Change mask opacity or refine edges



Use the Masks panel to adjust the opacity of a selected layer or vector mask. The Density slider controls mask opacity. Feathering lets you soften mask edges.

Additional options are specific to layer masks. The Invert option reverses masked and unmasked areas. The Mask Edge option gives you a variety of controls to modify the mask edges, such as Smooth and Contract/Expand. For information on the Color Range option see Create an adjustment layer mask using a color range.

For a video on using layer masks, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4003_ps.

Change mask density

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to edit.
  2. In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button or the Vector Mask button.
  3. Drag the Density slider to adjust the mask opacity.

    At 100% density, the mask is completely opaque and blocks out any underlying area of the layer. As you lower the density, more of the area under the mask becomes visible.

Feather mask edges

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to edit.
  2. In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button or the Vector Mask button.
  3. Drag the Feather slider to apply feathering to the mask edges.

    Feathering blurs the edges of the mask to create a softer transition between the masked and unmasked areas. Feathering is applied from the edges of the mask outward, within the range of pixels you set with the slider.

Refine mask edges

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the mask you want to edit.
  2. In the Masks panel, click the Pixel Mask button.
  3. Click Mask Edge. You can modify mask edges with the options in the Refine Mask dialog box and view the mask against different backgrounds. For a description of options, see Refine selection edges.
  4. Click OK to close the Refine Mask dialog box and apply your changes to the layer mask.