Photoshop Layer Masks Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 เม.ย. 2020
- This one is for those just getting started with Photoshop. I explain what layer masks in photoshop are and how they work. In quite a few of my videos here on TH-cam I show Photoshop techniques that involve using different kinds of layers and layer masks. If you are experienced with using masks it’s no problem following along. But I know for a lot of people it just gets confusing. Advanced tools, such as luminosity masks and advanced techniques, such as exposure blending, are often reasons photographers want to get into Photoshop. Photoshop is a big and complex program. Starting with those topics before learning the basics is kind of like going big wave surfing before you know how to swim. So, I hope this lesson will help you at least get in the water…
Sean's Photoshop courses: www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/...
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Thank you! After sifting through several other tutorials purporting to be for "beginners" (and which went too fast and assumed too much from the start), I finally found an ACTUAL beginner's tutorial for ACTUAL beginners with a good pace and clear explanations.
Still remains one of the best tutorials you'll ever find on layer mask!
And the Oscar for BEST PS layer masks tutorial goes to……… Sean Bagshaw!!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Even with ADD, your style of explanation is so stark that I had no troubling following and can definitively say I understand layer masks a whole lot more than I did ~20 min ago. Thank you.
the best video i've ever seen ... mostly becaus of your explanation!! thank you so much!!!
This is by far the clearest explanation to this concept, thanks!
I've been viewing Photoshop tutorials on LinkedIn Learning and TH-cam for months and this is by FAR the clearest explanation of layer masks I've ever seen. I look forward to viewing your other tutorials.
WOW! this is really the best explanation on layer mask, thank you Mr. Bagshaw, and may I suggest that your family read all the comments here. God Bless !
Literally the best video I've seen explaining layer masks. Thank you so much
Good job...clear to understand.
Sean, This is hands down the best explanation of layer masks that I have seen and I have seen a bunch. Your pace of delivery is perfect for me, I was not forever having to rewind and listen again, which is usually the case. If I had not already bought tutorials on this subject from 2 other photographers, I would be buying yours now. Thank you for being so clear and concise and not making the assumption that your viewers are all experts in PS.
Thanks for the good word Russell!
This video is simply amazing..so glad i found it!!
Sean, another excellent, clear explanations that finally helped me understand layer masks. I can't wait for your whole PS tutorial package
Thank you. Very good explanation!
Great clear demonstration on the foundations
Sean: As always very well done and clear. We need one of your videos on smart objects and the best ways of using them.
Something like this is definitely on my to-do list. :-)
I don’t want to reiterate what 23000 people have already said except for one thing; and that is, you are the best!
Very well explained!
Hi Sean - I have struggled for so long on this concept. Your video has been the best I’ve seen that explains it. For me it’s still a struggle with the concept but with practice I’ll get over it. I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos and taking my photography to another level. I purchased TK7 a while ago but was afraid to jump into it because I really didn’t understand it. Thanks for the wonderful lesson.
I finally understand it!! Thank you!! You are an excellent teacher. 😀
Bit of a mind teaser subject and not easy to teach so we’ll done and thanks for putting this tutorial out there. 👍
Thanks Sean! Amazingly well explained, as usual.
Thanks Sean... Focus stacking and exposure blending are both something I want to try and I know about 20% of PS right now so this stuff is golden for me!
Great stuff. I have this video in save and have watched it a few times. Good teacher!
Very well explained Sean.
Really excellent, clear explanation. Thanks!
Thank you for a clear explanation.
Nice job Sean, very clear!
Thank you so much for explaining this concept to me. I've used photoshop in high school a couple decades ago, but I didn't really work with masks. Fast forward to these last couple of years and I've gotten by with just following youtube photoshop tutorials to the key, I've never actually understood how masks work! Now I have. a way better understanding and the idea of "non-destructive" editing is clicking in now. Thank you for demystifying this probably basic concept for me and anyone else who's wondering!
Glad it was helpful!
