Introduction to Photoshop Masks Introduction to Clipping Masks

Photoshop's clipping mask is really hard to understand. When creating a clipping mask, you need to have two layers. After creating a clipping mask for the upper layer, the upper layer only shows the shape of the lower layer. Use the lower layer to cut the upper layer. That is, the upper layer only displays the pixels within the range of the lower layer.

A clipping mask only affects the layer below it. Let's do it in practice. Fill the lower layer of the MM layer with a smaller square, hold down the Alt key and click between the two layers to create a clipping mask for the MM layer. Of course, you can also create it in the menu. See the effect, drag the square layer again, and see the effect again.

There are many applications of clipping masks, which I cannot go into details. For example, when cutting out pictures, you can modify the edges and create some special effects, as shown below: