Edit a vector mask, Change vector mask opacity or feather mask edges, Remove a vector mask – Adobe Photoshop CS4 User Manual
Page 335: Disable or enable a vector mask, Convert a vector mask to a layer mask, Unlinking layers and masks
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USING PHOTOSHOP CS4
Layers
Last updated 1/10/2010
Edit a vector mask
1
In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the vector mask you want to edit.
2
Click the Vector Mask button in the Masks panel or the thumbnail in the Paths panel. Then change the shape using
the shape, pen, or Direct Selection tools. See “
Change vector mask opacity or feather mask edges
1
In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the vector mask.
2
In the Masks panel, click the Vector Mask button.
3
Drag the Density slider to adjust mask opacity, or the Feathering slider to feather mask edges. For more
information, see “
Change mask opacity or refine edges
Remove a vector mask
1
In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the vector mask.
2
Click the Vector Mask button in the Masks panel.
3
In the Masks panel, click the Delete Mask button
.
Disable or enable a vector mask
❖
Do one of the following:
•
Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to disable or enable, and click the Disable/Enable Mask
button
in the Masks panel.
•
Shift-click the vector mask thumbnail in the Layers panel.
•
Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to disable or enable, and choose Layer
> Vector Mask
>
Disable or Layer
> Vector 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.
Convert a vector mask to a layer mask
❖
Select the layer containing the vector mask you want to
convert, and choose Layer
> Rasterize
> Vector Mask.
Important: After you rasterize a vector mask, you can’t change it back into a vector object.
Unlinking layers and masks
By default, a layer or group is linked to its layer mask or vector mask, as indicated by the link icon
between the
thumbnails in the Layers panel. The layer and its mask move together in the image when you move either one with the
Move tool
. Unlinking them lets you move them independently and shift the mask’s boundaries separately from
the layer.
•
To unlink a layer from its mask, click the link icon in the Layers panel.
•
To reestablish the link between a layer and its mask, click between the layer and mask path thumbnails in the Layers
panel.