After pasting an image on the layer mask, the image turns to black and white. How to restore the original color?

[halfmoon00]

Only today am i experiencing this problem and have no idea what to do.

When i paste a picture on the layer mask, the picture turns to black and white (I checked and the picture is in RGB color).

How do i switch back to the original color?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Each Layer Mask is one Channel (bit-depth depending in the file) – so they cannot be full-color.

[halfmoon00]

I do not understand. right now every picture that i try turns to black and white.

[davescm]

A layer mask is a grayscale - with black representing transparent and white representing opaque. So paste any image into the layer mask and it will become a grayscale mask

If I am missing the point of your question - please explain further with screenshots.

Dave

[JJMack]

Are you sure Photoshop is displaying the Image not the layer mask. If you Alt+Click on the Layer's Layer Mask thumbnail in the layers panel Photoshop will display the Layer Mask which is a single gray scale channel you will see the image you have in the Layer Mask as a BW grayscale image. And Photoshop will target the Layer Mask like you capture of the layers panel the Mask  has a white frame.

If  you click on the Layer's Layer Content Thumbnail in the layers panel.  Photoshop should display the document Image composite with the layer mask applied and Photoshop will target the layers content there will be a white frame around the Contents thumbnail in the layers palette.

If  you click on the Layer's Layer Mask  Thumbnail in the layers panel.  Photoshop should display the document Image composite with the layer mask applied and Photoshop will target the layer mask there will be a white frame around the Mask thumbnail in the layers palette.

If  you Shift+click on the Layer's Layer Mask  Thumbnail in the layers panel.  Photoshop should display the document Image composite without the layer mask applied and Photoshop will target the layer mask there will be a white frame around the Mask thumbnail in the layers palette and red X the thumbnail.

.

Without the backgroud layer composited in Backgrounf visibility off.

[halfmoon00]

I don't want the picture to be grayscale, i want the picture to stay with the original color.

I copy the background and i add a mask, i click ctrl and then on the layer's layer Mask thumbnail and paste the picture.

now the picture is grayscale / black and white.

What I am asking is how to restore the color of the image, and why the picture is grayscale in the first place?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

why the picture is grayscale in the first place?

That has been answered repeatedly already.

What do you imagine a Layer Mask to be?

Why do you think it could be a full-color image?

Why don’t you just paste or drag&drop the image into the composite if you want it to be color?

[halfmoon00]

In case i have 2 similar images but with different shadows, the mask is the best way to delete places i don't want shadows in. that's why i use with the mask, the pictures i post here is for example and to show what i see.

I haven't had this problem before when the image is grayscale.

whenever i pasted a picture on the mask, the picture was in color so i could paint with black or white, to show or cover places under the mask layer. but now everything is grayscale and i can't even paint on the picture.

the answers i received here didn't exactly answer the point i asked.

[davescm]

Hi

We may be missing something from your description. Please show two fullscreen screen shots including the image , the options bar, the layers panel and the channels panel just before and just after you paste onto the layer mask

Dave

[davescm]

We have not been able to answer you - so can you please supply the two full screen screenshots I requested.

Dave

[defaultdkgmvq1lwrvu]

Hi, I´m having the same problem. Let me try to explain. I want to isolate an object from the background, so I use Select-Select and Mask to isolate. Once the object its selected, I add a mask to delete the background. Copy and paste in a new document but the image turns to black and white. I want the object with the original colors, just isolated. 

[PECourtejoie]

Hi, I think that the original user used the wrong terminology, and mistook the term layer mask for a layer.

In your case, if you copy the mask and not the image layer, you will get a black and white image.

How do you copy and paste? Do you open another document first ? Did you check if it is an RVB one (check its titlebar)?

Do you drag from the layers panel, or from the image? In the layers panel, is the mask targeted, or the image data?

[Lumigraphics]

The mask is ALWAYS greyscale. If you copy and paste it, that's what you'll get. You have to select the layer and not the mask to work with.

[Isaac29703489cw8k]

I don't think the people giving answers are understanding the question properly. They don't want greyscales, they are trying to paste regular pictures and getting regular colors, but for some unwanted reason the pictures are ending in greyscales, and they wanted to fix this problem.