Layer Mask is a technique that is really useful in the fields of graphic designing and image editing. Photo studios, advertising agencies, Magazine Publishing Companies, Graphic design houses all make use of this technique to make necessary changes to the images and acquire desired results.
alpha channel masking
Remove the Background with Fuzzy and Undefined Edges
Masking Layers can greatly help you to remove the background of an image even those with blurry edges. Such complicate images are too difficult to trace or select with Marquee Selections and even the Pen Tools. Layer Masking enables you to mask image with soft and fuzzy edges smoothly.
Control Transparency of a Layer
Layer Mask allows you to control the transparency of a layer. Unlike layer opacity, it gives you precise control over the transparency of parts of layer. In order to remove certain parts of image, for example, you can paint that part black which makes the layer 100% transparent. In order to remove transparency, you can them paint it white which is wholly opaque meaning 0% transparent.
Blend Two Different Images
Layer Masking has a great role to play in blending two images perfectly together. When you are blending images, you often have to remove parts of an image to make it fit into other image well. This function, no doubt is best performed by Layer Masking.
Why Layer Mask?
Many people ask why choose Layer Mask when Eraser Tool can easily be used to remove unwanted elements in an image. Well, there are lots of reasons why Eraser Tool is not suitable. Firstly, it destroys all the pixels in the image. That means it deletes all those parts of image you erase. This justifies that Eraser is a really destructive tool. On the other hand, Layer Mask is a more flexible option. Layer Mask doesn’t remove the pixels altogether; instead it controls their transparency. Also, you can edit, correct the layer mask if you don’t like the image after you add the mask to it. If you don’t get it entirely, just think of Layer mask as a mask which you are putting on your image without actually altering image itself.
Remember….
Layer masks have numerous applications. You can use them in whatever way you like according to the type of your image. Just keep in mind that the layer mask suits your image well and enhances your further without deteriorating it.
