![]() We now have three layers: at the bottom, we have the image that we first opened in Photoshop of the office with an empty picture frame.Ībove that, there’s the shape that I drew: “Rectangle 1.”Īnd finally, there’s the picture of the bearded man jumping around. This is the layer that is going to be clipped. You need to press enter to put it into place. I then created another new layer (don’t forget this step!) before dragging one of my photographs onto it from Finder (macOS) or Explorer (Windows). Step 3: Create a third layer and add your picture If you’re struggling to find the Rectangle Tool, it’s usually in the Toolbar, towards the bottom. ![]() This is the layer to which the layer above is going to be applied. The color here doesn’t matter as the clipping mask will soon mean that the layer above replaces it. ![]() On my new layer, I drew the shape that I needed using the Rectangle Tool, and made sure that it was filled with a color. You could also click on the “Create a new layer” icon in the Layers tab. I then created a new layer by pressing Shift + Command +N (macOS) or Shift + Control + N (Windows). Step 2: Create a new layer and add a shape Step 1: Set up your documentįor this example, I opened up an image of an empty picture frame hanging in an office in Photoshop. This example teaches you how to use a clipping mask by showing you how to put a picture inside a frame. Photoshop also gives you a useful visual indicator to show how and where a clipping mask has been applied. How to Create a Clipping Mask in PhotoshopĬreating a clipping mask in Photoshop is simple once you have your layers in the right order. You can also zoom in on Photoshop to check the finer details of your work. In addition, I can resize the flames on the upper layer, or swap it for a different image entirely. What’s useful here is that I can edit the text on the lower layer, or add more shapes. I like to think of it as the upper layer being squashed onto the layer below. Here is the layers panel before the clipping mask has been added:Īnd here is the layers panel after the clipping mask has been added: This is how Photoshop shows that a clipping mask has been created and that this layer is being applied to the layer below. Notice that the upper layer has a little arrow to the left of it in the layers panel. When the clipping mask is added - i.e., when the layer above is “applied” to the layer below - the image of the flames disappears, apart from where there is content - i.e., the text “FLAMES” - in the lower layer – see the AFTER image. Without the clipping mask, the photograph of the flames is completely visible, obscuring half of the text below because of the way that it has been positioned. The upper layer is a photograph of some flames. The lower layer is simple black text and the rest of this layer is transparent. ![]() In the above example, you can see two layers. The upper layer will be invisible unless there are pixels on the lower layer to which it can be “applied.” This is why we can say that the upper layer is being “applied” to the lower layer. The combination of content and transparency contained in the layer below determines what is visible of the new layer that sits above. In Photoshop, we can now add a layer on top of this and turn it into a clipping mask. (As a visual aid, Photoshop shows transparency by displaying a white and grey checkerboard, much like when using a displacement map in Photoshop.) The image consists of one layer, part of which is text, the rest of which is empty of content - therefore transparent. The upper layer only shows up where the lower layer has pixels, while it becomes invisible in those areas where the lower layer has no pixels.Ĭonsider the ‘BEFORE’ image above taken from Photoshop. In short, a clipping mask is used in Photoshop to make one layer “apply” itself to the layer below, allowing you to control the visibility of the upper layer according to the pixels present on the lower layer.Īt first, clipping masks might seem confusing, but imagine that the lower layer consists of pixels and no pixels. ![]()
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