Chapter 4. Layer Masks

Whatever the problem, layer masks are probably part of the solution. Layer masks are so versatile, you can use them for all kinds of creative and workaday Photoshop tasks, from making a cutout to put in a page layout application, to blending textures for unique backgrounds, to making seamless composites from a collection of images, to stitching together landscape panoramas. In this chapter we’ll learn how layer masks work, how easy they are to use, and how effective they can be when editing your images.

What makes layer masks so essential is that they allow you to work nondestructively—a point I’ll return to repeatedly. Here is mantra number 1: Mask it, don’t delete it. Layer masks let you change your mind as often as you ...

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