Edge mask querry

Roy C

Roy C

Suspended / Banned
Messages
3,383
Edit My Images
No
Probably an obvious answer but: If you create an edge mask and then duplicate the layer with the mask on, does the mask get transferred to the new layer?
 
In PhotoShop? Yes. But surely you could just try it (like I have :))
 
oh you mean the marching ants? The actual selection you've created?

Just go to the layers palette and drag the layer you want to copy to the "new layer" symbol at the bottom of the palette. This will duplicate the layer while keeping the selection active.

Hope that's what you mean!

ETA: If you've created a "layer mask", then the selection does disappear if you duplicate the layer, just "cmd+click"(mac) "ctrl+click"(PC i think) on the mask in the layer palette and the selection will become active again.
 
Last edited:
Ahh.. I might have misread what you'd asked. I thought you meant layer mask... Do you mean the selection? If so, you can reselect your last selection on the current layer using the last selection using shift+ctrl+D (on a windows m/c). Alternatively, you can save selections and then reload them from the select menu.
 
OrinB said:
ETA: If you've created a "layer mask", then the selection does disappear if you duplicate the layer, just "cmd+click"(mac) "ctrl+click"(PC i think) on the mask in the layer palette and the selection will become active again.
Click to expand...
That's done it Steven, exactly what I was looking for - thanks for that :thumbs:. Also thanks for your help Andy :thumbs:
 
I edited my post at the same time as Andy posted, and his solution works in the same way. Glad you have it solved now :-)
 
Thanks again guys. For info what I am trying to do is use the selection from an edge mask on two different layers so that I can sharpen the light and dark area separately (using 'Darken' and 'Lighten' blend modes).
 
Roy C said:
Thanks again guys. For info what I am trying to do is use the selection from an edge mask on two different layers so that I can sharpen the light and dark area separately (using 'Darken' and 'Lighten' blend modes).
Click to expand...
You're better using a layer mask then in that case as you window the changes based on the layer mask which is an alpha channel (i.e. you can vary the strength of the effect by how black/white you paint the layer mask). See here: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=37165

You can duplicate the layer mask too once you have it sorted
 
arad85 said:
You're better using a layer mask then in that case as you window the changes based on the layer mask which is an alpha channel (i.e. you can vary the strength of the effect by how black/white you paint the layer mask). See here: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=37165

You can duplicate the layer mask too once you have it sorted
Click to expand...
Thanks Andy, I am familiar with layer mask and use them all the time for all sorts of things but for this exercise I was using the opacity of each layer to alter the effects. The idea is to sharpen aggressively and then to reduce the opacity until the halo disappoint, on the Darken and lighten layers independently. Still in experimental stage really.
 
Roy C said:
Thanks Andy, I am familiar with layer mask and use them all the time for all sorts of things but for this exercise I was using the opacity of each layer to alter the effects. The idea is to sharpen aggressively and then to reduce the opacity until the halo disappoint, on the Darken and lighten layers independently. Still in experimental stage really.
Click to expand...
But the layer mask set at 100% white inside the selection and 100% black elsewhere is exactly the same as applying the darken/lighten to the selection. EXCEPT you can go back and start tweaking it at a later date....
 
arad85 said:
But the layer mask set at 100% white inside the selection and 100% black elsewhere is exactly the same as applying the darken/lighten to the selection. EXCEPT you can go back and start tweaking it at a later date....
Click to expand...
Hmm... must admit you have completely lost me there. The selection I am using is various edges selected by the 'find edge' command. I have probably not explained what I am trying to do very well :bonk:
 
You're right... you've lost me there. But I'll repeat ;). The layer mask does exactly the same as a selection will do, just more flexibly.
 
arad85 said:
You're right... you've lost me there. But I'll repeat ;). The layer mask does exactly the same as a selection will do, just more flexibly.
Click to expand...
OK Andy, here is what I am doing. It is a sharpening method I have been using for a while now for Birds.
Starting with a unsharpened image:

Select All and Copy
Create new Channel
Paste
Stylize > find edges
Levels tweak to increase contrast + a touch of Gaussian Blur
Select > Load selection (inverting)
Switch to RGB
View > uncheck ' select edges'
Sharpen


I now want to extend this method by sharpening the light and dark edges independently.
 