I'm currently using another tutorial for re-touching which is really good, however, when it came to using layer masks, although it was good for showing me how Ididn't really have an understanding of why. This video has really helped me to get my head around layer masks and has given me a simple yet effective understanding of when is best to use them. Thanks :)
Thank you SO much! This video was incredibly helpful! 🙏
Simple and effective explanation.
Very well done. While I believe that I understood most of what layers and layer masking is about; I found the exposure blending at the end very interesting and well worth sitting through themore elementary portion worthwhile. Thank you.
I too have just purchased TK7 along with your video series. I am gaining confidence and experience as I work through each example you provide.
Be safe and be well
Thankyou for the knowledge
This was awesome!!! Thank you so much!
Great explanation. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Well done buddy those teaching skills coming into play once again. I will definitely suggest this for the new comers!! 👍🏻🤙🏻
Great video Sean
Thank you for your explanation, I'm new to ps so it kinda confused me😅
Your video is helping me a lot🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️
Thank you great tutorial
great video, thanks
SO good. Subscribed.
Thanks for the video Sean. I didn't learn anything new from this one but it's cemented some underpinning knowledge and was much appreciated. I liked your analogy "going big wave surfing before you know how to swim". I've been building my knowledge of luminosity masks and TK7 but had a few 'wipeouts' on my way. I still have a tendency to do as much processing as possible in Lightroom but having learned the functionality of TK7 I'm fiunding using it really enjoyable although I feel I'm only scratching the surface so far. Early days.
Thanks again and stay safe.
You bet Richard. Yes, this one is for the folks just "dipping their toes in the water" and not as much for people like you who are already "riding the wave". Ha! :-D
Great🙏✌️
Holy cow! I have watched videos specific to my software(affinity) and everything in between on masking layers and still struggled with getting the results using masks I thought I had just watched. With only more confusion. But I watched your video and BAM! I understand and have had positive results. I think your use of just solid colors for the demonstrations is what did it. I'm a big fan of this "K I S S" method (Keep It Simple Stupid) Thanks so much
So glad this one provided a KISS breakthrough for you in regard to masks. :-)
Hi Sean, Thanks for your tutorial,
Just a question, I have noticed that when you opened the layer menu on top of the window you had many sections highlighted in purple, how do you do that?
Thank you
thank you
thanks!
Is there a shortcut key that will access the mask without having to hold alt and clicking on the mask?
I am currently taking a photoshop course by Philip Ebiner through Stackskills. He is pretty clear in his teaching and I have learned a LOT so far. I think my biggest hindrance is that I can't really comprehend the layer idea and / or apply it to what I might want to do with my photo. This helps. I'm about to watch it for a second time! Thanks for the video.
Watching for the 2nd time now. 11:45 oh gosh, my brain hurts!
Right on. Keep at it and soon it will all click. I remember my brain hurting with some of this stuff too...and it still does to this day. It sounds like Phillip Ebiner is providing some great instruction. Don't hesitate to send me any questions through the contact page on my website. I'm glad to answer questions as best I can.
Hello Sean, thank you for the very explanatory video. You are a good educator! two questions:
1 are you going to include the use of the TK7-panel in your new, upcoming course?
2 you give a summary of the advantages of using layers and layer masks. One of them is "time blending". That is new to me. What do you mean by that?
Thanks Peter! 1 - I will show a little about how the TK panel can enhance the Photoshop experience, but the main point of the course will be to help people learn the essentials of Photoshop itself. I have many other courses/TH-cam videos that cover how to use the panel. 2 - Time blending involves blending exposure taken at different moments in time. One example is an ocean-scape that blends wave action from different moments. Another would be blending a twilight foreground frame with a dark night sky frame.
I subscribed
Thanks Sean for providing this video. It is always helpful to see and hear different ways to learn a concept. Everyone learns in different ways. When I was first learning about f-stops I couldn't get it until I was doing some wood working and I had to choose between 1/2 inch drill bit and a 1/16 drill bit to make a hole, then everything clicked; sorry for the pun. QUESTION: I noticed at the the 2:42 minute when were showing selecting Layers from the top menu, the selection options were in 'purple'. How and why does this appear? Is it a setting in PS or is it because of the presentation software you are using? Keep safe & cheers.....Keith Pinn
Hi Keith! Man...I could use some woodworking lessons from you. And I love your drill bit analogy to help understand aperture. Regarding the colored menu items...you can set color highlights for all menu and panel menu items by going to Edit>Menus. It is really helpful to highlight the menu items you use the most. You can also set different colors for different types of items if you are someone who really loves color coding. :-)
This is relatively good guide to understanding exposure. But? look at an excerpt from this guide.
"For example, if you increase the f-stop, you decrease the size of the lens’ diaphragm thus reducing the amount of light hitting the image sensor, but also increasing the DOF (depth of field) in the final image."
It's always explained this way. Very counter intuitive. I always thought that was odd and I noticed a number of students who stumbled at this explanation. Until it's explained like this. Remember the number you see is the denominator and number in the numerator is always one (1). Which is the larger number and which is the smaller number? 1/16 or 1/2.8. 1/16 is a much smaller diameter than a 1/2.8.
www.exposureguide.com/exposure/
@@SeanBagshaw Great tip. I had forgotten about Edit->Menu from long ago. Excellent!
How brilliant. How lucid. hurry up with that course before my food money runs out.
Ha! Definitely don't spend your food money on my silly videos. I could probably pull some strings for you. :-)
@@SeanBagshaw Sean, I will come up with it somehow. Your videos are worth every penny. I have them all already, but have not put all my attention to them yet in a consistent enough manner. I seem to learn best by a process of simmering and osmosis. Still I'm able to do things with my photos I could not have dreamed of onlly about a year before. Somewhat new to photoshop. And quite ADD.
This is probably one of the best explanations of layer masks that I’ve seen. I like the fact that he takes the time to show which buttons that he’s using. So many others just whiz through it expecting you to know to what they’re doing. Well done Sean!
He completely lost me at 2:08 - 2:36. I rewatched it many times trying to decipher what he's talking about, and just gave up. For those of us newbies, it would be helpful if he explained what a mask is in the first place, in conventional terms. For example, what in the world is an "adjustment layer"? He's clicking ahead on down menus, and assuming knowledge that we do not have, i.e. making a "saturation adjustment layer". Huh? I think a great way to demonstrate what a layer mask is would be to hold up two pieces of paper, maybe one with a cut out or something, and explain holding the papers what the whole concept is... then it would be easier to visualize and follow what in the world he's talking about. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to seek out another video to explain this whole masking thing.
2 thumbs up
You explain it very well but unfortunetely every time I try and replicate in PS what someone does on a video it never works. Guess its all the versions fo Photoshop and platforms it runs on etc
One stupid thing that stumped me for a long time was when you finish with an adjustment, you hover your mouse over the small properties icon and click.
You mean when I close the properties panel? It opens automatically when you are working on an adjustment layer or layer mask, but once I'm finished with the adjustment I like to get it out of the way and keep the workspace tidy :-)
@@SeanBagshaw yes exactly, that stupid little thing had me so frustrated. Finally i found the icon and could do it myself. lol
7:16
I'm sorry but I'm more confused now about using layer masks. I wanted to know what the essential meaning of it is, with simple examples. Anyway I think it helped others so its fine
A room in your house has a white wall that you want to paint green. The wall has a window with white shutters that you want to stay white. You use masking tape around the edge of the window to protect the shutters from the green paint.
The old white paint is layer 1, the new green paint is layer 2, and the tape is
a layer 1 mask.
@@kalibos thanks for typing Kalibos but again I know the concept of it I just had difficulty applying it in PS. Anyway thanks for your effort. Appreciate it
@@suyashdeepsason6736 I know exactly what you mean, it was as much to internalize the lesson for myself as to help you. Cheers
@@kalibos haha sweet cheers!
thank you