Disable or enable a layer mask, Apply or delete a layer mask, Select and display the layer mask channel – Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 v.14.xx User Manual
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Note:
Disable or enable a layer mask
Do one of the following:
Select the layer containing the layer mask you want to disable or enable, and click the Disable/Enable Mask button in the Properties
panel (CC, CS6) or the Masks panel (CS5).
Shift-click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel.
Select the layer containing the layer mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Disable or Layer > Layer
Mask > Enable.
A red X appears over the mask thumbnail in the Layers panel when the mask is disabled, and the layer’s content appears without masking
effects.
Apply or delete a layer mask
You can apply a layer mask to permanently delete the hidden portions of a layer. Layer masks are stored as alpha channels, so applying and
deleting layer masks can help reduce file size. You can also delete a layer mask without applying the changes.
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the layer mask.
2. In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button.
3. Do one of the following:
To remove the layer mask after applying it permanently to the layer, click the Apply Mask icon
at the bottom of the Properties panel
(CC, CS6) and Masks panel (CS5).
To remove the layer mask without applying it to the layer, click the Delete button at the bottom of the Masks panel, and then click
Delete.
You can also apply or delete layer masks using the Layer menu.
You cannot apply a layer mask permanently to a Smart Object layer when deleting the layer mask.
Select and display the layer mask channel
For easier editing of a layer mask, you can display the grayscale mask by itself or as a rubylith overlay on the layer.
In the Layers panel, do one of the following:
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the layer mask thumbnail to view only the grayscale mask. To redisplay the layers, Alt-click
or Option-click the layer mask thumbnail. Alternatively, click the eye icon
in the Properties panel (CC, CS6) or the Masks panel (CS5).
Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the layer mask thumbnail to view the mask on top of the layer in a
rubylith masking color. Hold down Alt+Shift or Option+Shift, and click the thumbnail again to turn off the color display.
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