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Larry29731486lwom
Known Participant
Jun 9, 2026 5:38 PM UTC
Question

Modify mask outside canvas edge

It’s been a while since setting up a new install of Photoshop and having trouble remembering how to change this, and hoping someone can point it out as searching isn’t coming up with anything. I want to allow editing of a mask off the canvas edge, such as using a brush or selection fill. For example this vector shape with a glow effect goes outside the canvas area, and I want to mask it using a selection. Currently the selection only affects inside the canvas area, allowing the bits of vector shape outside the canvas to still be there and produce a glow effect.

 

    3 replies

    Trevor.Dennis
    Community Expert
    Trevor.DennisCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Jun 9, 2026 10:47 PM UTC

    Would Artboards work?  I never use them myself, and I am not entirely clear on how you are using the mask.  I was not able select beyond the Artboard boundary in this case.  Or are you all sorted by using Smart Objects?

     

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    Larry29731486lwomAuthor
    Known Participant
    Jun 9, 2026 11:30 PM UTC

    I commonly use the lasso tool to create a selection outside the canvas, but sometimes also use other shape layers or smart objects to create a selection from, like this: 

    Photoshop won’t display it but the selection will extend out for raster layers and smart objects. You can also create a selection inside the canvas and move it partially outside to accomplish the same thing. To me its starting to look more like a bug or oversight in Photoshop that it’s not also working for shape layers and groups.

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    Larry29731486lwomAuthor
    Known Participant
    Jun 9, 2026 6:31 PM UTC

    A quick followup: Modifying the mask outside the canvas does work correctly for smart objects and raster layers, but does not for shape layers and groups. This is in Ps 27.7.

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