How to Use Photoshop Layer Masks? 4 Quick Masking Tips for New and Advanced Photoshop Users

[@nyxfairy6538]

out of all the layer mask tutorials here on youtube, this one is the easiest to understand. Thank you so much!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

🥰 Thanks for the kind words!

[@79SharQue]

I agree 💯👍🏽

[@marty590]

Wow!!! First video on masking that's easy to understand.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Mark! Great to hear that! ❤️

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey! I decided to do a video in English, what do you guys think? (voor de Nederlandse kijkers, er is ook Nederlandse ondertiteling!) Rob

[@hentsydesigns9046]

if you are a beginner this dude right here just passed down some crazy knowledge that is key for editing!!!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks for the kind words! ♥️♥️

[@vitalguys]

so clear when you make it so simple. thank you

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome, thanks! ❤️

[@ahmetjensen-n5t]

Awesome Rob! thanks

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome Ahmet! Thanks for watching!

[@lindenwatson846]

Been looking for a simple explanation thanks!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome! :-D

[@thuylinhnguyenly4945]

This deserves SOOOO much more views! Sending gratitude from Vietnam. Very clear instructions!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Aww, that’s so kind! 🤗 sending many greetings back from the Netherlands! Time to make some more tutorials ;-)

[@thuylinhnguyenly4945]

@@RobdeWinterCC yesss pls! I was a bit down when I found out that this was one of the last videos of you. I’d be great to continue learning from you. I’m sure your channel will grow :)

[@thuylinhnguyenly4945]

@@RobdeWinterCC what I like about your video is that you speak at a slow enough pace, and you ZOOM OUT wherever you go with the mouse click! I hope this feedback helps you see your strengths :)

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@thuylinhnguyenly4945 thanks! Great to hear that! 🤗 I’ll definitely create new videos :-D

[@Fionasto]

Best video ever. You made my day.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Aww, happy to hear that, and thanks for the kind words, Fiona! 🤗

[@zacklofton1525]

Great video! Thanks so much!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Zack, you're welcome! 😀

[@LindaC-u8b]

I’ve seen MANY videos and FINALLY understood this man by his teaching! Requesting videos with English voice over please and Thank You !

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Aww thanks so much for the beautiful comment! Glad you finally understand layer masks :-D I'll make sure to record new ones soon :-D Have fun with Photoshop!

[@OiLoikes2Party]

Thank you for the simple and clear explanation

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome Manu, thanks for the kind words!

[@cookingwithantonuhl]

So clear when you make it so simple. Thank you!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome Anton! ❤️

[@virginiachi4852]

Thank you for an easy to follow tutorial on using masks. Very helpful!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome Virginia! :-D

[@koosfranken6115]

Thanks so much Rob. I wish everybody would explain things the way you do.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

That's really kind Koos, thanks a lot! 😊

[@TobyLazeris]

Amazing video, very well explained

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks, you're welcome Lazza! 😀

[@thenuugaming5082]

Thank God dude finally managed to learn masks because of you... Much love !

[@RobdeWinterCC]

🥰 thanks for your kind comment! Have a lot of fun with masks and Photoshop!

[@M3nun]

Simple, clear and contains all that I am looking for, great effort, thank you ❤

[@RobdeWinterCC]

That’s great, you’re welcome! 😃

[@albelland6267]

Thanks, great information.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome Al!

[@dianemcintosh2241]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome Diane! 😀

[@RobynWells-l6d]

very helpful. thank you!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome Robyn, thanks!

[@ilovefredreika]

Clearest video on using masks! Thank you.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Mary Ann! ❤️

[@lifewithlade6844]

This is great, thank you 😃

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@lifewithlade6844 aww, thanks, you’re welcome Lade! ❤️

[@jose828]

Thanks for this video! The information is very useful!!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@jose828 you’re welcome Jose! Thanks for the comment! 🤗

[@kandasamyrajan]

Thank you for the contribution.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You're welcome Rajan!

