Layer Masks

Layer Masks are a very powerful part of Photoshop and that is for a couple of reasons:

• Layer Masks are editable selections that play an important role in non destructive editing
• Layer Masks offer flexibility because they can be almost completely treated as a full gray scale image, which allows the use of filters, selection tools, adjustment tools, etc.
• They have a visual strength, meaning that with a short look on the layers you can see how they affect the image
• They offer extra flexibility by being part of vector masks, layer sets, adjustment layers, etc.
• Layer masks allow you to save selections.
• Layer masks can be applied to any layer except the Background. *one must convert the background to a layer to use).

So how do layer masks work? A layer mask is actually telling photoshop how to deal with the layer it's attached to and does this by using shades of gray.

To understand layer masks you have to remember the following:

• The color black in a layer mask hides the corresponding pixels in the linked layer (actually makes those pixels transparent).
• The color white leaves the corresponding in the linked layer intact; it doesn't do anything with them

Tutorials:

Fade layer

Adjustment Layer

Exposure Adjustments