Adjusting Mask Opacity And Edges - Adobe Photoshop CS6 User Manual

Both the color and opacity settings affect only the appearance of the mask and have no effect on how underlying areas are protected. For
example, you may want to change these settings to make the mask more easily visible against the colors in the image.
4. Click OK.

Adjusting mask opacity and edges

Use the Properties panel (CS6) or the Masks panel(CS5) to adjust the opacity of a selected layer or vector mask. The Density slider controls mask
opacity. Feather lets you soften mask edges.
Additional options are specific to layer masks. The Invert option reverses masked and unmasked areas. The Mask Edge option gives you various
controls to modify the mask edges, such as Smooth and Contract/Expand. For information on the Color Range option, see
and fill layers to specific areas.
Change mask density
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to edit.
2. Do one of the following:
(CS6) In the Layers panel click the Mask thumbnail. A border appears around the thumbnail.
(CS5) In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button or the Vector Mask button.
3. In the Properties panel (CS6) or the Masks panel (CS5), drag the Density slider to adjust the mask opacity.
At 100% density, the mask is completely opaque and blocks out any underlying area of the layer. As you lower the density, more of the area
under the mask becomes visible.
Feather mask edges
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to edit.
2. Do one of the following:
(CS6) In the Layers panel click the Mask thumbnail. A border appears around the thumbnail.
(CS5) In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button or the Vector Mask button.
3. Drag the Feather slider to apply feathering to the mask edges.
Feathering blurs the edges of the mask to create a softer transition between the masked and unmasked areas. Feathering is applied from
the edges of the mask outward, within the range of pixels you set with the slider.
Refine mask edges
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to edit.
2. Do one of the following:
(CS6) In the Layers panel click the Mask thumbnail. A border appears around the thumbnail.
(CS5) In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button or the Vector Mask button.
3. Click Mask Edge. You can modify mask edges with the options in the Refine Mask dialog box and view the mask against different
backgrounds. For a description of options, see
4. Click OK to close the Refine Mask dialog box and apply your changes to the layer mask.
More Help Topics
About masks and alpha channels
Applying filters video
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Refine selection edges.
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Confine adjustment