this time we're jumping in and talking about layer masks. Layer mass are a feature that I used pretty much every single damn in Photoshop. If you use layers, you also want to definitely get good at using layer masks. A layer mask is a way to non permanently hide a portion of a layer so you can easily bring it back at any time. And therefore you can experiment with your layers without having any kind of concern for is what you're doing permanent. Where could you easily get it back? So let's jump into photo shop and start working with layer masks. I I have this image. I would like to remove the background on it, so I just have the letter P. There are many different ways I can select this. I'm gonna try to do what I think might be quickest. So I'll go to the select menu and I'm gonna tell it to just select the subject of this photograph. I didn't make a perfect selection, so I will go to an additional selection tool in this case. I'm gonna come in in use one known as the object selection ...

tool. That's a relatively new one in Photoshopped and I want to take away the area in the lower right that contains orange to take away from a selection. You can either go to your options bar up here and click on this icon, which would take away. Or you can hold down the option key. And if you do, it will temporarily turn on that icon. And I'm just going to drag around the area that I want to remove from the selection that hoping that it will do an OK job. I'm also gonna remove this center orange portions hold down again. The option key Ultima windows to take away. I will draw around that portion. It looks like I have adduced a little bit more while holding down the option key. Oops. No, I want to add that part. So I know what you have told. Shift. All right. Was thinking, uh, wrong there and I need to get rid of this little portion. So let's indicate that we don't want those areas. All right, so I think I have an okay selection here. I just needed some sort of selection to get started with. And now what I'm gonna do is convert that selection into a layer mask. In my layers panel, you'll see the layer that the images contained on and at the bottom of the layers panel. You see an icon that looks like a rectangle with a circle inside of it. That's the layer mask icon. If you have a selection active at the time you click on that, then Onley. The areas that are currently selected will remain visible in everything it wasn't selected should become hidden the moment I click on the icon, the selection that I had disappeared because it got converted into a layer mask. So now let's look in our layers panel in there. You can see that we still have the full orange background on that letter. But now attached to the layer is this. And that is our layer mask in a layer mask. Any area that is white allows the image to show up. Is it usually would. In any area that's black will hide the layer when you have a layer mask attached to a layer. Then when you grab the paint brush tool Photoshopped needs to determine should the paint appear in the layer mask and therefore control where this layer appears, Or should you just be putting paint on the image itself layer? And it tells that by looking at which one is highlighted, you see, the four corners of layer mask are currently highlighted. If I click over here, the highlighting moves click over there. Now. The mask is active, so you have to pay attention to that anytime you're working with a layer that contains layer mask. Now, if I grab my paintbrush tool and I paint with black, any area that I paint on is going to become hidden because in a layer mask, black hides things. So if I painted the moment, you'll see it goes away. If, on the other hand, I switched and I paint with white white in a layer mask shows thing. So if I paint, I can now make various visible once again. And so it's a matter of switching back and forth between black and white and painting where you need to to control where a layer is visible. So let's end up using layer mass on a bunch of projects. Toe learn when they're really useful

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Lessons 1 - 6 - Handbook 1: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop

Lessons 7 - 12 - Handbook 2: How to Use Camera Raw

Lessons 13 - 18 - Handbook 3: Making Selections

Lessons 19 - 24 - Handbook 4: Using Layers

Lessons 25 - 30 - Handbook 5: Using Layer Masks

Lessons 31 - 38 - Handbook 6: Using Adjustment Layers

Lessons 39 - 44 - Handbook 7: Color Theory

Lessons 45 - 51 - Handbook 8: Retouching Essentials

Lessons 52 - 59 - Handbook 9: Tools Panel

Lessons 60 - 64 - Handbook 10: Layer Blending Modes

Lessons 65 - 70 - Handbook 11: How to Use Filters

Lessons 71 - 74 - Handbook 12: Advanced Masks

Lessons 75 - 81 - Handbook 13: Using Smart Objects

Lessons 82 - 86 - Handbook 14: Photography for Photoshop

Lessons 87 - 93 - Handbook 15: Advanced Photo Retouching

Lessons 94 - 98 - Handbook 16: Warp, Blend, Liquify

Lessons 99 - 105 - Handbook 17: Advanced Layers

Lessons 106 - 112 - Handbook 18: Actions

Lessons 113 - 117 - Handbook 19: Troubleshooting Issues

Practice Images 1: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop

Practice Images 2: How to Use Camera Raw

Practice Images 3: Making Selections

Practice Images 4: Using Layers

Practice Images 5: Using Layer Masks

Practice Images 6: Using Adjustment Layers

Practice Images 7: Color Theory

Practice Images 8: Retouching Essentials

Practice Images 9: Tools Panel

Practice Images 10: Layer Blending Modes

Practice Images 11: How to Use Filters

Practice Images 12: Advanced Masks

Practice Images 13: Using Smart Objects

Practice Images 14: Photography for Photoshop

Practice Images 15: Advanced Photo Retouching

Practice Images 16: Warp, Blend, Liquify

Practice Images 17: Advanced Layers

Practice Images 18: Actions

Practice Images 19: Troubleshooting Issues

buy this class

$00

Buy Class

Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2000+ more >

79.7K Students

99% Recommend this Class

00 Student Work

0 Video lessons in HD
00h 00m of class content
Exclusive bonus content
Lifetime access, anywhere, anytime
Streaming access on desktop and mobile browsers
Download and offline access with class purchase
Offline sync with our iPhone & iPad apps
100% satisfaction guarantee

Ben Willmore

As a photographer, Ben Willmore has shot in all 50 states and explored over 80 countries. He has been pushing Photoshop and Lightroom Classic to their limits since the beginning.