[@erichepperledesigns]

Awesome! 04:27 is exactly what I needed - a simple adjustable circle crop with layer shape masking! SUBSCRIBED

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@erichepperledesigns aww that’s great Eric! Thanks for letting me know, and have a lot of fun with Photoshop layer masks! 🤗

[@HillengaFotografie]

Thanks for the explanation. Was very enlightening 👍

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks! ♥️ you’re welcome!

[@icha_angela08]

Wow.. very helpful and easy to understand 😃

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@icha_angela08 thanks, great to hear that! 🤗

[@gulrukh101]

Thank you ! i found it really helpful, i will apply layer masks in my designs from now on

[@RobdeWinterCC]

That’s great! Glad to hear that the video helped you, using masks will make you really happy ;-)

[@preethamitalopaul4381]

Very helpful video. Now I can think of endless possibilities. All thanks to this person..❤️

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Preetham! Yes, the possibilities are really endless, really nice! Great to hear that the video helpt you 😀

[@tautvydastomkus]

There's some great tutorials on masks on KZbin and yours is among the easiest to grasp and learn from. Thank you!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks, what a kind compliment! 🤗

[@monica6149]

Lived your explanation, thanks

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks, you’re welcome Monica! ♥️

[@williamgorelander8290]

Fantastic tutorial. Thank you.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks William, and, you’re welcome! 😀

[@adlindanish4854]

Such a greatt video. Very clear and good example!! Keep going💪

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Adlin! 💙

[@cavaleermountaineer3839]

Thanks a million. That was excellent.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome, thanks! ♥️

[@Von199X]

Thanks man, more of this mask tutorials

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome, thanks! I’ll definitely do that :-D

[@markwalker5948]

Brilliant. Thank you very much.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome Mark, and thank you too!

[@tomektomek2784]

Hey! Thanks so much for this video!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome, thanks! :-D

[@srikkanth-tech]

This is really helpful.. i was just searchign for this.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@srikkanth-tech great to hear this, you’re welcome! ❤️

[@roshanstark2366]

awesome way of explaining the use of layer masks.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Roshan!

[@sangmoonkim2335]

Thank you for giving me a crystal clear understanding of Layer Mask ! Great works !

[@RobdeWinterCC]

❤ thanks, you'r welcome! 😀

[@leonidaona4733]

I now understand easily the complex definition of layer mask!! i subscribed

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Great to hear that Leonida! Thanks for subscribing!

[@marsgregorio8118]

Well explained..Thank you

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Mars!

[@simplycharming6134]

VERY helpful and easy explaining, no one explained like you, keep going, looking forward to upcoming videos, god bless you 😇

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks for the kind words! 🤗 I’m definitely going to record new videos soon 😃

[@wdmwebsolutions2503]

Thank you for this! Super cool video! A+++

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks! 😀

[@T12bastar]

Great video! Thank you :)

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Tatiana, you’re welcome! ♥️

[@veronicakoheischeid9741]

Thanks a lot! That was a very good and easy to understand tutorial. I struggle with layer masks, so this was very helpful. Also, your English is very good.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Aww, thanks! Layer masks are always a challenge, glad to hear that this video helped you bit. Enjoy working with Photoshop!

[@DyozoChill]

Super Tips! Neither the adobe tutorials, neither the photoshop classroom in a book, neither other youtube tutorials didn't explain masks to understand them good, but your video made for me all clear about understanding and using masks. Again, Super Tips!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey Dainus, wow, that’s a beautiful compliment! Thanks a lot, glad to hear that you understand masks now! :-D

[@EazyEVM]

So helpful! Thank you!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks, you’re welcome!! ♥️

[@phuongmy1965]

Very inspiring! Thank you.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome, great to hear that, thanks!

[@livelongrideonover70]

Hi Rob. That was so well made and very helpful. Thanks Very much.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Aw, thanks for this beautiful compliment. You’re welcome! Glad to hear that it helped you!

