Definition

A layer mask is simply a way to hide parts of a picture or text. Even though the masked parts are hidden they are still available if you need them.

Introduction

In order to use a layer mask you need to understand two things: black takes away and white adds it back.

When you create a layer mask your foreground and background colors change to black and white.

If you fill an area on your layer mask with black, that area will disappear. However you use black, whether you use a brush, a selection, or a fill, the area will disappear. The reverse holds true if you use white.

White will reveal all there is in the layer mask while black will hide all there is in a layer mask.

This is a simple layer mask tutorial. The purpose of this tutorial is to mask the lettering so that it looks like it's behind the glass and so you can have a basic understanding of how a layer mask works.

I started with this image of the strawberries (layer 2) which I placed in another document. I could of easily done this without placing it in another document but this is how I did it.

Next, I typed in my text which created its own layer. In order to mask a type layer you must render the type by using the menu Layer>Rasterize>Type.

You need to create a layer mask as above. The Reveal All means everything on that layer can be seen and Hide All will make everything disappear. If you use Reveal All (which i always do) you need to use black as your foreground color to mask out any areas you want to get rid of. If you use Hide All you will need to use white as your foreground color to reveal everything which was hidden.

Once you create your layer mask, your text layer will have another icon on it. This is the actual layer mask which you will be working on. On this layer you have the actual rendered text thumbnail, a layer mask thumbnail, and a chain in between. The chain is a link which links the layer and the mask together so that they both move together if you decide to move the layer.

For this project, I will be using a brush to mask out the area of type I want hidden. My foreground color is set to black so I can remove the parts of the layer I need to.

Make sure the layer mask is selected. It will have a border around it.

I start at the top of the text with my brush with the foreground color set to black.

By moving my brush along the shape of the glass the text disappears.

We're getting there, just keep painting with the brush.

In this case I went too far and removed part of the text I didn't want to.

No big deal. The beauty of the layer mask is that all of the text is still there. I just have to get it back by using white instead of black as my foreground color

Using white will bring back what i mistakenly took away.

And this is the finished project. This was a simple project on describing a layer mask. I hope it helps explain how a layer mask works.

Photoshop tutorial by jonboy orginally posted on Worth1000.

Looking for tutorials, try this one or visit blog.designcrowd.com/tag/tutorial for more helpful hints and tips to boost your designer skills

Written by Jo Sabin on Monday, May 30, 2016

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.