What Is A Clipping Mask?

This video will demystify clipping masks by telling you exactly what a clipping mask is and how it works. I’ll also share the shortcuts that make it easy peasy to clip layers together on the fly.

Video 04-01: What Is A Clipping Mask? (4:38)

Welcome to Part 4 of QwikLearn Photoshop Elements. In this section you'll learn how to use clipping masks to be oh so much more creative with Photoshop Elements.

So what is a clipping mask? It's a layer in the Layers panel that determines the shape of the layer above it. So that means you must always have at least two layers to work with, and the background layer doesn't count. I'll demonstrate with this layered document called heart-clipping-mask.psd, which you'll find in the Part 4 lesson one practice files.

The red and white polka dot layer is currently hidden. So I'll click on the Visibility icon to reveal it. And now we can see that the paper covers the heart entirely. Remember that digital layers have some of the same properties as physical layers. The top layer covers whatever is beneath it. If I get the Move tool and have Auto Select Layer checked, I can click on the paper to select it and move it to one side. And if I move the paper far enough, you can see some of the heart on the layer below it. I'll press Ctrl Z in Windows or Command Z on a Mac to undo the move. And now let's clip the polka dot paper layer to the heart layer.

To do that, make sure the paper layer is the active layer in the Layers panel. Then in the Menu Bar, choose Layer, Create Clipping Mask, or use a shortcut Ctrl Alt G in Windows or Command Option G on a Mac. If you have a version earlier than Photoshop Elements 15 the shortcut is simply Ctrl G in Windows or Command G on a Mac, but starting with Photoshop Elements 15 that shortcut was co-opted by the group layers command. So now you must press Ctrl Alt G in Windows or Command Option G on a Mac to clip one layer to another.

The paper is now clipped to the heart shape and only shows up where there are pixels in the layer below. When we clip one layer to another we call the bottom layer a clipping mask. The top layer always takes on the shape of the clipping mask. When the two layers are clipped together, you can tell a layer is clipped because the top thumbnail is indented. The name of the bottom layer is underlined and there's an arrow that points from the top thumbnail to the layer below it. It's easier to see the arrow if I select a different layer. There it is right there.

You can click and drag the polka dot paper around with the move tool to reposition it, and even move it so far that the heart becomes visible along one of the edges. But no matter where I move it, the paper will only show up over the heart because it's clipped to the heart shape. Be careful not to move the paper too far, or it will disappear from view entirely.

To unclip a layer in the Layers panel, make sure the top layer is the selected layer. In the Menu Bar, choose Layer, Release Clipping Mask. Now let's trade positions. Click and drag the chocolate heart layer above the polka dot paper layer and that will put the paper layer in the position of being the clipping mask, because the bottom layer is always the clipping mask layer.

Instead of using the Clipping command in the Layer menu as we did before, let's clip these two layers together using a shortcut that doesn't require the top layer to be the selected layer. In fact, I could have the background layer selected and still use this shortcut. Press Alt in Windows, Option on a Mac, and hover your mouse on the line between the two layers you want to clip together. When you see a clipping icon appear, click on the line and that will clip the two layers together. Then let go of the Alt or Option key.

Notice that the heart thumbnail is now indented. The name of the paper layer is underlined, and an arrow points from the top layer to the bottom layer. But nothing appears to change on the document because the heart is smaller than the paper. But if I click and drag the heart over the edge of the paper, the heart begins to disappear. It only shows up where there are pixels in the layer below.

To un-clip a layer you can use the same shortcut. Press Alt in Windows, Option on a Mac, and click between the two layers. So you see any layer can be a clipping mask, but some layers are better suited to act as a clipping mask than others, as we'll see in the coming lessons where I show you some of the fun things you can do when you clip layers together.

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