Clipping Masks: Using adjustment layers to affect only the layer below [2010]

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I know how to use an adjustment layer - it goes directly over the layer I'm editing and I'm able to edit the colour (such as hue etc). The trouble is, anything below that adjustment layer then gets affected. Is there any way I am able to make this adjustment layer exclusive to a partuclar layer?

Ideally then in that sitation I'd be able to have a bitmap layer using a vector mask (for example, a cut out tree) and then using an adjustment layer to change the colour of the tree.

Hope I've explained it well enough, it's a bit confusing.

Thanks.

Windows

W

Warren_BugsCorrect answer

Participant

Hold down alt and click between the adjustment layer and the layer you need affecting in the layers palette.

Thats the quick shortcut!
[Moderator note: To learn more, see https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/revealing-layers-clipping-masks.html]

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defaultxtnyp286f668

Inspiring

Yes, this is confusing. For all the tools, if you select only one layer, only one will be effected. However when adding adustments, this is rule dosn't apply. This is just another screw up of the trerible incompedent programmers at Adobe. They like to do the oposite of standards just to make the program harder than it needs to be.

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ChrisLeicester

Known Participant

Yes, everything "under the hood" at Adobe seems really good, but the user interface seems deliberately designed to be as user-unfriendly, unintuitive and obscure as possible, not just in Photoshop but in pretty much all the Creative Cloud suite. It's really frustrating, and doesn't make sense as a business model.

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defaultxtnyp286f668

Inspiring

[abuse removed]

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ecophobic

Participating Frequently

having same problem 12 years later. propagate frames does nothing. adjustment layers should be key framable.

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valeries58738280

Participant

The ALT click is a winner!

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Greg_Moffatt

Participant

I'm new to CS5, but find that if I create an adjustment layer from the "Adjustments" window I automatically get the chain link icon in the layers window showing the two layers linked, then the adjustment only affects the layer below. However, if you use Layer|New Adjustment Layer|Levels (for example) then you have the option to use previous layer as a clipping mask if you tick that box it is linked just to the previous layer, left unchecked it affects all layers below.

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Anonymous

ok found out - it's "create clipping mask" and this makes the adjustment layer only affect the one below. I suppose then you could group the layers so you can manage the order better.

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