Layer masking

A layer mask is used to reveal a portion of a layer while the rest of the layer remains hidden. This means that you can use a mask layer to 'delete' areas of a layer that you don't want.

Layer mask
Layer mask with radial gradient (0-100% opacity) applied to picture frame

The non-destructive power of masking

Masking can be applied at any level in the Layers panel—as an independent mask layer, applied to a specific layer (or child layer), to groups, or to individual objects. This is governed by the mask layer's positioning in the layer stack.

Masks can be freely edited and moved, and affect any object below them within the same parent layer. They can also be clipped to individual objects so that only that object is affected.

Once a mask layer is created, you can apply different levels of grayscale or opacity to the mask layer—apply White (or 100% Opacity) to reveal; apply Black (or 0% Opacity) to conceal; apply intermediate grayscale levels for partial masking. Try drawing a gradient (with Fill Tool) across a mask layer and assign different grayscale levels or opacity to end stops to experiment.

Mask Layer To create an empty mask layer:
To enable/disable a clipped mask layer:
To add a vector mask:
  1. Draw a vector object, e.g., a line or shape, which is to be your mask.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • In the Layers panel, drag the created object entry directly onto the thumbnail of another 'target' object.
    • -click the object and select Mask to Below, if the object to be masked is directly below the masking object.

The thumbnail of the target object changes to indicate that a mask and crop have been applied.

The mask of the object is applied in a "crop to top object" operation.

To delete a mask:
  1. In the Layers panel, select the mask's thumbnail.
  2. Press the .
  3. Press the .

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