[@chaymaagamal7959]

The best explanation I've ever seen Thank u so much

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Chaymaa! You're welcome! :-D

[@silversun667]

Thank you! This was very helpful!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome Sarah, great to hear that! ♥️

[@Tara-vtn]

Clear explanation 👍👍👍

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Tara! ♥️

[@goldjellyfish2452]

Well done sir

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks! 🤗

[@alannciooo]

Thank u Rob, very helpful! I will try to use it on my paintings

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome Alann, have a lot of fun with the paintings (masks can be really helpful there)!

[@adarfrida]

Thank you! I wanted to learn how to do this for my thumbnails and your video was excellent and very informative. Well done!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Aww, thanks Adar! ♥️ have fun with layer masks!

[@aurelia1965]

Bedankt voor dit tutorial!Proficiaat!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Graag gedaan hoor! ❤️

[@aurelia1965]

❤❤❤@@RobdeWinterCC

[@lianurfadliani603]

I am new user of Photoshop and this tutorial is really helpful, nice editing too, and very entertaining😍👍🏻

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks for the kind words Lia! Glad to hear that the video was helpful! 💙

[@wilsonballesteros6318]

Super easy to follow. Subscribed!!! More tutorials please!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks! More tutorials will follow later this year :-D

[@WBell]

Fantastic! TY.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome! :-D

[@thijovanbeek]

Duidelijke uitleg, dan je wel!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Graag gedaan Thijo!

[@marucutenricoraphael9857]

EXACTLY WHAT I FRCKN NEED THANKS!!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Haha happy to hear that! :-D

[@ted_umeh]

love it

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Ted!

[@sneakerguy1904]

Thank you !

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome! ❤️

[@pavah7026]

Been using Photoshop for years, but never really understood layer masks, goeie video! 😎😎

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Ah, top! Graag gedaan! ;-)

[@pehotosan]

took me a while due to mistake, but it works thanks

[@RobdeWinterCC]

That’s awesome! Yes, mistakes are made easily, but they have one advantage: now you’ll never forget! 😃

[@SodaPopBot]

Ahh thank you

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome! ♥️

[@5eurogauw]

Top gozer!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Dankjewel Erec!

[@abubakar-lb7cv]

Thank you

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome! 😀

[@nahidqorciyev4926]

I like this channel ^_^

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Great to hear that Nahid, enjoy!

[@wazza2250]

Thank you for this video, very well done. The thing I find missing when I watch tutorials about masks, is what happens next? There is never anything about saving, merging, flattening, what? When, how is the mask actually applied?

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey Warren, thanks for the nice comment! And, that’s a good question (I got this questions several times before). The cool thing is: you just can leave it as is. So, no merging, no flattening. When you save your file as a PSD, all masks will be included in your Photoshop document. And, when it’s necessary to change something later, just click the layer mask and start editing it again. So yes, it might seem strange, but once the mask has been made, you don’t have to do anything ;-) hope that clarifies a little! 😊

[@tenziLhad]

"the smart object must be rasterized before proceeding".this message came and i was not allowed to use the back black color....

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Ah, in that case the layer mask thumbnail (the black and white rectangle in your layer, next to your layer thumbnail) isn’t selected. When you click on it first, you can draw with black and white.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

2:22 here you can see where to click

[@realixcc]

tenks voor dhe toetoriol

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hehe, tanks, jor welkum! 😜

[@edemduku3391]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 👍🏾

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks!

[@hamza77v]

thanks

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome Zeeshan!

[@janeanray4011]

I liked your easy to understand explanation. But why did you convert to smart object instead of just adding a new layer+mask?

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks Janean! Making a duplicate layer, then adding an effect on that layer and after that a layer mask would’ve been possible too. Although, it’ll increase the size of your Photoshop document (because you have 2 layers in stead of 1). Next to that, the layer mask on a smart filter can be really helpful sometimes, but many people overlook it.

[@Fuji_0]

How do you do that with the mouse arrow? Like adjusting it to large circle then changing the “red” color? What’s the shortcut key?

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey! I actually made a video about that, you can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnLVep-PmbRgb5Y

[@Fuji_0]

@@RobdeWinterCC Great! Thank you so much. This means a lot to me since I’ve been practicing now and planning to change my career. We appreciate your willingness to help!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@Fuji_0 🤗🤗 you’re welcome! Good luck with everything!

