Layer Mask thumbnails won't activate.

I am using photoshop CC and am suddenly not able to activate my layer masks by clicking on the layer mask thumbnails. I am using Windows 8.1 if that matters. I have never had this happen before. Can anyone give me some help with this ? Thank you.

Bingo. That solved it. Thanks a bunch. I wonder I should I stop processing my images in 16bit. I'm always having to convert them anyway. But thanks again. Now I can get on to what I was doing.
Bakari

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Layer Mask Thumbnail Option

I'm using PSE 11 and layers masks. If you click on the layer mask thumbnail you have the option of "add mask to selection" and "intersect mask to selection". They both select the same area of the photo. So I use the help menu and go online and type in the same phase with quotes and it comes up no document found. How does someone learn about a feature in an app and yet don't have information on that feature? This is where people get frustrated with the help.
So...if anyone knows what the difference is, please let me know or how it's used. Thx

Omega0401 a écrit:
I'm using PSE 11 and layers masks. If you click on the layer mask thumbnail you have the option of "add mask to selection" and "intersect mask to selection". They both select the same area of the photo. So I use the help menu and go online and type in the same phase with quotes and it comes up no document found. How does someone learn about a feature in an app and yet don't have information on that feature? This is where people get frustrated with the help.
Using masks and selections are advanced workflows which justify a lot of tutorials and even whole books. Not something a tool description can achieve, especially when it deals with the interaction between two different, though similar ways to select areas of an image.
So...if anyone knows what the difference is, please let me know or how it's used. Thx
When you understand masks and selection, you know that you can:
- go from mask to selection and vice versa
- combine selections (add, substract, intersection...)
The contextual menu you are seeing lets you combine selections with masks without turning the mask into another selection.
Try this:
- duplicate the background
- desaturate the duplicate (Ctrl Shift U)
- add a mask
- Paint a part of the mask with black. That part shows in colour inside the grey background.
- now use the lasso tool to cover a part of the masked area plus a part of the rest.
- use the contextual menu and you should see the intersection.

How do I change the layer mask thumbnail to be a thumbnail of the image itself ?

Hello,
I am in Photoshop CS5 in Windows, and I have been using Photoshop for sometime now. I am not sure what I did, but for the last few days, in my Layers Pallette, the thumbnails that show up look different.
I have attached a small screenshot from my photoshop below. Here in Layer 1, the thumbnail in the left (brush ) used to be that of the image open , and the thumbnail in the right used to be the grayscale indication of pixels that have been selected. Any idea how to revert it back ?

Hi slaveofphoton,
Go to the Layers Panel Options and choose a thumbnail size other than none.

Cannot Apply Layer Mask in Photoshop CS6

First off, let me state that I am a *total* Ps newbie…My question regards the following: In Ps CS6, I cropped an area using the Marquee Tool. Then, I Added [a] Layer Mask from the Layers Panel. Next, I turned off the Indicates layer mask is linked to layer BUTTON, clicked the Smart Object Thumbnail, and moved the image using the Move Tool. Now, I right-clicked on the Layer Mask Thumbnail in order to Apply Layer Mask but it is de-highlighted. This is my problem. I cannot figure out how to Apply [the] Layer Mask. (I hope this all made sense.) Can someone please tell me how to do this in CS6? TY.

Thank you for the quick reply. I started the whole process over again and went through the same steps; and, I don't know if it shows up in the screen capture, but there is, indeed, a frame around the Layer Mask Icon when I right-click on it. The above pull-down menu is what I get when I right-click on it. (BTW, this is for a CS5 online course I'm taking, and this particular Lesson is called "Generating a Non-Destructive Crop." I'm having to figure some stuff out, since I have CS6...) I hope all that info helps.

Layer Mask Issue, please help.

Hi,
My layer mask is not working, not sure what's happening. I'm using CS 4 . i want to use blending effect so i place the photos on a white background. I click layer mask on each photo, select brush tool brush on the photo but is not working, is either appear black or white color when i use the brush paint on it. If not wrong, the foreground color should be grey & white in layer mask function but it appear black & white instead. Please see the screenshot below. Please help, thank you

Hi, I will try explain your problem.
In your posted example we can see see that you have three layers in the layers panel.
On each one of layers, we can see, on the left side, that there is the Layer Thumbnail, that is a showing the actual image of your layer and then a Layer Mask Thumbnail (the white rectangle, on the right side).
A layer mask works as follows: you tell Photoshop to display or hide actual parts (pixels) of the layer with greyscale values. A white pixel on the layer masks tells Photoshop to show the image area at full opacity (non-transparent), while a black pixel on the layer mask tells Photoshop to hide the layer totally (0% of opacity.) Gray values will therefore show the image data partially.
But you are painting on the document, and you need to indicate Photoshop whether you want to paint on the image (what you did in your example, and you do not desire) or if you want to paint on the layer mask (what you want to do). This indication is called Targeting. It is done simply by clicking either on the Layer thumbnail, or on the Layer mask thumbnail of your layer. (Clicking different areas of a layer in the layer palette are different orders you give to the program). For instance, if you want to switch the layer you are hiding to another one, in order to paint on its mask, make sure to click on the layer mask thumbnail of the other layer in the Layers Panel.
In Photoshop CS5.5 and earlier, you will see that a layer or its mask is targeted because there will be three outlines around it: a black, a white and a black one again, like the actual layer data in the highlighted layer 0928 of your image. You should see those three outlines around the layer mask in order to paint on it.
In CS6, the target indicator is different, look in my image, we can see that the layer mask is targeted thanks to the white corners: I was then able to mask part of the black layer by targeting the Layer Mask in the layer panel, and then painting on the image where I want to hide the layer.
If you want to modify the actual layer (the photos, in your case), simply click on its thumbnail, and you are good to go!
Hope this helps.
See these help documents: Layes Basics: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-78e3a.h tml
Layer masks: http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/masking-layers.html
Some search results for "Layer Masks Basics" in Photoshop help: http://community.adobe.com/help/search.html?q=layer+mask+basics&x=0&y=0&lbl=photoshop_prod uct_adobelr&hl=en_US&lr=en_US&self=0&area=0
(It is one of the best ways to search for tutorials or help files)
Pierre

