Adobe Community: Photoshop Help | Adding layer masks

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1. dmzajac2004,

Nov 22, 2012 10:31 AM in reply to Community Help

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Hello, I am using CS6 and my issue is this: when I click on the Adjustment Layer Icon button in the Layers Panel and then select the adjustment from the drop down menu it does not automatically add the mask to my layer. It does open the Properties panel. In my Menu Layer> drop down option I can manually add the mask, but in CS6 it should be automatic when you use the Adjustment Layer button in the layers panel no?

In my fly-out menu on the Layers Panel I do not have "Add Layer mask defaut" option in the Panel options section or anywhere.

What do I need to do to make it add a mask automatically?

Thanks!

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2. dmzajac2004,

Nov 22, 2012 1:01 PM in reply to dmzajac2004

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I got the answer! It was an option in the Adjustment panel Fly-out menu. I never noticed that one.

Deborah

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3. Bill Hunt,

Nov 22, 2012 1:56 PM in reply to dmzajac2004

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The addition of an Adjustment Layer Mask used to be automatic, even where there was nothing "in" that Mask. The Option to toggle the creation ON/OFF was recently added.

Glad that you found the setting.

Hunt

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4. JJMack,

Nov 22, 2012 8:23 PM in reply to dmzajac2004

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dmzajac2004 wrote:

I got the answer! It was an option in the Adjustment panel Fly-out menu. I never noticed that one.

Deborah

Be warned if you change the Adjustment Panels Fly-out menu options "Add Layer Mask by default" or "Clip to Layer" from their default setting Photoshop will not work the way it was designed to work. Actions, Scripts and perhaps Plug-in that add adjustment layers may not work correctly. These bugs where introduced in CS4 and are still ins CS5 and CS6. http://forums.adobe.com/message/4794262#4794262

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5. dmzajac2004,

Nov 22, 2012 8:45 PM in reply to JJMack

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What is the default? Checked or unchecked? The only action I run is my watermark. I don't have any other actions I run, or plug-ins or scripts.

Deborah

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6. JJMack,

Nov 22, 2012 9:28 PM in reply to dmzajac2004

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Photoshop has always added layer mask when adding adjustment layers. If you change that behavior Actions and Scripts that add adjustment layers and modified the added layer mask will fail for the layer mask is not there to modify.

Clip to layer was always an option if you make that the default behavior actions and scripts that add adjustment layer applied to all layers will be clipped instead and not apply to all lower layers.

Photoshop never recorded anything special when recording Photoshop default operations. Also programming something coded to use Photoshop's default operations requires no parameter to be coded. These two Adjustment Panel option incorrectly allow you to modify Photoshop's default behavior. This brakes thing that relay on Photoshop default designed operatesion. The way Photoshop was designed to work for it will no longer work that way when these bad options added in the Adjustment Panel are set. Also for Some reason unknown reason Adobe is trying to make these option global, not just apply when a user uses the adjustment panel to add and adjustment layer. Very bad idea all it seems to do is break thing. If left untouched Photoshop work like it was designed so leave them set the way Adobe defaulted them. Forget they exists.

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7. dmzajac2004,

Nov 23, 2012 6:05 AM in reply to JJMack

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Thank you JMack! Sometime ago I must have turned off the default "add a mask", and completely forgot about it. I hadn't realized it should be applied automatically until this week while watching a class with Lesa Snyder. I looked high and low in all my menus, and preferences but couldn't get it to add the mask automatically. I finally asked on two forums for help.

I've got it set back to the default of Adding the mask to the layer automatically now.

Thanks so much! Happy Black Friday!

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8. Bill Hunt,

Nov 23, 2012 4:27 PM in reply to dmzajac2004

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Only a guess on my part, but as a Layer Mask does occupy space in a file, maybe Adobe decided to offer a way to eliminate things, that are not used. While I almost always use a Layer Mask, or Adjustment Layer Mask, of some sort, I would likely never uncheck that, where others might never use that function (they can still Add a Layer Mask manually), and it might be of use to them. Having an ON/OFF switch is a good thing, at least for those of us, who do use them constantly.

Good luck,

Hunt

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9. JJMack,

Nov 23, 2012 9:26 PM in reply to Bill Hunt

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The problem is if the options not set to their default settings if a user use Photoshop features like plug-ins, actions and scripts some may fail. The user would be better off letting the layer mask be added and delete any they do not want. Complex Layer mask may add some file size when saving layered file however a reveal all white mask would compress small in size. If the memory required for layer mask is taxing you system you need to consider adding ram.

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Photoshop Help | Adding layer masks

Nov 22, 2012 10:25 AM

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