[@zharrysssn1861]

how about inverte mask how does it works ?

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey! You can click the layer mask thumbnail in the layers panel (the black and white one, next to the layer thumbnail), after that hit Ctrl-i (windows) or Cmd-i (macOS). This shortcut inverts the colors (black becomes white, white becomes black). Hope this helps!

[@Divit0514]

The tutorial is osm 10/10 But how Photoshop is working slow in your pc

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks!! There are many reasons why Photoshop may run slow, sorry to hear that! I can't place links here, but you can best search on Google and the Adobe website / forums. They have multiple solutions for making it faster. I hope this helps a little!

[@jazistone274]

So easy YET so complicated.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey, exactly! Masking just by itself is not really complicated, but when you start combining things it can get complicated really fast. That needs some practice, but once you get it, it’s a lot of fun :-D

[@A.Graphic.369]

tres bien mon ami

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Merci! ❤

[@kayasper6081]

"You take a look in the layer panel" ...en daar staan al twee foto´s klaar. Maar de vraag is juist; hoe krijg je die twee fotos daar, één in elke laag?

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Ik open meestal de ene foto met Photoshop. De tweede foto kun je dan in dat document slepen vanuit de verkenner (of Finder op macOS). Wat ook kan is in Photoshop naar Bestand > Ingesloten Plaatsen gaan (of File > Place Embedded). Als je dan je bestand selecteert, wordt het toegevoegd aan je document en lagenpaneel. Ben benieuwd of dat helpt, succes!

[@kayasper6081]

@@RobdeWinterCC Super! Heel vriendelijk, dank voor je persoonlijke antwoord. Groeten uit Spanje.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@kayasper6081 graag gedaan! En, heel veel plezier in Spanje ook! :-D

[@lalikes135]

how to do masking on glass?

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey! That’s always a bit more difficult, but I’d start with masking not with black or white, but with gray, for example, 50% gray will create a 50% transparent mask. Hope that helps a bit!

[@lauraslanesvanlifetravels]

I'm taking classes to get my undergraduate certificate in graphic design and I just simply DO NOT get masking! I'm hoping your video has helped me. There's just like 1000 steps in photoshop and I'm taking a class in it and I also have another problem where i don't even have photoshop because I have a stupid chromebook that nothing is allowed in it seems like! I didn't know before starting...waiting on the leftover from financial aid to get a different laptop. The teacher told me to try photopea and it's just as hard and different then what I've been learning...I AM SO FRUSTRATED!!!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

O that doesn’t sound well! Have you tried Photoshop on the web? I can’t place links here, but just search for Photoshop web, and you’ll find it. That works fine for me. Take care!

[@uzeela]

Your not explaining the 1st layer

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey! I'd be happy to explain the 1st layer. Can you be a bit more specific about your question? It wasn't completely clear to me ;-)

[@nachtjagertje]

finally found

[@RobdeWinterCC]

That’s great Miranda!

[@ChristComfort]

Thank you very much! May THE LORD JESUS CHRIST bless one of you today by receiving a word from one of the short clips of great prophets of GOD, on this page!!

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Thanks! ❤

[@seanmeredith6378]

Photoshop is so confusing if you've spent most of your time in the other adobe apps.

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hey Sean, it definitely is! But once you know your way it’s really cool 🥰 By the way, advanced Photoshop users feel the same way when opening Illustrator or Indesign for the first time, haha.

[@79SharQue]

you look & talk like Elon Musk 😄

[@RobdeWinterCC]

Hahaha, never heard that before 🤣 I'll take that as a compliment 😂

[@79SharQue]

@@RobdeWinterCC it actually was a compliment... 😄 and thanks, your video helped alot. I'm working with designs from AutoCAD to PS...

[@RobdeWinterCC]

@@79SharQue Thanks! I'm glad that the video helped a lot (always difficult to find out how masks work when you start with Photoshop) 😀Have a lot of fun!

[@79SharQue]

@@RobdeWinterCC 🤗

[@alwaysinout]

Thank you

[@RobdeWinterCC]

You’re welcome!