Layer mask missing from my adjustment layer

Hello Photoshop gang,
Sometimes when I make an Adjustment layer (like a Vibrance Adjustment) the layer will either have or not have an attached layer mask thumbnail. It lately is NOT showing a layer mask thumbnail. When I have an active selection and then make an Adjustment Layer, it then does have an attached Layer Mask Thumbnail. On another computer, I do the same Adjustment Layer creation, and it DOES automatically have a Layer Mask thumbnail. What is happening on this one computer that causes it to NOT have the Layer Mask thumbnail?
Hope this is clear enough!
Mike Witherell in Silver Spring, MD

There's a preference for whether you want a layer mask automatically added.
Look in the ADJUSTMENTS panel's fly out menu:
-Noel

Brush won't work on Layer Mask ?

Everything has been working fine for years up until now, not sure what I've done, because I didn't do anything, but here it is ...
Can't use brush on a layer mask. Is there a way to enable / disable this feature ?
Thanks.

Thanks for the reply ...
There really is no need for a screen shot, everything is normal. Any layer I create with a layer mask (not quick mask mode) with any blending mode plus no locks on. As one normally would to blank part of a layer out, when I brush (black on white) it doesn't work. However even stranger, it will work inverted (white on black).
I can't see an option for this and never have so I don't know why it would all of a sudden not work. Maybe an option key ?

Repousse won't extrude the whole Layer Mask, only the outside edge?

So I'm trying to Repousse a layer mask of this semi complex shape
But when I try to Repousse, it fills in the interior, and only extrudes the outline portion (See how it fills the inside with the gray material)
I'm not sure why this is happening, can someone fill me in on why this would happen? I want to be able to see through the shape inside this object...
Thanks all!

One way is to divide the shape into three layers (the outer ring, inner ring and Fleur-De-Lis shape), then turn each layer or mask into Repousse and merge the three layers into a new 3d layer.
Then can you edit the individual meshes in the repousse by using the mesh tool to select a mesh to edit. (you'd probably get better results using paths to make the shapes)
In repousse you can create the holes by making the constraint active and choosing hole.
There is lots of info on using the different 3d tools in the photoshop help.
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSba26e7b0742782c7399326471256fcde1d6-8000. ht

Elements 11 - Brush tool not working when using layer mask

My brush tool won't work when using layer mask in PS Elements 11. I also have Elements version 10 installed and there it works fine. If I do the exact same proces in version 11 nothing happens.
Is this a bug or has something changed in the proces?
Please help.
Thanks.

Make sure you have the mask thumbnail selected - it will be highlighted in blue.

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 Rubylith Issue

I am having an issue with my Layer Mask Rubylith. When I activate it to check my selection it is coming in all blocky and won't fully render. Also if I try to paint white or black on it, photoshop seems to run really slow, or freeze on me. What can I do to fix this problem, it is really annoying especially when I am do photo retouching.
How do I fix this issue?
This is what I am getting.

Graphic drivers are updated and I don't see an openGL option in my photoshop preferences. Do you mean openCL? If not, can you direct me to the openGL setting?

Quicktime 7 Pro won't activate

I purchased Quicktime 7 Pro, registered it in my Preferences under my existing Quicktime 7.6.9 version, the registration was successful with the "Pro" indicator showing on the Quicktime logo, but the Pro version won't activate, even after restarting my computer. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
miss2z

the registration was successful with the "Pro" indicator showing on the Quicktime logo, but the Pro version won't activate, even after restarting my computer. Any suggestions?
Can you explain what you mean by "the pro version won't activate?" There is no separate "pro" version. When the QT 7 Player accepts "Pro" registration, it merely allows you to access functions not available in the basic player such as exporting files to different compression formats, access to the "Property" window allowing you to mask, layer, merge, scale, offset, rotate, apply filters to data, etc.

Problem editing a layer mask in curves

I am trying to edit a layer mask to add more contrast to it. when i go to curves i cannot see the layer mask channel in the drop down menu in the curves dialoge.
I want to add contrast to a mask for a noise reduction layer.
anyone know what i am doing wrong?

just make sure that the mask is active and not the layer (it should have a border, click on the mask thumbnail if it doesn't) and then go to Image->Adjustments->Curves

Switch image in a layer but keep the layer mask

Hi, I`m trying to swich a image on a layer whit a layer mask. I whant to keep the layer mask but change the image. When I paste a copyed image it the laye it creates a hole new layer. How can I change a image but keep the layer mask?
Tanks Lasse

You have things backwards: You copy&paste the layer mask and/or duplicate a selection by loading it using Ctrl+click on the thumbnail, then creating a new mask from it. After that you can delete the original layer. Also more recent versions allow drag&drop replacement of this stuff, but you have to be careful which thumbnail you drag...
Mylenium

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?

Layer Mask thumbnails won't activate.

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