Another way to reduce the halo while sharpening is to do your sharpening in LAB colour mode and sharpen your selections on the L channel. You create all your selections as normal, then change the whole document to LAB colour mode. Open your selections for the edges you want to sharpen, go to the channels palette and turn off a and b channels. Only the L channel should be active, your selection should still be active... do your sharpening.

It may take a while to get used to sharpening in black and white, but i don't think you will need to worry about pushing the sharpening slider up so far as the halos will be much more reduced.

Once done, turn all the channels back on and change back to RGB.

I can't remember where i heard about this technique... so i can't remember whether there are any issues converting between LAB and RGB mode... but i do know the results are impressive :-)

ETA: Aha... i found it :-) No, there shouldn't be any issues with the mode change.

And also there is another way of applying this type of sharpen but to your colour image without worrying about changing to LAB colour. With your RGB file, create your selections as normal, then go to smart sharpen... your usual settings or however you wish to sharpen. Click ok. Then go to the edit menu and choose "fade Sharpen". with this box open you can choose to sharpen only the "luminence" channel like you would do in the LAB colour option above. You do this by choosing "Luminosity" in the mode drop menu. (It's at the bottom). No need to move the slider as you want it to sharpen using your normal setting and not fade back.

Again, hope that helps.
 
Last edited:
OrinB said:
Another way to reduce the halo while sharpening is to do your sharpening in LAB colour mode and sharpen your selections on the L channel. You create all your selections as normal, then change the whole document to LAB colour mode. Open your selections for the edges you want to sharpen, go to the channels palette and turn off a and b channels. Only the L channel should be active, your selection should still be active... do your sharpening.

It may take a while to get used to sharpening in black and white, but i don't think you will need to worry about pushing the sharpening slider up so far as the halos will be much more reduced.

Once done, turn all the channels back on and change back to RGB.

I can't remember where i heard about this technique... so i can't remember whether there are any issues converting between LAB and RGB mode... but i do know the results are impressive :-)
Click to expand...
Interesting, I will give it a go. I have tried straight sharpening in lab mode and also duplicating a layer and changing the blend mode to luminosity which is a very similar thing.
Apparently from an article I was reading the other day converting to LAB mode and then back again to RGB can cause slight colour shifts but not really enough to worry about.
 
Edited my post Roy... if there is an issue with the conversion, my ETA should help. :-)
 
OrinB said:
And also there is another way of applying this type of sharpen but to your colour image without worrying about changing to LAB colour. With your RGB file, create your selections as normal, then go to smart sharpen... your usual settings or however you wish to sharpen. Click ok. Then go to the edit menu and choose "fade Smart Sharpen". with this box open you can choose to sharpen only the "luminence" channel like you would do in the LAB colour option above. You do this by choosing "Luminosity" in the mode drop menu. (It's at the bottom). No need to move the slider as you want it to sharpen using your normal setting and not fade back.

Again, hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Yep, this is more or less the same thing as duplicating the layer and changing the blend mode to luminosity before sharpening.
 
OrinB said:
Another way to reduce the halo while sharpening is to do your sharpening in LAB colour mode and sharpen your selections on the L channel. You create all your selections as normal, then change the whole document to LAB colour mode. Open your selections for the edges you want to sharpen, go to the channels palette and turn off a and b channels. Only the L channel should be active, your selection should still be active... do your sharpening.

It may take a while to get used to sharpening in black and white, but i don't think you will need to worry about pushing the sharpening slider up so far as the halos will be much more reduced.

Once done, turn all the channels back on and change back to RGB.

I can't remember where i heard about this technique... so i can't remember whether there are any issues converting between LAB and RGB mode... but i do know the results are impressive :-)

ETA: Aha... i found it :-) No, there shouldn't be any issues with the mode change.

And also there is another way of applying this type of sharpen but to your colour image without worrying about changing to LAB colour. With your RGB file, create your selections as normal, then go to smart sharpen... your usual settings or however you wish to sharpen. Click ok. Then go to the edit menu and choose "fade Sharpen". with this box open you can choose to sharpen only the "luminence" channel like you would do in the LAB colour option above. You do this by choosing "Luminosity" in the mode drop menu. (It's at the bottom). No need to move the slider as you want it to sharpen using your normal setting and not fade back.

Again, hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Any changes to LAB and back are distructive as theres rounding errors in the conversion, that said you most lightly wont see any difference in real world images.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top