I really hope I am not missing anything obvious.
I am working on a .psd in Photoshop CC in which I used a selection to precisely remove a portion of a layer in a layer mask. The problem is that it is removing a percentage of the opacity in the non selected area. The brush has 100% Opacity, 100% Flow and is in Normal Mode. The layer has 100% Opacity, 100% Fill, and is in Normal Mode. I have tried restarting Photoshop and starting over from scratch. Here is an image of the issue.
My only other concern is that on Friday we had a power outage due to lightning and PS CC closed unexpectedly. Could my PS CC be corrupted? My computer has restarted since then. Any suggestions would be wonderful. Thanks!

The power outage should not have corrupted your Photoshop to cause this to happen. Worst that could have happened is Photoshop was forced to quit and your preferences did not get save for yourt panel layout and prefertence settings.
Is your brush filled with 100 black, the swatch looks dark but you may be at 90% black.? Your screenshot looks fine though as if the mask is working correctly, can you post a screenshot that better shwos the problem.

How to select a layer mask (not its contents) and another layer/folder at the same time?

I can do one or another, but both at the same time?
It is annoying because a mask selection turns into layer selection when you select a second layer/folder.

Well a layer mask is just that for that layer. If you want to apply that mask to a new layer, you can drag it or alt drag to drag a copy to the new layer. Then it will have its own layer mask. When your done, if needed you can then remove that mask from that new layer, if for some reason you only wanted to see a temporary mask.

Can't select or edit layer mask in CS5.1 extended

In our class, we have photoshop CS5 on MACs
I started a project in class which involves creating a layer mask. I was about done with the mask, but brought it home to finish. I opened the file on my WIN XP running photoshop CS5.1 extended, which I installed this morning. In class I was able to click on the mask to select it, then use the brush to edit the details, painting black or white as needed to refine the edge.
When I brought the .psd file home and opened it in the newer version of Photoshop, it won't allow me to select the mask for editing. I selected the layer then clicked on the mask thumbnail in the layer pallette but didn't see the corner outlines that usually show when the layer thumbnail is selected. When I tried brushing on what I thought was the mask (of the layer selected) I got the pink overlay as is usually seen in quickmask. (fore and background colors were black and white).
Does v5.1 behave differently with masks from v5.0? I didn't change any of the factory default settings and in class it is standard practice to reset to the default when we begin.
any ideas?

sweet. That did the trick Noel.
I didn't turn quickmask on. I just loaded the file from my flash drive and first thing I tried was to select the layer mask. I'll have to try another file to see if PS is starting in quickmask mode itself.
I had an inkling I was in quickmask mode from the pink painting, but hadn't selected it and didn't know about the q hotkey. newbie here just a few weeks into the intro course.
again, thanks for the fast reply. I just might be able to finish this assignment yet tonight.

Layer Mask vs Quick selection

hey there, I don' understand the difference between the quick selection tool and the layer mask option. What exactly does a layer mask do? And what are the advantages compared to the quick selection tool?
thanks in advance

A Layer Mask is used to modify a layer, usually making parts visible and masked parts invisible.
The Quick Selection Tool is one of the many ways to select, or isolate part of an image. A selection can be a step towards producing a layer mask.
Look them up in Help for a more detailed explanation.

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();

Selecting color layer should select its mask

In older versions of Photoshop (at least until CS3), clicking on a solid color, gradient or pattern layer in the layer palette selected its mask. In CS5, it doesn't select the mask anymore.
This is inconsistent with the adjustment layer behavior, where the mask is automatically selected, and does not make sense since there is no "image" area that can be edited like normal layers.
It's a little thing but you can't believe how many time I got the "this layer must be rasterized" dialog box since moving to CS5.

OK. I see your point about the eyedropper. I guess I'll have to aim better.
The double border should appear around the Fill layer icon to indicate that it is selected. That would make it consistent with normal layers.
Personally, I would prefer if, when you click on the layer name in the Layers panel, the option that was previously selected for that layer would be selected again (layer color, layer mask or vector mask). If you want to change it, click on the appropriate icon.
On a related note, is there a way to add a vector mask without first adding a layer mask?

Selecting a layer mask?

Somehow I set something in PS CS 5 that is not allowing me to click on the layer mask to select it. I can select the mask via the mask panel but that's annoying and I would really like to figure out what I set to reset it back to the normal way I work. This does not seem to be set off for photoshop in general as I can open some files and can select the mask via rolling the curser over it and clicking, but there are specific images I am working on currentily that seem to have this setting applied to them. Any ideas or suggestions would be very appreciated.
thanks, jeff

Layers palette flyout menu >> layer panel options >> choose a larger thumbnail
can you slect the mask now.
Can you cmd click on a layer mask, to select the pixels.

CS4 Layer Mask Selections

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