Layers - Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 for Photographers - page 301

Layer Masks cannot be added di-
rectly to background layers. In-
stead, the background needs to be
converted to a standard image lay-
er first. One of the easiest ways to
achieve this is to double-click the
background layer, add a name to
the New Layer dialog and then click
the OK button.

Layer mask shortcuts
Disable/enable layer mask -
Shift + click layer mask thumbnail

Preview contents of layer mask -
Opt/Alt + click layer mask thumbnail

Disable Layer Mask: Temporarily hide the effects of the
layer mask.

D
la

Preview layer mask and image -
Opt/Alt + Shift + click layer mask thumbnail

Delete Layer Mask: Remove the layer mask permanently
from the layer.

Dele
rom

D
fr

Appl
h

Apply Layer Mask: Apply the effects of the layer mask
to the image and then remove the mask.

Add Mask To Selection:
The selection and the
masked areas are
combined to form a new
selection.

Subtract Mask From
Selection.

When a selection is created on a masked layer, there are three
different ways that you can create a new selection from the
combination of the mask and selection. The options are listed in
the right-click pop-up menu and include Add Mask To Selection,
Subtract Mask From Selection and Intersect Mask With Selection.
To use any of these options, create a selection first and then
right-click onto the layer mask thumbnail and choose the way
that you want the mask and selection to interact. A new selection
will be created based on your selection.

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the
d in
on,
on.

Intersect Mask With
Selection.