How to Use a Clipping Mask in Photoshop

How to Use Clipping Masks in Photoshop

Do you want to learn how to use clipping masks in Photoshop or just wondering how they can help your Photoshop editing?  If you said yes to either of those questions, you have come to the right place!

Clipping masks allow you to link two layers together.  For instance, you can create a shape or text and then link a photo to fit within the parameters of that shape or text.  You can also use a clipping mask to make selective adjustments to a single layer of your document. This may sound complicated, but it's not!

Keep reading, and you will see how easy and helpful clipping masks can be.

Review: What are Layers?

Since clipping masks are a tool that allows you to control layers, let’s start by reviewing what layers are in Photoshop.

Imagine you have a printed photo or a piece of paper.  If you place a sheet of transparent paper on top, you can add new things without changing anything on the original.  Layers work the same way in Photoshop.

There are different types of layers:

• Rasterized layers are the ones that contain pixels - a photo is an example of a rasterized layer.
• Images can also be smart objects - which is another type of layer.
• There are also vector layers, such as the ones that contain shapes or text.
• And finally, there are adjustment layers.

Each layer can interact with the other layers in different ways.  To do so, you can change the blending mode or add different types of masks.  All of these tools allow you to work on an image non-destructively.

What are Clipping Masks?

A clipping mask links one or more layers together according to its content and transparency.

All the layers with a clipping mask are subordinated to the base layer of the clipping mask.  Remember that this isn’t always the bottom-most layer of the entire document.  The base layer is the layer that the other layers are "clipped" to.

To avoid confusion when working with layers in Photoshop, the name of the base layer of a clipping mask will be underlined.

Another thing to remember is that not all the layers above the base layer of the clipping mask will be affected - only the ones belonging to the clipping mask.  To identify these layers, you will see that they are indented and have a down arrow/clipping mask icon next to them.

Now, let's take a look at how to create a clipping mask:

How to Create a Clipping Mask

There are several ways to create clipping masks in Photoshop.  They all give you the same result, so feel free to choose the method that is easiest for you.  Do keep in mind that you will need at least two layers, or none of these methods will have any effect on your document.

• Method 1.  Hold down the "Alt" key (PC users) or "Option" key (Mac users).  Then, hover over the line that divides the layers on the Layers panel.  When you see that the cursor changes into the clipping mask icon (a square with an arrow on the left side), click the left button on your mouse or touchpad.
• Method 2.  In the Layers panel, place the layer you want to clip on top of the layer you want to "clip" it to. Then, right-click on the top layer.  This will open a menu.  Scroll down the menu until you find the "Create Clipping Mask" option and click on it.

• Method 3.  Go to the Layers menu at the top of the screen and open it.  Look for the "Create Clipping Mask" option and click on it.

• Method 4.  You can also create a clipping mask using a keyboard shortcut: "Ctrl + Alt + G" keys (PC users) or "Cmd + Opt + G" keys (Mac users).

Using a Clipping Mask With Multiple Layers

Clipping masks work with more than one layer.  The only rule is that the layers have to be next to each other.  For example, if you have four layers - you can have the bottom-most layer as the base of the clipping mask and include layers two, three, and four.

However, you can’t have the bottom-most layer as the base of the clipping mask and only include layers two and four.  If layer three is not included, layer four won't be able to be included with the clipping mask either.

If you add a new layer WITHIN the clipping mask layers, it will automatically be included as part of the clipping mask.  However, if you add a new layer at the TOP of your layers - it will NOT be included as part of the clipping mask.  The same goes for layers added BELOW the base layer of the clipping mask - they won't be included.

You can include new layers at any time using the four methods previously described in the "How to Create a Clipping Mask" section.

How to Remove a Layer From a Clipping Mask

If you decide that you don’t want one of the layers to be INSIDE of the clipping mask, there are a few ways to remove it:

• Method 1.  Click on the layer you want to remove and drag it below the base layer of the clipping mask or above a layer that doesn’t belong to the clipping mask.  This will remove the layer from the clipping mask without removing any other layers.
• Method 2.  Another way to remove a layer from a clipping mask is by selecting it and going to the menu Layer>Release Clipping Mask.  Keep in mind that by doing this, any layers from the clipping mask that was on top of this one will be removed as well.
• Method 3.  The third way to remove a layer from a clipping mask is by right-clicking on it and scrolling the menu until you find the option "Release Clipping Mask."  This will also remove any other layer that was on top of it within the clipping mask.
• Method 4.  The last method to remove a layer from a clipping mask is to press the "Alt" key on a PC or the "Option" key on a Mac and hover over the line dividing the layer you want to remove and the one below.   You’ll see that the cursor will turn into the clipping mask icon with a bar crossing it.  Once you see this, click the mouse or touchpad button to release it.  This method also removes the layers on top.

