To clip an adjustment layer, hold Alt (or Option on Mac) and hover your mouse cursor between the adjustment layer and the layer you want to affect. A clipping mask icon will appear. Click the mouse, and the adjustment layer will only affect the layer directly below it.
This process creates a clipping mask, which essentially confines the adjustment layer's effect to the pixels of the layer it's clipped to. Here's a breakdown:
- Select Layers: Make sure your adjustment layer is placed directly above the layer you want to clip it to in the layers panel.
- Hover with Alt/Option: Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac) and move your cursor to the line that separates the adjustment layer and the layer below it in the Layers panel.
- Clipping Mask Icon: You will see a clipping mask icon appear (it looks like a square with a downward-pointing arrow).
- Click to Clip: Click the mouse button. The adjustment layer is now clipped. You'll see a small arrow next to the adjustment layer, indicating that it's clipped to the layer below.
In summary, the steps are: Position the adjustment layer, hold Alt/Option, hover between layers, and click.
