photoshop: paste a layer into a mask
12/02/09
It has not been the most productive day (so far at least). Still, I learned one thing I want to post about. Few times I wanted to do that and had no idea how to.
Paste a layer(A) into a layer(B) mask. In 4 easy steps:
1. select the layer A and copy it to clipboard (Cmd/Ctrl+a, Cmd/Ctrl+c)
2. go to the layer B, make it active and click the Layer Mask
3. go to your Channels Panel, there is your mask in the bottom, set it active and visible, paste the clipboard content (Cmd/Ctrl+v)
4. make the mask channel invisible again and the RGB channel (top) active
And it’s done!
I played a bit with halftones today (Filter > Pixelate). I followed the Photoshop Guys’ and applied it in grayscale (all 4 channels parameters equal). I’m not too happy with what I got, but a post needs an image.
Frozen
Apr 20th, 2009
P,
How do you create those scrolly vector illustrations? Can u make a tutorial for it? Also I wanted to know if you know anything about creating glitter style on PS.
Thanks.
photoshop image masking
Apr 22nd, 2009
Great stuff! Thanks.
Hobosic
Apr 24th, 2009
Hi, Amazing! Not clear for me, how offen you updating your pehaa.com.
Thank you
Hobosic
coqui52
May 15th, 2009
Thank you man, It was driving me nuts to not know how to do it!
Rémi
May 24th, 2009
Same as coqui52, it was driving me insane. Thanks for the tip!
Evadora
Oct 30th, 2009
Wow, thanks a million for making this tutorial. You just made my day.
clipping mask
Nov 20th, 2009
nice piece of artwork!
image masking
Nov 26th, 2009
Good artwork!!!
loufrank63
Jan 27th, 2010
Outstanding, worked all morning trying to this out,,, again,,, well done and thanks
j9
Apr 8th, 2010
Thanks for the step-by-step.
Chris
Aug 9th, 2010
THANK YOU!!! Spent the last hour trying to figure out how to do this.
techjacker
Oct 7th, 2010
thank you, I’d been hunting everywhere for this!
kristi
Dec 2nd, 2010
Thank you so much for this tip!
Brook
Dec 29th, 2010
I can’t believe it took me this long to just look this up! So easy! Thanks for the tip.
Smooth Pixel
Jan 12th, 2011
There’s an even easier way to do this:
2. go to layer B and Option/Alt click the Layer Mask. This makes the mask into an editable greyscale layer.
3. paste the clipboard content (Cmd/Ctrl+v) into the mask layer.
4. simply click on layer B to exit the mask and you’re done!
Adamantus
Apr 6th, 2011
It’s not done! Nothing happened. But I’m a bit unsure about the copy bit, I can copy a selection but copy a layer? Do I just do ctrl+c? When I click the channel on I can see my image already but when I paste nothing happens.
Burak Y.
Apr 25th, 2011
Thank you so much, it was so helpful!!!