How to Remove a Clipping Mask

Suppose, instead of removing a single layer from a clipping mask, you want to remove the clipping mask altogether.  In that case, you can use any of the methods mentioned above to remove each layer included in the clipping mask.

Or you can click on the base layer and drag it to the top or below a layer that doesn’t belong to the clipping mask.

Once the base layer is out of the group, all the subordinated layers will be released automatically.  After doing this, you can reorder the layers back to how they were previously, and they will no longer be included in the clipping mask.

How to Use a Clipping Mask

Now you know how clipping masks work, you might be wondering how to use them.  Here are a couple of the most common uses for clipping masks:

Example 1. Using a Clipping Mask to Create Image-Filled Text

You’ve probably seen brochures, websites, or logos that include text filled with an image (or images) - such as the example below.

You can do this very quickly using a clipping mask.  By the way, you can follow the exact same steps using a shape instead of text.

Step 1. Open New Document

Start by opening a new document in Photoshop.  This will be your background - so you can use a solid color, a gradient, or an image.

Step 2. Add Text

Enable the Text tool and type your message in the document.  I recommend keeping it short, maybe one or two words.

Make sure the font size and type are wide enough to show a good amount of the image - otherwise, the effect may not be very noticeable.  For this example, I used a font called Impact.

Step 3. Add an Image that You Want Inside the Text

Next, we will open and add the image that will be inside the text.  You can do this by going to the menu and selecting File>Place Embedded.  This will take you to a dialog box where you can choose the image you want to show within your text.

You can also just open an image and use the move tool to drag it into the document with the text.

Step 4. Add Clipping Mask

Once the image is added to the document, we will add a clipping mask so that it ONLY shows within the text.  To do this, you can use any of the methods described above.  Again, I prefer using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + Alt + G" (PC users) or "Cmd + Opt + G" (Mac users).

Step 5. Reposition the Image as Needed

Grab the Move tool and reposition the image within the text to your liking.  You can also use the transform tool if desired - none of this will affect the text.

Note: Since all the layers are independent, you can go back and change the background color, text size, font, position, etc., to get the final result you are happy with!

Example 2. Using Clipping Masks to Make Adjustments to a Single Layer

Let’s say you’re working on a photo composite or replacing a sky in Photoshop.  Both types of edits require multiple layers, and often you will only want to apply certain adjustments to a specific layer - this can be done with a clipping mask.

Step 1. Open Document

Start by opening your composited document.  The document can have any number of layers, with one or more layers that need adjustments.  To keep it simple, I will use a photo that needs a sky overlay added.  This will require two basic layers - a subject layer and a sky layer.  I can then fine-tune those layers with additional adjustment layers.

Step 2. Add Adjustment Layer

To work non-destructively, you must ensure your adjustments are on separate layers.  To do so, we will add and place an Adjustment Layer directly above the layer you want to fix, which in this case is directly above the sky layer.  To add an Adjustment Layer, go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer and choose the one you need to add for your particular photo.

In this example, I want the adjustment layers to help the sky layer match and blend better with the subject layer.  To do this, I will start by copying the sky layer and then blur it using gaussian blur to make the sky match better with my subject layer's background blur.  Next, I will add a Solid Color adjustment layer to fade the sky and make it look more realistic.  Then I will add two Levels Adjustment layers - one to brighten the sky and one to warm it.

Step 3. Add Clipping Mask to Adjustment Layer

Add a clipping mask to the adjustment layer using any of the methods described above.  Once again, I prefer using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + Alt + G" (PC users) or "Cmd + Opt + G" (Mac users).

If you don't add a clipping mask to the Adjustment Layer, the adjustments will affect ALL the layers below.  In my example, if I don't add a clipping mask, not only would the foreground layer be darker, but the background "sky layer" would be darker too.

So, by using a clipping mask with the adjustment layer, only the subject in the foreground will get darker, and the sky will remain untouched.

Here is the final image with the adjustments I described:

Conclusion

As you can see, clipping masks have many applications and are an integral part of editing in Photoshop.  And you will find them especially useful if you work with photo composites or graphics.

To see some additional examples of how clipping masks are used in Photoshop, here are some of our FAVORITE TUTORIALS, including this VERY POPULAR POST on how to create a photo grid in Photoshop:

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