Why does select and mask not work in CC 19.1.5?

[Guest]

After making a selection I chose Select and Mask from the Select menu and started painting where the edges needed fixing since it is supposed to automatically recalculate the edges, but it does not. It merely increases the selection if the + brush is selected or decrease it if the - brush is selected (working exactly as a normal brush would work, with no recalculation - just a mere add or remove selection).

This is inconsistent with courses I have been watching.

What could be wrong? I  just updated to the latest version of Photoshop CC in Windows 64 bits.

Regards,

Juan Dent

[Barb Binder]

Hi Juan:

Are you using the Refine Edge brush in the Select and Mask task space? (It's the second one.) As you drag that brush along the edge, you should see the edges recalculate.

~Barb

[Guest]

Hi Barb,

No I was following a course on previous Photoshop which did not have any of those brushes. Now I used the Refine Edge brush and it seems to be working. One thing I notice is that the original complete (unmasked) image must be below the layer that has the mask right? Otherwise we won't see the parts that were not included in the mask. By doing this, I am getting things working. Can you confirm my deduction regarding the need for the complete unmasked image be present in a layer below where the mask is?

Thanks!!

Juan

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Yes. You need (at least) two layers, one under the other, both set to visible. Use masking to mask (aka hide) the pixels on the top layer so that you can see the layer underneath.

This is how we replace backgrounds, for example. Let's say we take a photo of you standing on the street. We could put a photo of a beach on the layer underneath, mask the street background on your layer, and now you have a beach behind you.

~Barb