Frustrated tying to use a Layer Mask

Help. Trying to learn about Photoshop editing. Following the Adobe tutorials and stuck for 1/2 hour on this one point.

I created 2 layers (2 photos). I added a Layer Mask to the top layer. I typed "b" to get the Brush. I expected that when I brushed, it would erase the top layer revealing the stuff I want underneath.

However; it does nothing.

I mess around, clicking the photo on the Layers palet, and now the brush just paints black onto my photo.

Anyone out there able to help?

Hello NBEast;

If you want to "erase" part of the image, then you need the "Eraser" tool [E] - not Brush...

Cheers;

Lee

Black conseals, white reveals. try hitting x and repainting

lkb-28 wrote in post #3641722
Hello NBEast;

If you want to "erase" part of the image, then you need the "Eraser" tool [E] - not Brush...

Cheers;

Lee

NONONO DO NOT USE THE ERASER!!! Best not to erase parts of the image. THe brush tool using white/black on a layer mask is the best method which gives the most control over your image.

NBEast wrote in post #3641692
Help. Trying to learn about Photoshop editing. Following the Adobe tutorials and stuck for 1/2 hour on this one point.

I created 2 layers (2 photos). I added a Layer Mask to the top layer. I typed "b" to get the Brush. I expected that when I brushed, it would erase the top layer revealing the stuff I want underneath.

However; it does nothing.

I mess around, clicking the photo on the Layers palet, and now the brush just paints black onto my photo.

Anyone out there able to help?

If the brush does nothing it's probably because you are painting white onto the layer mask.

Press D to get the background/foreground colours to their black/white default.

If the foregropund is white, press the X key to flip the background colour to the foreground (white to black).

Click the layer mask to select it and paint black into the mask which will hide the top layer.

EOS_JD wrote in post #3641743
NONONO DO NOT USE THE ERASER!!! Best not to erase parts of the image. THe brush tool using white/black on a layer mask is the best method which gives the most control over your image.

Quoted for truth...

EOS_JD wrote in post #3641743
NONONO DO NOT USE THE ERASER!!! Best not to erase parts of the image. THe brush tool using white/black on a layer mask is the best method which gives the most control over your image.

Hello JD;

WHY WHY WHY

Surely it depends on what the OP wants to do?

The commentary said he wanted to "erase" parts of the iamge!

If you "Brush" over the image, all you're doing is laying a different colour on top...

???Confused???

Cheers;

Lee

Key word here is Layer Mask.

lkb-28 wrote in post #3641787
Hello JD;

WHY WHY WHY

Surely it depends on what the OP wants to do?

The commentary said he wanted to "erase" parts of the iamge!

If you "Brush" over the image, all you're doing is laying a different colour on top...

???Confused???

Cheers;

Lee

I'm really just playing trying to understand what the heck a mask does.

I'm watching the Adobe CS3 tutorials following along, specifically "Aligning layers by content" by John Nack. It's showing how to use the new Auto Align features and doing a head swap.

I have a formal that sadly need head swaps or I'll be stuck using the one with the worst lighting and focus, but mainly it's high time I broke "the layers barrier" since so far I've gotten by with Lightroom and the Self Intuitive features of Photoshop.

I've had this problem before. People say "just brush in a mask and it'll reveal the underlying layer". I try making the brush paint WHITE or BLACK, but maybe I don't know how to do that.

John's fingers move Real Fast when he gets to that part "Now I grab my brush and ..." zip zing. I pause and replay slow-mo but still can't see how he did that, nor did he stop to adjust colors. Grrrr. These teachers who assume people know, lol. Lucky for POTN!

Hold the phone! I just noticed the little "Color" icon above the Layers palate. Moving it from White to Gray makes it opaic! Wow!

René Damkot wrote in post #3641809
Key word here is Layer Mask.

Hi Rene;

THANK YOU... Sorry, I missed that. I'm one of life's cheapskates still using Elements, so "Mask'ing" is not available to me...

