Locked lesson.

Upgrade

About this lesson

Why erase permanently when you can use a layer mask to give yourself many more options?

Exercise files

There are no related exercise files for this lesson, or we cannot provide them due to copyright issues.

Quick reference

Topic

Why erase permanently when you can use a layer mask to give yourself many more options.

When to use

This is a basic go-to approach for hiding and revealing part of the image you are working with. Simple and effective it allows you to erase parts of the image non-destructively. This is a core skill.

Instructions

Add a layer mask (for protection)

  • Click on the 'add layer mask' icon at the bottom of your layers panel
  • The icon to the right of the layer icon will be all white
  • Simple rule is that: white is visible, black is hidden

Brush instead of erase, brush instead of ‘start over’

  • Choose the brush tool and make the color black
  • Brush over the area of the image that you want to remove
  • If you make a mistake, then switch the color to white and brush over it again

Tip

Use the brush settings (opacity, harness, size, etc.) in anyway you like. Even brush shapes will add an effect.

 

Login to download
  • 00:05 Hey everyone! Howard Pinsky here with the Photoshop public service announcement.
  • 00:08 If you've ever touched the eraser tool when you're editing in Photoshop:
  • 00:12 you're doing it wrong. Whenever I get the chance to try to promote
  • 00:16 non-destructive editing, the ability to make an edit in Photoshop
  • 00:19 but easily reverse it, later on if you have to.
  • 00:23 Todays video will show you how you can erase non-destructively using Layer Masks.
  • 00:26 Let me show you how this works. So here I have a document that
  • 00:31 contains two layers.
  • 00:32 In this case my goal is to remove the background of the top layer,
  • 00:36 leaving only the subject in the foreground. So you can see the background
  • 00:40 layer.
  • 00:40 Now beginning Photoshop users will usually go straight for the eraser tool
  • 00:44 as that's the tool that makes the most sense to those just starting out.
  • 00:48 Let's look at why this is a terrible idea.
  • 00:51 When I start a race in the background of this image it certainly seems like it's
  • 00:55 doing what we want it to do.
  • 00:56 But just like using an eraser in traditional art, this process is very
  • 01:01 destructive.
  • 01:02 At this point, if the document is saved and closed,
  • 01:05 everything you erased is lost. So unless you have a duplicate of that layer,
  • 01:10 when the document opened up again there's no easy way to bring back that data.
  • 01:14 On the flip side it's a much more efficient way to erase
  • 01:18 or hide parts of your layers. Using the same layer as an example
  • 01:23 instead of grabbing the dreadful eraser, we're gonna be actually using a layer
  • 01:27 mask instead.
  • 01:28 To add a layer mask to one of your layers you can click on the 'add layer mask icon' at
  • 01:33 the bottom of your layers panel.
  • 01:34 This will place a white box beside the layers thumbnail.
  • 01:38 Now the reason the layer mask is white, is because the basic rule of thumb
  • 01:42 is that white is visible, while black is hidden.
  • 01:46 So now, instead of erasing, we're actually going to be brushing;
  • 01:49 Either with a black or a white brush. As I paint black on layer mask,
  • 01:54 I see the exact same result I saw when I used the eraser.
  • 01:58 So what's the difference? Well this time nothing is being destructively removed.
  • 02:03 Instead you're actually hiding parts of your layer, which can be easily brought
  • 02:07 back by switching over to a white brush
  • 02:08 and then painting on the area you want to reveal.
  • 02:12 there is also another big advantage of using layer masks.
  • 02:15 If you've ever tried to use the eraser on a smart object,
  • 02:18 or an adjustment layer, or even a vector shape you've likely seen a warning that
  • 02:22 tells you that the layer is not directly editable and it must
  • 02:25 be rasterized, which isn't the smartest move.
  • 02:29 Rasterizing a smart object or a vector shape destroys the original properties
  • 02:34 which defeats the purpose of using one of those layers to begin with.
  • 02:37 With layer masks you can simply
  • 02:39 add a mask any type of layer and just like we did a moment ago
  • 02:42 you can hide portions of that layer with black or reveal them with white.
  • 02:46 And this again is completely non-destructive

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.

Gift this course