Photoshop Clipping Masks: what they do and how to use them

In this tutorial we’ll introduce you to Photoshop clipping masks and show you how to quickly fit images to any shape you like using simple layer skills.

Clipping Masks allow you to cut corners and save yourself lots of editing time. The fundamentals are simple: clip a layer to an underlying layer by Alt-clicking the line between the two, and the top layer will snap to the shape of the layer beneath, so that only the parts of the top layer that sit directly above the underlying layer will be visible.

Using this method, we can fit a picture to any shape we like – a figure like this, or a letter, or a graphic. What’s more, we can combine Clipping Masks with Adjustment Layers, so the adjustment only affects the image layer it is clipped to. Here’s how it works…

SEE MORE: 27 incredible effects you can create from one Photoshop menu

Create impressive effects with Clipping Masks

01 Select the flagbearer
Open flagbearer_before.jpg (available here) Grab the Quick Selection Tool and paint over the figure to select him. (Hold Alt and paint to subtract.) Once you’re happy, go to the Layers Panel and click the Add Mask icon at the bottom to hide everything but the selected area behind a Layer Mask.

SEE MORE: Layer mask techniques anyone can understand

02 Add grass to the mask
Copy in grass.png. Ctrl/Cmd-click its thumbnail in the Layers Panel to load the shape as a selection. With the Marquee Tool, drag the selection up to the tab of the other image, then down in to copy it over. Position it under the feet. Highlight the Layer Mask, go to Edit > Fill and set Use: Black.

03 Clip an image
Now we can start clipping images. Open restoration1. With the Move Tool, drag the image up to the tab of the main image, then down in to copy it over. Alt-click the line between it and the cut out layer below. Press Ctrl/Cmd+T then position the layer to fit the shape.

SEE MORE: 34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try

04 Clip and mask
Continue clipping and positioning other images in the same way to add layers. If you want the layers to blend together, add a Layer Mask, then grab the Brush Tool. Paint over the image with a large, soft circular brush tip to soften edges and hide areas, then fit the other images.

SEE MORE: 101 Photoshop tips you really have to know

05 Burn the edges
Select the top layer.Alt-click the New Layer icon in the Layers Panel. Set Mode: Overlay then check the Fill box and click OK. Clip the layer to those below it. Grab the Brush Tool, set the foreground color to black, then paint to burn in the edges of the shape to add definition.

SEE MORE: How to replace a sky: Photoshop effects to make your landscapes more attractive

06 Texture and tone
Open texture.jpg and copy it in. In the Layers Panel, drag it to the top and change the Blend Mode to Linear Light. Add a Layer Mask and paint black in the centre to fade the texture. In a new Adjustment Layer, choose Color Lookup, click Abstract and choose Gold/Crimson.

The post Photoshop Clipping Masks: what they do and how to use them appeared first on Digital Camera World.