Using Layer Masks to retouch in Photoshop - Page 1

Using Layer Masks to retouch in Photoshop
Originally published in DigitalPhoto Magazine - Czech Edition by Dennison Bertram


(Note: the image is artistic nudity. Perfectly fine in the Czech Republic, but depending on where you are, possibly NSFW)

Layer masks are a tremendous advantage when working with Photoshop as they allow you to alter your image data and combine a variety of effects and layers without permanently changing your image file. Masks also give you the freedom to control the strength of effects, and the opacity of your layers. When working with heavily edited images, layer masks are indispensable, by turning on or off layers we are able to retain control of our image and the direction the editing takes. They also allow you to create a various versions of the image, enabling quick comparisons between techniques and styles.

In this tutorial we will use layer masks on nearly every layer when we work on digitally altering the models body and addition additional grass to the image. While of course it is possible to create this image without using layer masks, (such as working directly on the image with the clone tool) the masks will make it possible to blend the various image layers so that we can carefully control the retouching and ensure that our final image will look realistic.

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