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My quick mask went grayscale...how to fix?

Jul 13, 2012 6:36 PM

I don't think I did anything but now when I click to add a layer mask and then the gradient tool, the colors are no longer allowed. Someone know how to fix this?

1893 Views 23 Replies Latest reply: Noel Carboni, Jul 17, 2012 12:28 PM

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1. JJMack,

Jul 13, 2012 6:39 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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When you add a layer mask it becomes the photoshop target Layer mask are grayscale

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2. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 13, 2012 6:46 PM in reply to JJMack

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hmm...been using PS for a couple years and this hasn't happened before. When I add a layer mask, then the gradient tool I have always been able to use the colors I have selected and show at the upper left. Now those colors are still at upper left (in this case red to transparent) but its grayscale. This just started yesterday.

There has to be a way to put it back. I didn't imagine the old way cuz I used it a lot.

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3. JJMack,

Jul 13, 2012 8:42 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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I may have miss understood what you wrote. The gradient tool itself should show colors in its option bar and you should be able to select color gradients. It just when you draw out one and apply it when a layer mask is the target the results will be a grayscale for layer mask are a grayscale thing.

If the tool itself is only showing grayscale gradients try resetting the gradent tool to the defaut gradents or some other set other then the neutral density set which are all grayscale..

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4. Noel Carboni,

Jul 13, 2012 10:50 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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You wouldn't happen to have created a grayscale document instead of RGB, would you? I know that's a pretty basic thing, but sometimes we don't look at the defaults in the File New dialog. Image - Mode - RGB...

-Noel

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5. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 15, 2012 5:20 PM in reply to JJMack

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I am confused because I have literally done this hundreds of times...the layer mask is selected and yet the gradient will not be grayscale...and now it is. I just keep thinking that in order for this to change in the middle of my work the other day, something caused it and thus there should be a way to change the setting back. Really bummed.

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6. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 15, 2012 5:21 PM in reply to Noel Carboni

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That was first thing I checked...no dice. RGB the whole time.

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7. JJMack,

Jul 15, 2012 6:24 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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Have you tried resetting your Photoshop preferences?

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8. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 15, 2012 6:45 PM in reply to JJMack

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no.

Preferences > Reset All Warning Dialogs?

Will everything be reset? Plugins and brushes and such?

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9. charles badland,

Jul 15, 2012 7:33 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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"I am confused because I have literally done this hundreds of times...the layer mask is selected and yet the gradient will not be grayscale...and now it is."

Yes. You are confused. Layer mask is, and always has been, grayscale.

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10. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 15, 2012 7:42 PM in reply to charles badland

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Alright, so what could I have possibly been doing the last few years when I clicked the QUICK MASK and then click the gradient tool and used colors? I didn't dream the last few years...LOL

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11. JJMack,

Jul 15, 2012 8:06 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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AgentFiveSevenFive wrote:

no.

Preferences > Reset All Warning Dialogs?

Will everything be reset? Plugins and brushes and such?
Not everything will be changed thing that you added will still be on you system like brushes presets actions etc. However thing settings will be reset to Photoshop defailts like action sets you have loaded will not be loaded. You will need to load them again. If you installed plugin into you own Plug-in folder structure and added that folder to Photoshop preferencess you will need to edit you reset preferences and make the changes you make changes to the defaullts like adding an additional plug-in path, open images in floating windows not tabs, Things like Screen DPI resolution increase number of history states etc.

Resetting Photoshop prefences often fixes Problems when Photosho's starts acting strang like tools not working like normally.

When you click Quick Mask Photoshop overlays the image with a color overlay mask the default color is red however this is changeable. Did you by chance douple click on the quick mask icon and change the option from red to gray sometime in the past?

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12. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 15, 2012 8:18 PM in reply to JJMack

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So I guess I don't know where to reset everything? That option I found was for all the dialog boxes. How do I reset?

No, I still see red up top when I click layer mask..

Thanks for taking the time...I am so confused at how all of a sudden something that worked for years is gone.

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13. JJMack,

Jul 15, 2012 8:58 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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Note: If you ever need to reset Photoshop preferences to the default settings, press and hold Shift+Option+Command (Mac OS) or Shift+Alt+Control (Windows) when you start up Photoshop. Be sure to press and hold these keys before the startup screen appears. It will ask if you want to delete the preferences file. To reset Photoshop to its default settings, click Yes.

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14. station_two,

Jul 15, 2012 9:18 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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No, you don't want to do anything to the dialog boxes. It's the Photoshop Preferences files you want to trash, delete, nuke and re-set.

