Known Participant

Question

Create adjustment layer without mask while having selection

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
March 23, 2018
7 replies
3119 views

Hi everyone,

Maybe someone already had this problem, when you have a selection and you need to create an adjustments layer applying on whole images (without any mask) and keep current selection.

The thing is when I have a selection and create adjustment layer, selection automatically converts to a mask for this new adjustment layer. How can I make it not use selection as a mask?

Thanks in advance

Flowgun

Inspiring

I think it should be possible via scripting. I made a script that creates a color balance adjustment layer, and I accidentally gave it a wrong label color, which corrupted the descriptor, resulting in a color balance adjustment without a layer mask.
I guess we can tell the descriptor to create an adjustment layer without the mask, and that's what I was looking for when I found this thread.
Anyways, if it's not for scripting purposes, you can ctrl-click the mask to get your selection back, then delete the mask.

A

Anonymous

Photoshop’s default behavior is to add a layer mask whenever an adjustment layer is created. You can however use the fly-out menu on the Adjustments panel to check/uncheck “Add Mask by Default” to toggle this behavior. Other than that you can also visit adobe website for this.

otrokhimAuthor

Known Participant

john890 wrote
Photoshop’s default behavior is to add a layer mask whenever an adjustment layer is created. You can however use the fly-out menu on the Adjustments panel to check/uncheck “Add Mask by Default” to toggle this behavior. Other than that you can also visit adobe website for this.

This option is only for the situation when you don't have active selection: Then you can choose whether you want empty mask added to adjustment layer or not, but in case you have active selection, mask is always created and you loose selection

robh15771830

Participant

@@@

Jeff Arola

Community Expert

You could just let the adjustment layer create the mask, Ctrl or Cmd click on the layer mask to load the selection, then delete the layer mask.

You could even record an action to automate the process with one click or shortcut key.

rayek.elfin

Legend

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Jeff+Arola wrote
You could just let the adjustment layer create the mask, Ctrl or Cmd click on the layer mask to load the selection, then delete the layer mask.
You could even record an action to automate the process with one click or shortcut key.

All awkward workarounds and workflow breakers. Photoshop's Reselect command ought to remember the last selection no matter what other actions were performed.

D Fosse

Community Expert

rayek.elfin wrote
Photoshop's Reselect command ought to remember the last selection no matter what other actions were performed.

I agree with that. Can't be too hard.

The other option, to let Photoshop create the layer but ignore the active selection - that's never going to fly. That would cause a flood of complaints the other way, because it happens to be very useful and time saving.

There's a third way: shift-click to create the adjustment layer, telling it to ignore the selection. That would make sense to us experienced old hands, since shift-click is already used to disable the mask

rayek.elfin

Legend

I thought I had a clever idea and suggest using the Reselect command after applying the adjustment layer(s), but much to my surprise Photoshop completely forgets the previous selection. That's rather disappointing, if not darn user-unfriendly.

Tried the same thing in PhotoLine and Krita, and no issue of reverting to the previous selection in either of them. It just works.

Come on Photoshop Devs: you can do better than this. Why make life harder than it needs to be for your users? It's a pretty basic workflow requirement.

R

Ronald Keller

Legend

No workarounds are necessary. As Jeff pointed out once you made an adjustment layer the selection is never lost. No need to go to Select > Reselect, simply Ctrl click the layer mask.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Ronald+Keller wrote
No workarounds are necessary. As Jeff pointed out once you made an adjustment layer the selection is never lost. No need to go to Select > Reselect, simply Ctrl click the layer mask.

And Shift click the mask to disable it

R

Ronald Keller

Legend

I don't get it.

Either you want an adjustment only within a selection (which is the point of making the selection) or you want an adjustment on the whole layer: then don't use a selection.

If you don't want to lose a selection you made then save it for later use.

otrokhimAuthor

Known Participant

My use case is I have an image of object with almost white background, but may not be completely white. And to check if it's 255.255.255 white I apply adjustment layer Levels, darkening very much to see if white is solid white. In case it has some not solid white parts I see it easily and can remove by using Dodge tool. I have a script on one hotkey that adds or removes that adjustment layer by one press to use it very quickly.

And sometimes I need to make selection to not dodge object on image and pressing a hotkey adds adjustment layer with mask of that selection, which bothers me much.

I think I just have to correct the script like mentioned above, create adj layer, cmd on mask to retrieve the selection and remove mask, then on second press adj layer will be removed..

R

Ronald Keller

Legend

Isn't it easier, at least at the big areas to simply use a fairly large brush and paint with white in overlay mode?

Just a thought...

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

I don't think it's possible. you can save the selection to an alpha channel, the reload it after you create your adjustment layer.

otrokhimAuthor

Known Participant

Yes, I know about this option and about option to save selection and then load selection, but this is complex approach..

there should be an easier solution I just think not aware about it...

Hope someone can have the answer

michelew83603738

Community Expert

The point of the selection is to "tell" Photoshop to affect only that part of your image. As long as the selection is active, that is how it is going to work. The only work around would be to then fill the adjustment layer mask with white once you are finished working with your selection.

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