Create and confine adjustment and fill layers



Adjustment and fill layers have the same opacity and blending mode options as image layers. You can rearrange, delete, hide, and duplicate them just as you do image layers.

Adjustment and fill layers

A.
Adjustment layer confined to “Log home” layer only

B.
Layer thumbnail

C.
Fill layer

D.
Layer mask

Create an adjustment layer

For information on specific adjustment layer options, see Color and tonal adjustments.

 Do one of the following:

  • Click an adjustment icon or select an adjustment preset in the Adjustments panel.

  • Click the New Adjustment Layer button  at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose an adjustment layer type.

  • Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer, and choose an option. Name the layer, set layer options, and click OK.

To confine the effects of an adjustment layer to specific image layers, select the image layers, choose Layer > New > Group From Layers, and change the Mode from Pass Through to any other blending mode. Then place the adjustment layer at the top of the layer group.

Create a fill layer

 Do one of the following:

  • Choose Layer > New Fill Layer, and choose an option. Name the layer, set layer options, and click OK.

  • Click the New Adjustment Layer button  at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose a fill layer type.
    Solid Color
    Fills the adjustment layer with the current foreground color. Use the Color Picker to select a different a fill color.

    Gradient
    Click the gradient to display the Gradient Editor, or click the inverted arrow and choose a gradient from the pop‑up panel. Set additional options if desired. Style specifies the shape of the gradient. Angle specifies the angle at which the gradient is applied. Scale changes the size of the gradient. Reverse flips the orientation of the gradient. Dither reduces banding by applying dithering to the gradient. Align With Layer uses the bounding box of the layer to calculate the gradient fill. You can drag in the image window to move the center of the gradient.

    Pattern
    Click the pattern, and choose a pattern from the pop‑up panel. Click Scale, and enter a value or drag the slider. Click Snap To Origin to make the origin of the pattern the same as the origin of the document. Select Link With Layer if you want the pattern to move along with the layer as the layer moves. When Link With Layer is selected, you can drag in the image to position the pattern while the Pattern Fill dialog box is open.

Confine adjustment and fill layers to specific areas

To confine adjustment and fill layers to specific areas, use layer masks. By default, adjustment and fill layers automatically have layer masks, indicated by the mask icon to the right of the layer thumbnail. (To create adjustment layers without masks, deselect Add Mask by Default in the Adjustments panel menu.)

To change the shape of a mask on an existing layer, see Edit a layer mask. To create a new adjustment or fill layer with a mask of specific shape, complete one of the following procedures.

Create an adjustment or fill layer mask using a selection or path

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer to which you want to apply the adjustment or fill layer.

  2. In the image, create a pixel selection, or create and select a closed path.

    A selection confines the new adjustment or fill layer with a layer mask. A path confines the new adjustment or fill layer with a vector mask.

  3. Create an adjustment or fill layer.

Create an adjustment layer mask using a color range

The Color Range feature, which is useful for creating a selection area based on sampled colors in an image, can also be used to create an adjustment layer mask. For more information, see Select a color range.

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer to which you want to apply the adjustment layer.

  2. Choose Window > Adjustments to display the Adjustments panel.

  3. Click an adjustment in the Adjustments panel to add an adjustment layer to the image. A layer mask is automatically added as part of the adjustment layer.

  4. In the Masks panel, click Color Range.

  5. In the Color Range dialog box, choose Sampled Colors from the Select menu.

  6. Select Localized Color Clusters to build a mask based on different color ranges in the image.

  7. Set the display option to Selection, and Selection Preview to None.

  8. Click on a color area in the image.

    To sample multiple areas, hold down Shift to activate the plus eyedropper. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to activate the minus eyedropper.

    As you click on image areas, you can preview the mask in the Color Range dialog box. White areas are unmasked pixels, black areas masked, and gray areas partially masked.

  9. Use the Fuzziness slider to increase or decrease the range of colors around your sample colors that are included in the masked area. Use the Range slider to control how far or near a color must be from the sample points to be included in the mask. After adjusting the mask, click OK to close the Color Range dialog box.

  10. In the Adjustments panel, modify the adjustment as needed.

    The adjustment is only applied to the unmasked (or partially masked) areas of the image. If necessary click Color Range again to make further adjustments to the adjustment layer mask.