How Do You Mask a Selection in Photoshop?

You can mask a selection in Photoshop using a few different methods, each offering varying degrees of flexibility and non-destructiveness. Here's a breakdown of the common approaches:

1. Using the Quick Mask Mode

This method is great for refining selections using brushstrokes.

1. Make a Selection: Use any selection tool (Lasso, Marquee, Quick Selection, etc.) to create your initial selection on the layer you want to mask.
2. Enter Quick Mask Mode: Press the "Q" key or click the Quick Mask icon located in the Tools panel (it looks like a rectangle with a circle inside).
3. Edit the Mask: Your selection will now be overlaid with a color (usually red), indicating the masked area. Use the Brush tool with black to add to the mask (making the selection smaller) and white to remove from the mask (making the selection larger). Gray shades will create semi-transparent areas.
4. Exit Quick Mask Mode: Press "Q" again or click the Quick Mask icon to exit Quick Mask mode. The area that was not covered by the overlay color will now be selected.
5. Create a Layer Mask: Click the "Add Layer Mask" button at the bottom of the Layers panel (it looks like a rectangle with a circle inside). This creates a layer mask based on your refined selection.

2. Directly Creating a Layer Mask from a Selection

This is the most common and generally preferred method as it is non-destructive.

1. Make a Selection: Use any selection tool to define the area you want to isolate or hide.
2. Create a Layer Mask: In the Layers panel, select the layer you want to mask. Click the "Add Layer Mask" button at the bottom of the panel. Photoshop will automatically create a mask based on your selection:
   • The selected area will become visible.
   • The unselected area will be hidden (masked).

3. Inverting a Selection to Create a Layer Mask

This is useful when you've selected the area you don't want to show.

1. Make a Selection: Select the area you want to hide.
2. Invert the Selection: Go to Select > Inverse (or press Shift + Ctrl + I on Windows, or Shift + Cmd + I on Mac).
3. Create a Layer Mask: Click the "Add Layer Mask" button in the Layers panel. Now, the originally selected area will be hidden.

Working with Layer Masks

Once a layer mask is created, you can:

• Edit the Mask: Click on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel to select it. Use the Brush tool with black or white to refine the mask. Black hides, white reveals. Grays create transparency.
• Disable the Mask: Shift-click on the layer mask thumbnail to temporarily disable the mask without deleting it. A red "X" will appear on the thumbnail.
• Delete the Mask: Right-click on the layer mask thumbnail and choose "Delete Layer Mask". You can choose to apply the mask (permanently altering the layer) or discard it.
• Link/Unlink Mask and Layer: Click the chain icon between the layer and mask thumbnails to toggle linking. When linked, moving the layer also moves the mask, keeping the effect consistent. When unlinked, you can move the layer and mask independently.

In summary, the best method depends on the specific task and desired level of control. Creating a layer mask directly from a selection is usually the most efficient and non-destructive approach.