Inspiring

Answered

Re-accessing a selection after copying it to its own layer in the original layer

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
July 6, 2025
2 replies
566 views

I’m wondering if anyone can help with the following. I want to remove the graffiti from an image and was using Clone Stamp. But ideally, I’d like to not replace pixels and want to use Blend If to retain them while matching the color of the graffiti to the wall.

I lassoed a section of graffiti and used Select>Color Range to select the graffiti. I’m assuming I need to make my selection of graffiti (1) its own layer and (2) transparent in the main layer because otherwise pixels might appear through the Blend If layer. But since completing the actions for both results in a deselection of the graffiti, I don’t know how to achieve both. Put another way, it seems I have to go back in my History to access the selection, but that undoes the action of either creating the Layer or masking the selection in the underlying layer. I hope this is clear.

The screenshots show the graffiti selection (screenshot 1); and the selection masked (screenshot 2). At this point, I would want to load the selection as its own layer to apply Blend If – but I don’t know how to get it back unless I go back in my History to Lasso, in which case I have undone my masking of the underlying layer. Similarly, if instead of masking the selection I load it to its own layer first, I don’t know how to access it again except by going back in the History to Lasso, in which case the new Layer has been deleted. I’m sure there is an easy answer to this (I hope). Thanks for any help.

Windows

Correct answer Trevor.Dennis

I like to keep things central and quickly to hand, so my goto method of saving seletions is to fill a layer with black (or any colour).

I'll use Remove Background on a copy of the layer, and Ctrl/Cmd click the resulting layer mask to load the selection. The Contextual Task Bar is a handy way of modifying that selection. I could rely on the layer mask as your makeshift alpha channel, but I prefer a more solid function, and I tend to Apply Layer Masks a lot of the time.

Trevor.Dennis

Correct answer

Community Expert

I like to keep things central and quickly to hand, so my goto method of saving seletions is to fill a layer with black (or any colour).

I'll use Remove Background on a copy of the layer, and Ctrl/Cmd click the resulting layer mask to load the selection. The Contextual Task Bar is a handy way of modifying that selection. I could rely on the layer mask as your makeshift alpha channel, but I prefer a more solid function, and I tend to Apply Layer Masks a lot of the time.

B

Barton5C39Author

Inspiring

This is what I did. I didn't even follow your steps specifically - at least I don't think so - but the end result was what I was looking for.

1. I made a selection of the graffiti by lassoing around it and copying that selection to its own Layer (Layer 15). Screenshot 1 is all Layers and Screenshot 2 is Layer 15 only.

2. I filled Layer 15 with Black.

3. I clicked Remove Background, but got an error message saying the background could not be found.

This is where I lost track. I did some toggling of the Main Layer and Layer 15 on and off. I could see that the graffiti looked like it had been removed, and the wall behind it magically revealed. That's apparent in Screenshot 3.

Now, by turning off Layer 15, the Main Layer is showing and the results of the graffiti removal are too. See screenshot 4.

Did I actually end up following your instructions? I'm trying to process what happened here. I don't really understand it, but it's exactly what I was looking for. It's confusing because "Remove Background" suggests that the wall would be hidden, but it's the reverse - the graffiti is hidden, and the wall revealed.

B

Barton5C39Author

Inspiring

Can someone confirm the steps in @Trevor.Dennis instructions that answer this post. I can't reproduce them from yesterday after successfully removing graffiti from my image.

What I had done was lasso an area of graffiti (inside the yellow rectangle inside screenshot 1), copy it to it own Layer and fill it with black.

I thought what I did next was to Remove Background on that Layer and then Ctrl Click to load the selection (per @Trevor.Dennis instructions). At this point I did not know what to do next and toggled on and off the 2 layers (Main and Layer 15). Somehow I ended up getting an image where graffiiti had been removed from the area as desired. See screenshot 2.

I tried duplicating the steps today. Here is what I did:

1. Lassoed an area of graffiti (see screenshot 3 with the area outlined with the freeform pen tool).

2. Copy it to its own Layer. (Layer 17)

3. Fill the Layer with Black (screenshot 4).

4. Click on Remove Background.

At this point I get a message saying background could not be found (screenshot 5). This is also what happened yesterday but the image changed - with the graffiti removed. That's not happening this time. What am I doing wrong? Thank you. This is a bit above my pay grade but I'm trying.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

As general points, depending on the steps in the workflow, one can:

* Select > Reselect (not always available)

* Save a selection as a temporary Quick Mask

* Save a selection as a permanent alpha channel

* Load the layer transparency as a selection

B

Barton5C39Author

Inspiring

Thanks for this overview of what one can do with selections and for these guides. Apart from my specific issue in this post, this is a wealth of useful information, much of it new to me. I will read up.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded