Pasting to Layer Mask

Hey,

Why do I have so much trouble with this? Suppose I have an image that I dupe the main layer, and then desaturate and levels the dupe. Now, I want this to be the layer mask for an adjustment layer. But I can't easily paste into the layer mask. I always have to do quick mask, paste the dupe, come back out, fill with black into the layer mask. There must be an easier way, right?

Thanks!

wrote:

Hey,

Why do I have so much trouble with this? Suppose I have an image that I dupe the main layer, and then desaturate and levels the dupe. Now, I want this to be the layer mask for an adjustment layer. But I can't easily paste into the layer mask. I always have to do quick mask, paste the dupe, come back out, fill with black into the layer mask. There must be an easier way, right?

Thanks!

Turn it into a selection by Ctrl-clicking on it in the Channels and hit the Layer Mask icon.

Or

Make a blank Layer Mask and paste into it in the Channels palette.

--
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wrote:

Why do I have so much trouble with this? Suppose I have an image that I dupe the main layer, and then desaturate and levels the dupe. Now, I want this to be the layer mask for an adjustment layer. But I can't easily paste into the layer mask. I always have to do quick mask, paste the dupe, come back out, fill with black into the layer mask. There must be an easier way, right?

There is. Just ALT-click on the layer mask icon. That selects the mask only. Now you can paste into it.

--
Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

In article ,
wrote:

Why do I have so much trouble with this? Suppose I have an image that I dupe the main layer, and then desaturate and levels the dupe. Now, I want this to be the layer mask for an adjustment layer. But I can't easily paste into the layer mask. I always have to do quick mask, paste the dupe, come back out, fill with black into the layer mask. There must be an easier way, right?

Yes.

Hold down the ALT (Mac: Option) key on your keyboard. While holding it down, click on the layer mask icon in the Layers palette.

Your screen will change and you will be looking at the mask, not the picture. Hit Paste.

--
Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

"tacit" wrote in message

In article ,
wrote:

Why do I have so much trouble with this? Suppose I have an image that I dupe the main layer, and then desaturate and levels the dupe. Now, I want this to be the layer mask for an adjustment layer. But I can't easily paste into the layer mask. I always have to do quick mask, paste the dupe, come back out, fill with black into the layer mask. There must be an easier way, right?

Yes.

Hold down the ALT (Mac: Option) key on your keyboard. While holding it down, click on the layer mask icon in the Layers palette.
Your screen will change and you will be looking at the mask, not the picture. Hit Paste.

--
Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

I am pretty sure I understand how to use a picture pasted as the mask but what circumstances would I use this?

In article <n3R5f.38995$>,
"KatWoman" wrote:

I am pretty sure I understand how to use a picture pasted as the mask but what circumstances would I use this?

I've done this a few times, usually when the "picture" being pasted is a luminosity mask or is a mask derived from another image. Using a luminosity mask is sometimes necessary for things like creating a layer with tonal corrections intended only for one specific tonal region in the image; for example, you might apply a luminosity mask to, say, a Curves adjustment layer.

--
Art, photography, shareware, polyamory, literature, kink: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

"tacit" wrote in message

In article <n3R5f.38995$>,
"KatWoman" wrote:

I am pretty sure I understand how to use a picture pasted as the mask but what circumstances would I use this?

I've done this a few times, usually when the "picture" being pasted is a luminosity mask or is a mask derived from another image. Using a luminosity mask is sometimes necessary for things like creating a layer with tonal corrections intended only for one specific tonal region in the image; for example, you might apply a luminosity mask to, say, a Curves adjustment layer.

need to do some experiments with that