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Faby5FAE
Known Participant
November 27, 2023
Question

Is Refine Edge a destructive workflow?

  • November 27, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 1023 views

Hello everyone. I've been wondering if the edits I make through the Refine Edge panel are destructive... I mean, let's say I use the Smooth parameter. If I confirm the edit and then I go back to the panel through my layer mask, I can see the parameter is now resetted to 0 value and I can't go back anymore! Am I mistake or what? Thanks.

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    1 reply

    Trevor.Dennis
    Community Expert
    Trevor.DennisCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 27, 2023

    It is non-destructive if you are working with a layer mask, but you can't step backwards so to speak.

    What you can do is use Select & Mask in Mask Properties and contine to refine the mask, but there is still no way to step backwards.

      F
      Faby5FAEAuthor
      Known Participant
      November 27, 2023

      So I was right, we can say it's a destructive workflow even if we use a layer mask. It just doesn't make sense. All we needed was the parameters keeping their values, that's all. So difficult for a powerful program such as Photoshop? Thanks for your answer anyway, you confirmed it to me.

        c.pfaffenbichler
        Community Expert
        c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        November 28, 2023
        Let's make another example. I make a selection with a layer mask and I use
        the Refine Edge panel to contract the border. Let's say I make a massive
        change. I confirm the edit. I go back to the panel and I see the parameter
        is now resetted. Am I not screw? How can you define this a non destructive
        workflow?

        Select and Mask includes the Refine Edge Brush Tool but also the Brush Tool. 
        While the one is intended to process data from the image/layer the other takes plain manual input. 
        So if the process would be non-destructive all those strokes would need to be stored separately and, if the image/layer is changed, some of them would need to update on the fly. 
        That does not seem plausible in Photoshop at current. 

         

        Smart/layered Layer Masks would certainly be an improvement (
        https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/smart-object-as-layer-mask/m-p/9536912
        ) but in the meantime one can use Smart Objects with Smart Filters in work-arounds – as the base of a Clipping Mask or as knockouts in Normal Groups for example. 

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