Hold down Control+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Comand+Option+Shift on a Mac as you launch Photoshop. You'll get this dialog box:

AgentFiveSevenFive wrote:

…I am so confused at how all of a sudden something that worked for years is gone.

When things suddenly go weird in Photoshop, that's a clear sign that your Photoshop preferences got corrupted. That's why you need to trash and re-set them.

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15. station_two,

Jul 15, 2012 9:03 PM in reply to JJMack

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JJMack typed faster, while I was embedding the screen shot.

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16. PECourtejoie,

Jul 16, 2012 5:25 AM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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Hello!
Before you reset the preferences, do try to double-click the quickmask button to check if black is not selected instead of read.
(you can also get to it you enter the Channel Panel's menu, and select Quick Mask Options.)

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17. PECourtejoie,

Jul 16, 2012 5:31 AM in reply to PECourtejoie

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Agent Seven five, in the discussion, you seem to interchange quickmask and layer mask, they are not the same thing.

Quickmask, also called rubilith is a way to paint/draw your selection. You activate it with the letter Q, or by clicking on the icon below the color wells in the tool panel.

A layer mask is a non-destructive way to show/hide parts of a layer using black and white.You create one with the black and white button at the bottom of the layers panel.
Note that you can use quickmask on a layer mask, if you need to select an area before editing it with a filter/gradient, etc.

Make sure you are using the correct terminology, you'll get more accurate answers that way.

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18. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 17, 2012 8:56 AM in reply to station_two

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Took me a bit to figure that out...the program starts so fast there is like 5 milliseconds to pull that move off. haha

Anyway, I did the reset and things are still like this...so thanks for you time guys...guess I will just learn to work with it this way.

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19. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 17, 2012 9:04 AM in reply to PECourtejoie

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PECourtejoie wrote:

Agent Seven five, in the discussion, you seem to interchange quickmask and layer mask, they are not the same thing.

Quickmask, also called rubilith is a way to paint/draw your selection. You activate it with the letter Q, or by clicking on the icon below the color wells in the tool panel.

A layer mask is a non-destructive way to show/hide parts of a layer using black and white.You create one with the black and white button at the bottom of the layers panel.
Note that you can use quickmask on a layer mask, if you need to select an area before editing it with a filter/gradient, etc.

Make sure you are using the correct terminology, you'll get more accurate answers that way.

oh...just saw this. Alright so now I see the difference on the terminology. I don't remember ever touching the quick mask button. What I was doing before was clicking the layer mask button at the bottom of the layers panel and then I swear I was able to select the gradient tool and was not held to black/white/gray but now I am.

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20. JJMack,

Jul 17, 2012 9:59 AM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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When you click that button in the layers palette a layer mask will be added to the currently targeted layer and become the current Photoshop target. The contents of the layer masks depends on the conditions that existed when you click the add layer mask icon button. If there was no active selection and no keys were held down it will be all white a reveal all layer mask. If no selection and you held down the Alt/Option key the layer mask would be all black a hide all layer mask. If there was a selection like a luminosity selection active when you click the icon with no keys held the layer mask added would look like a grayscale of you image. Had you held down the Alt/option key the layer mask would look like a negative of your image.

After adding the layer mask it will be the current Photoshop Target. You can select the gradient tool and select a colored gradient as the gradient to use. However when you drag out its path and apply it the gradient applied will be a grayscale version for Layer mask are grayscale.

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21. charles badland,

Jul 17, 2012 10:23 AM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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What I was doing before was clicking the layer mask button at the bottom of the layers panel and then I swear I was able to select the gradient tool and was not held to black/white/gray but now I am.
Nope.
You can view a Layer Mask as rubylith by hitting the backslash key. But the layer mask is, and was, grayscale.

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22. AgentFiveSevenFive,

Jul 17, 2012 10:31 AM in reply to charles badland

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charles badland wrote:

What I was doing before was clicking the layer mask button at the bottom of the layers panel and then I swear I was able to select the gradient tool and was not held to black/white/gray but now I am.
Nope.
You can view a Layer Mask as rubylith by hitting the backslash key. But the layer mask is, and was, grayscale.
I must have imagined the last couple years.

Thanks everyone. I am alright with how it is.

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23. Noel Carboni,

Jul 17, 2012 12:28 PM in reply to AgentFiveSevenFive

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AgentFiveSevenFive wrote:

I must have imagined the last couple years.

The phrase I've always liked is "I've slept since then".

And I'll confirm that it's never been possible to have a colored layer mask.

-Noel

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