Rotating the Mask Independently

How Do I Rotate a Mask in Photoshop?

Rotating a mask in Photoshop is straightforward. There are several ways to achieve this, depending on whether you want to rotate the mask independently of the layer or rotate the layer and mask together.

This method rotates the mask's contents without affecting the underlying layer's position.

1. Select the Layer: In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to rotate.
2. Select the Mask: Click the mask thumbnail in the Layers panel. This ensures you're only editing the mask.
3. Use Free Transform: Go to Edit > Free Transform (or press Ctrl+T on Windows or Cmd+T on macOS). Bounding boxes will appear around your mask.
4. Rotate: Click and drag a corner handle to rotate the mask. Holding down the Shift key will constrain the rotation to 15-degree increments.
5. Press Enter/Return: Press Enter or Return to commit the transformation.

Rotating the Layer and Mask Together

This method rotates both the layer and its mask simultaneously.

1. Select the Layer: Select the layer in the Layers panel.
2. Use Free Transform: Go to Edit > Free Transform (or press Ctrl+T on Windows or Cmd+T on macOS).
3. Rotate: Click and drag a corner handle to rotate the layer. Holding down the Shift key will constrain the rotation.
4. Press Enter/Return: Press Enter or Return to apply the transformation. Both the layer and its mask will rotate together.

Important Considerations:

• Linking Layer and Mask: By default, the layer and its mask are linked. Transformations applied to one will affect the other. Unlinking them allows independent manipulation, but this is generally not necessary for simple rotations.
• Select and Mask Workspace: The "Select and Mask" workspace provides tools for refining selections and masks, but rotating the canvas within this workspace differs from rotating the layer or mask itself. The "R" key shortcut for rotating the canvas might not function as expected within "Select and Mask," as noted in some user forum discussions.

This approach covers the most common scenarios. More complex rotations or effects might require additional techniques, such as using the Puppet Warp tool for more precise control. Remember that if you need to rotate individual letters within text, you might need to rasterize the text first (right-click the text layer).