- View the mask independently of the
image. To see the layer mask by itself, press
the Alt (or Option) key and click the black-
and-white layer mask thumbnail in the Lay-
ers panel. You should see a mask like the
one pictured in Figure 5-49. Paint or other-
wise modify it if you like. To return to the
composite image, Alt-click (Option-click)
the mask thumbnail again.
To view the mask as a rubylith overlay—thus
permitting you to see both mask and image—
press the backslash key,. To hide the image
and view just the mask, press the tilde key,.
To display the image, press again. To hide the
mask, press. Throughout, the layer mask
remains active, even if you can’t see it.- Select the Gradient layer. Still in the Layers panel, turn on the
to the left of Gradient to display the layer, and then click the
layer itself to select it. This previously hidden layer contains a
combination of black and brown gradient patterns. - Change the blend mode and opacity. Choose Multiply from
the blend mode pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the Lay-
ers panel. (You can also use the shortcut Shift+Alt+M or Shift-
Option-M, but only after you switch from the brush tool to
a selection tool.) Photoshop burns in the blacks and browns
and drops out the whites, as shown in Figure 5-50 on the fac-
ing page. To temper the effect, reduce the Opacity value in the
Layers panel to 80 percent. - Set the Badlands layer to mask the Gradient layer. Choose
Layer→Create Clipping Mask. This clips the Gradient layer to
the boundaries of the layer below it, Badlands. As a result, the
gradient fits entirely inside the horizon mask (see Figure 5-51)
that you established in Step 7. In the Layers panel, the Gradi-
ent layer appears inset; the Badlands layer appears underlined
to show that it’s the base of the clipping mask.
You can use two shortcuts when creating a clipping mask. One is
Ctrl+Alt+G (or �-Option-G). (Clipping masks used to be called clipping
groups, hence G.) If that brings up the Google Desktop search feature,
try this: Press the Alt (or Option) key and click the horizontal line
between the Gradient and Badlands layers in the Layers panel. To release
a layer from a clipping mask, press Ctrl+Alt+G (�-Option-G) or Alt-click
(Option-click) the horizontal line again.Figure 5-49.
160 Lesson 5: Working with Layers