Editing adjustment layers or fill layers

Using Layers > Using adjustment layers and fill layers > Editing adjustment layers or fill layers

Once you create an adjustment or fill layer, you can easily edit the settings, or dynamically replace it with a different adjustment or fill type.

You can also edit the mask of an adjustment layer or fill layer. A layer mask protects sections of a layer (or the entire layer) from being edited and can be used to show or hide sections of an image. When the layer mask is attached to an adjustment or fill layer, it is used to control the effect that the layer has on the image. By default, all areas of an adjustment or fill layer are "unmasked" and, therefore, are showing.

The layer mask is a grayscale image, so what you paint in black will be hidden, what you paint in white will show, and what you paint in gray shades will show in various levels of transparency. Masks can be edited like a grayscale image.

Adjustment layer with triangular mask added

To edit an adjustment or fill layer:

1 Do one of the following:

Double-click the adjustment or fill layer's thumbnail in the Layers palette.

Choose Layer > Layer Content Options.

2 Make the desired adjustments, and click OK.

Note: Inverted adjustment layers do not have editable settings.

To change the content of an adjustment or fill layer:

1 Select the adjustment layer or fill layer that you want to change.

2 Choose Layer > Change Layer Content and select a different fill or adjustment layer from the list.

To edit the layer mask for an adjustment or fill layer:

1 Select the adjustment layer or fill layer in the Layers palette.

2 Select any painting or editing tool.

3 Use the following methods to view the layer mask:

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the adjustment layer thumbnail to view only the grayscale mask. Alt/Option-click the thumbnail again to redisplay the other layers.

Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the adjustment layer thumbnail to view the mask in a rubylith masking color. Hold down Alt/Option+Shift and click the thumbnail again to turn off the rubylith display.

Shift-click the adjustment layer thumbnail to turn off the masking effects temporarily; click the thumbnail again to turn on the mask.

4 Edit the layer mask:

To constrain editing to part of the mask, make a selection. (See Making pixel selections.)

To remove the adjustment effect or fill, paint the layer mask with black.

To display the full effect of the adjustment or fill over the image layers beneath, paint the layer mask with white.

To partially remove the adjustment effect or fill, paint the layer mask with gray. The extent to which the effect or fill is removed depends on the tones of gray you use to paint.

Using Layers > Using adjustment layers and fill layers > Editing adjustment layers or fill layers