The Photoshop Productivity Series: The Productive Workflow

Layer Masks

In my opinion, two “bad words” when it comes to working nondestructively are “erase” and “delete.” If you erase or delete pixels, they are gone—unless you undo the action right away. A layer mask gives you the opportunity to hide pixels instead of deleting them. Because the pixels are hidden, they can always been shown again as necessary.

To compare the difference, we’ll start with two layers that we want to combine (Figure 1.11).

Figure 1.11 The two layers shown here need to be combined.

Using the Eraser tool with a soft-edged brush, it is possible—and quite easy—to delete the unwanted pixels to create the effect we want (Figure ...