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.

Similar Messages

Quick Select and Quick mask feather all the time

Hi I'm hoping someone can help or has seen this.. when I use quick mask or quick select it feathers the edge.. about two pixels.. i have reset the tool and reset the preferences for photoshop and it doesn't change.. iim not using refine edges or any effect.. everrything is off.
also..
when i apply a stroke to a path and use brush with simulate pressure, it doesn't affect the width of the stroke.
Has anyone seen these issues before??
Thank you

Good day!
Could you please post a screenshot with the pertinent Panels visible?
Edit: Is Auto-Enhance checked?
Regards,
Pfaffenbichler

Layer Mask Help???

Alright so ive been using quick mask, and a brush on a layer mask to make selections while doing some color splashing over the past few days and everything was going fine until now, everything goes good making a new layer, adjusting saturation, and making a layer mask, but when I select the quick mask to start making my selection it deselects the layer mask and wont let me reselect it. any advice is appreciated.
.

You have to provide system info and other details. We don't even know your version of PS.
Mylenium

Why is my Layer Mask filling with Grey

I'm working in a multi layered CS5.1 Photoshop project (I did not create it). One of the adjustment layers in the project needs a layer masks, and when I create one it is not working properly. I make my selection that I want to mask off and create the layer mask it creates it with White and a 50% gray insted of black. Likewise when I alt click to create a layer mask it fills it in with black and 50% gray. The layer did have a 87% opacity to it so I thought this was causing the gray to happen, but when I turned the Opacity to 100% the mask was still being created with gray.
I use the fill tool to fill the gray with Black or White (Fill settings are opacity 100 and fill 100) it fills the mask more like my fill opacity is set to 50%. Likewise it does this for the pant brush as well. I have messed with every layer setting I can find including the layer mask panel and the adjustment layer panel, and nothing seem to work. Please help.
P.S. I'm doing this for work and so I cant take any screen shots to show what is going on.

Gsmith98 wrote:
JJMack: I control click the layer mask to select everything in it. The original layer does have some fethering to the file but i cant see why it would fill everythign the same shade of gray, and then not let me paint over it with black. This normally works for me and this issue is quite new.
Ctl+Clicking on the layer's layer mask icon in the layers palette should work and load the layer mask as a selection. Have you tried resetting your Photoshop preferences. Also ALT+Clicking on the layer's layer mask icon in the layers palette should display the grayscale of the selection in the image window.

Is it possible to edit (levels, curves, exposure, saturation, etc.) a selected area of a photo (using quick selection, magnetic lasso, etc.) without moving the selected section to another document and editing it there?

I'm trying to edit a portion of a photo of a lake so that the rays of sunlight (the lines that run across the sky) are more prominent, without darkening the rest of the photo. I've sucessfully selected, removed, and edited the sky in the photo (the part that I want to enhance the sun rays on), but I can't figure out how to get that piece (currently it's own document) back onto the original jpeg document. I took the selection from the Background copy if that is of any help to figuring this out.

Another way in photoshop is to make a Group above the photo. add a layer mask using the selection and put the adjustment layers in the group
There is also a forum for the full version of photoshop:
Photoshop General Discussion

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 ?

Quick selection tool doesn't snap to to the nearest area. Working more like a lasso tool and the add layer button doesn't seem to creat the cutout that it should.

Quick selection tool in elements 13 doesn't snap to the nearest border area of the photo. Works more like a lasso. Also the add layer button when clicked on only brings up a black layer, not a black mask with a hole where I just cut.

Which OS are you working on?
Please try resetting your tools from Photo Bin flyout menu.
1. Open Photo bin.
2. Click on Fly Out menu
3. Click on option Reset all Tools
4. Relaunch Editor13
and see if it helps.
Thanks,
Anwesha

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.

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.

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 !!

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();

Layer Mask vs Quick selection

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