Last time we talked about masking, I showed you some expert techniques. Precise masking is one of those valuable Photoshop skills that you can only get by practicing, but it sure helps to know a few tricks of the trade!
While we’re on the subject of Photoshop masking, it’s a good time to talk about the Quick Mask. I don’t use this feature of Photoshop perhaps as often as I should, but it’s a good thing to be familiar with.
What is the Quick Mask?
Quick Mask Mode (let’s call it QMM for short) is a way to make a selection with the Paint Brush rather than a selection tool like Marquee, Lasso or Magic Wand.
The advantage to using QMM rather than one of the standard selection tools is that you can have varying levels of transparency within a selection; you don’t have to stick to only one color fill. If you have a handy Wacom tablet
What is the Difference Between Quick Mask and a Layer Mask?
They are really two different tools. The name Quick Mask is a bit misleading, though it can be a way to end up making a Layer Mask.
The Quick Mask is actually a Photoshop mode. Hit Q (turns Quick Mask Mode on and off) and take a look at the Channels palette with QMM is on. There is an extra channel there, which is the Quick Mask. It looks like a normal Layer Mask. You can turn off the RGB layer if you want to, and you’ll get a black and white Alpha channel. Laughing Lion Design has a good tutorial on Alpha Channels, if you want to learn more.
The real difference between a Quick Mask and a Layer Mask is that when you are done painting and you switch back to normal mode you have a selection (the QM you just painted and don’t worry that it looks like a normal selection, the alpha transparency is still there!), which you can save by hitting the New Channel icon on your Channel palette and access it any time you need it. This new channel is what happens when you do a Save Selection. Now you can access the selection whenever you want to help you as you work.
You can turn a Quick Mask into a Layer Mask the same way you turn any selection into a Layer Mask: just hit the New Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and viola! Make sure to select the appropriate layer to mask first!
How to Use Quick Mask
Using the Quick Mask Mode is just like painting with a normal Layer Mask, it just looks a little different. Instead of seeing black and white, you see the image (white) and a transparent red over the image (black).
The areas that you paint with black (shows as red), will be unselected when you go back to normal mode.
If you prefer to work with the black/red area being the selection, just double click on the QMM icon and change the radio button in the Color Indicates area. You can also change the color and how opaque the color shows, if the default red isn’t easy to see against your image. Notice how the QMM icon changes to reflect what the colored area represents.
If you make a mistake and forget what the painted area means, no worries! Once you’re back in normal mode, just hit Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+I to invert the selection.
When creating a Quick Mask, treat it as a normal mask. If you only have a small amount you want selected (remember, this will look like the normal image), you may want to fill it with black to begin (appears as a red color overlay). And remember to adjust your brush hardness!
Photoshop Masking Series So Far
- Mastering Photoshop Masks: The Basics
- Mastering Photoshop Masks: Layer Masks
- Mastering Photoshop Masks: Expert Techniques
- Mastering Photoshop Masks: Quick Masks (current post)
- Mastering Photoshop Masks: Vector Masks
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I’m really enjoying all these tutorials. I’ve been using PhotoShop since about 1874, and have developed some bad habits, so it’s great to have these refreshers,
John,
That is sure a lot longer than I’ve been using Photoshop. I started with the tail end of 7, just before the CS phenomenon.
Pleased to hear you are getting something out of this series!
Nice one! I’ll check that whole channel-saving thing. I think the quick mask in GIMP starts with nothing selected and then you paint the selection in. That might be reversed if you change the preferences or select everything first. Will have to play more
Kristarella,
So is Quick Mask the paintbrush selection tool you were missing after all? I like the painted part being the selection, too. I’ve reversed it in my Photoshop, but above I showed the way the default is because I think most people don’t bother to change it.
Heh, probably. Quick Mask mode definitely allows you to do what I wanted to do.
Cool, yeah – it only occured to me recently that when there’s something you don’t like about your software there’s probably a preference to turn it off. For example when I’m working with vector shapes, sometimes I don’t want the stroke to scale with the width. That would be a feature of a scalable vector graphic as a whole, but it’s a pain with individual elements. Of course, there’s a preference to turn it off. Although, it’d be nice if there was a tick box for the tool, rather than having to dig through the preferences.
Heh, woops – got a bit ranty.
Kristarella,
I agree, tick boxes are much easier than prefs. Prefs should be only for the program appearance and function as a whole (like how you want your cursor to look). I really love that for many tool prefs PS has a context sensitive toolbar and a right-click menu. Most options are usually in one of those places, and there are things you wouldn’t know you could do with a tool unless you look at those menus. Like did you know you can crop the canvas without actually cropping the photo?? You can choose to either Delete (default) or Hide the cropped area with a radio button in the in the context sensitive toolbar for the crop tool! I thought that was the coolest thing.
Ok now it is clarified. I actually have been using both without even realising it. They both come in handy however I always prefer using the selection tools and then masking as you can make use of the refine edge function. Quick mask is good for what it says, quick things
I accidentally closed the quick mask box thingy…with the channels and paths how do I get it to come back?
I’ll start using Quick Mask more. Thanks for pointing out an underused tool.
Nice one! I will be happy to use all the information given in this informative blog.
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