Skip to main content

⚠️ Please note that this topic or post has been archived. The information contained here may no longer be accurate or up-to-date. ⚠️

Luma Mask: Can I paint on it while in greyscale mask mode?

cayenne

Hi all,

I've set up a luma mask and it is mostly where I want it. I see some spots that would be easier to fix if I could just turn the mask to grayscale to readily see the white/black areas. I want to paint white on a few black areas, but I don't seem to be able to.

 

I have the brush selected, opacity and flow are 100%....but it doesn't do anything.

 

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

cayenne

0

Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • cayenne

    Following up...I just turned on the regular mask (M} and tried filling in the areas with the brush...and STILL nothing happening...?

     

    I'm puzzled. 

     

    Thanks in advance,

    c

    0
  • Nikon Shooter
    • Edited



    The Luma, as I understand it, may suffer some subtraction
    but no addition UNLESS the mask is rasterised.

    0
  • BeO
    Top Commenter

    Yes, the luma range, as it is called, restricts any exitsing mask. This existing mask is either full (fill mask) or partially brushed in, or a radial or linear gradient. If you want to add to it you have to rasterize first, which effectively creates a new pixel mask, replacing the old one. You then can again use the luma range on this new mask (though it would probably not do what you wanted in the first place either for your specific image and desired end result).

    Regards

    0
  • cayenne

    Well, that's the thing.

    I started with a radial mask (following examples from YouTube)....

     

    I then made that a luma mask, that worked.

     

    I then got my brush and when I tried to add to the luma mask, as expected, it prompted me to know if I wanted to rasterize it...I answered YEs.

     

    But after that, I could not add or even subtract from the mask that is there...didn't matter if I was in grayscale mask, or showing the mask with the red overlay.

    I could not add/erase the mask at all. I tried with both mouse and Wacom tablet and pen. I made sure I was on the adjustment layer with the mask.

     

    I'm puzzled.

     

    C

    0
  • Ian Wilson
    Moderator
    Top Commenter

    A radial mask is parametric - that is, you don't draw it as such, you set the boundaries of the mask (the inner middle and outer ellipses). You can apply a luma range to it so that it only has effect on some parts of the luminosity range. But you can't add to or subtract from the mask by painting or erasing. You can drag the boundaries to change the shape and radius of the mask.

    If you want to add to it with a brush, or subtract from it with the eraser, you have to rasterise the mask first. This converts it to a mask that is as if it had been drawn with the brush, but it can then no longer be adjusted by dragging the boundaries. (If you try to draw on it without having rasterised it, you should get a pop-up warning explaining that.)

    Also, if you have applied a luma range to a rasterised mask you can certainly add to it or subtract from it with the brush and eraser tools. But when you brush over an unmasked area it will only add the mask to the parts of the brushed area that fall within the luma range you have selected. So, for instance, if you have a range selected that only targets the darker parts of the image, you can brush as much as you like on a bright area, and no mask will be added. So you could add more dark bits of the image, or exclude some dark bits, but of you want the mask to include some lighter bits too, you would have to adjust the luma range parameters.

    It should make no difference whether you are using the regular red mask or the grayscale mask - the principles are the same, and it is just a different way of seeng the mask.

    I hope that all makes sense.

    Ian

    0

Post is closed for comments.