SEE INSTRUCTOR'S CLASSES

topics covered in this class

Adobe Photoshop Beginner Fundamentals Photo Editing

Ratings and Reviews

Noel Ice

I am an avid reader of photoshop books, and an avid watcher of photoshop tutorials. I have attended (internet) several hundred of presentations. In the course of this endeavor, I have found my own favorite photoshop websites and instructors. Creative Live is probably the bargain out there as well as among the top three internet course sites. I have to say with great enthusiasm that the best Photoshop instructor is Ben Willmore. There are many great ones, but truly, he is the best I have come across, and, as indicated above, I have watched literally 100s of tutorials on Photoshop. I have seen all of Ben's courses, I think, and among them, this one is the best by far, and that is saying a lot, because that makes this course the best course on Photoshop to be found anywhere. I am going back and watching it twice. Not only is it comprehensive, but Ben is so familiar with his subject that he is able to explain it like no other. This is crème de la crème of Photoshop classes. I have been wanting to write this review for some time because I have been so thoroughly impressed with everything about this class!

ford smith

Highly recommended if you want to take your Photoshop skills to the next level. Ben Willmore is clear, concise, and professional. He also has a good speaking voice that is not distracting but also keeps you engaged. Lastly, I would recommend that as you become more advanced, increasing the speed of the video (one of the options given on the menu)...especially if you've gone through the course once before and maybe want to watch it again. The double speed is very efficient as you become more advanced in Photoshop. Thanks for the help Ben!

a Creativelive Student

Wow. I cannot communicate the value of this course!! The true value in this course is how the instructor identifies workflows you'll need before you'll ever realize it, repeats important information without it becoming annoying, and explains the "why" behind the techniques so well that even if you forget the exact method, you can figure it out via the principles learned. Excellent value, excellent material, excellent instructor!!!

2,000+ classes ranging from fundamentals to advanced techniques.

Create a Layer Mask Using the Selection Tool

Create a Layer Mask Using the Selection Tool

Lesson Info

26. Create a Layer Mask Using the Selection Tool

Lessons

Introduction To Adobe Photoshop

Bridge vs. Lightroom

Tour of Photoshop Interface

Overview of Bridge Workspace

Overview of Lightroom Workspace

Lightroom Preferences - Saving Documents

How To Use Camera Raw in Adobe Photoshop 2020

Overview of Basic Adjustment Sliders

Developing Raw Images

Editing with the Effects and HLS Tabs

How to Save Images

Using the Transform Tool

Making Selections in Adobe Photoshop 2020

Selection Tools

Combining Selection Tools

Using Automated Selection Tools

Quick Mask Mode

Select Menu Essentials

Using Layers in Adobe Photoshop 2020

Align Active Layers

Creating a New Layer

Creating a Clipping Mask

Using Effects on Layers

Using Adjustment Layers

Using the Shape Tool

Create a Layer Mask Using the Selection Tool

Masking Multiple Images Together

Using Layer Masks to Remove People

Using Layer Masks to Replace Sky

Adding Texture to Images

Layering to Create Realistic Depth

Adjustment Layers in Adobe Photoshop 2020

Optimizing Grayscale with Levels

Adjusting Levels with a Histogram

Understanding Curves

Editing an Image Using Curves

Editing with Shadows/Highlights Adjustment

Dodge and Burn Using Quick Mask Mode

Editing with Blending Modes

Color Theory

Curves for Color

Hue and Saturation Adjustments

Isolating Colors Using Hue/Saturation Adjustment

Match Colors Using Numbers

Adjusting Skin Tones

Retouching Essentials In Adobe Camera Raw

Retouching with the Spot Healing Brush

Retouching with the Clone Stamp

Retouching with the Healing Brush

Retouching Using Multiple Retouching Tools

Extending an Edge with Content Aware

Clone Between Documents

Crop Tool

Frame Tool

Eye Dropper and Color Sampler Tools

Paint Brush Tools

History Brush Tool

Eraser and Gradient Tools

Brush Flow and Opacity Settings

Blur and Shape Tools

Dissolve Mode

Multiply Mode

Screen Mode

Hard Light Mode

Hue, Saturation, and Color Modes

Smart Filters

High Pass Filter

Blur Filter

Filter Gallery

Adaptive Wide Angle Filter

Combing Filters and Features

Select and Mask

Manually Select and Mask

Creating a Clean Background