Cheers;

Lee

NBEast wrote in post #3641826
I have a formal that sadly need head swaps or I'll be stuck using the one with the worst lighting and focus,

Have a read here about how to do headswaps. (well worth the log in)

NBEast wrote in post #3641826
Hold the phone! I just noticed the little "Color" icon above the Layers palate. Moving it from White to Gray makes it opaic! Wow!

Assuming you mean what I think you mean (drop down menu in the top of the layers palette): Nope. It changes the blending mode of the layer. Something else entirely.
Now the layer only changes the color of the underlying one...

Good advice has been given above about the use of the brushes in the colour mask (ie white removes, black restores) but I noticed something in the OP's post that may be signicant. He says "I mess around, clicking the photo on the Layers palet," - you don't click the photo in the layers palette, you have to make sure that the mask itself is clicked, otherwise the brushes will not have the desired effect.

lkb-28 wrote in post #3641787
Hello JD;

WHY WHY WHY

Surely it depends on what the OP wants to do?

The commentary said he wanted to "erase" parts of the iamge!

If you "Brush" over the image, all you're doing is laying a different colour on top...

???Confused???

Cheers;

Lee

I see you found the answer below. Layer Masks allow you to edit an image by hiding or revealing parts of an image. It's kind of similar to erasing but is editable.

Say you use the erase tool and erase a section of an image then after another two or three actions you find you wanted to reveal a small section. this means using the history to go back and re-edit everything you have done.

Using a layer mask all you would do is select the mask and reveal the section you want by painting white on the mask. Voila job done. Layer masks are much more useful than tryingto erase parts of an image.

I appreciate that with elements you do not have layer masks so in that case the erase tool may be your only option.

Roy Mathers wrote in post #3641879
Good advice has been given above about the use of the brushes in the colour mask (ie white removes, black restores) but I noticed something in the OP's post that may be signicant. He says "I mess around, clicking the photo on the Layers palet," - you don't click the photo in the layers palette, you have to make sure that the mask itself is clicked, otherwise the brushes will not have the desired effect.

White Reveals, Black Conceals..... You have it the wrong way round.

When you create a layer mask, generally the mask is white. So paint black on the mask to hide portions of the layer.

You can select the layer mask and fill it with black then you use the brush tool with the foreground set to white to reveal parts of an image.

Depends what your particular task is. Once mastered your editing will improve a lot.

NBEast wrote in post #3641826
I'm really just playing trying to understand what the heck a mask does.

I'm watching the Adobe CS3 tutorials following along, specifically "Aligning layers by content" by John Nack. It's showing how to use the new Auto Align features and doing a head swap.

I have a formal that sadly need head swaps or I'll be stuck using the one with the worst lighting and focus, but mainly it's high time I broke "the layers barrier" since so far I've gotten by with Lightroom and the Self Intuitive features of Photoshop.

I've had this problem before. People say "just brush in a mask and it'll reveal the underlying layer". I try making the brush paint WHITE or BLACK, but maybe I don't know how to do that.

John's fingers move Real Fast when he gets to that part "Now I grab my brush and ..." zip zing. I pause and replay slow-mo but still can't see how he did that, nor did he stop to adjust colors. Grrrr. These teachers who assume people know, lol. Lucky for POTN!

Hold the phone! I just noticed the little "Color" icon above the Layers palate. Moving it from White to Gray makes it opaic! Wow!

If you are trying to put a head on a subject, I usually select the head (and a portioon of the image around it) from another image and copy it (control c) then I paste it into the new image and use the move tool to align it properly myself. Switch the new layer on/off to get the alignment right.

Now use a layer mask and paint black (with a small soft brush) around the head to remove the bits of the image you want to remove. If you make an error just change to white to paint the area removed back in).

Should take no more than 5 mins.

I do this a lot to swap in a pair of open eyes over closed eyes!