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PROF VAUGHN: Okay, and this video is at
using a gradient as a transparency mask.

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So we think of layer masks as revealing or
concealing using black or white paint,

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and a range of grays.

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We can use a gradient that is set from
black to white to create a really subtle

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blend inside of a layer mask.

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This gives you a lot of blending
opportunity.

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So let's do a really obvious example
first, I have a colour photograph open,

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I'm just gonna do a layer adjustment,
adjustment layer, I'll do it black and

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white so you can have a quick view of how
this might work.

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So of course we know our adjustment
layers come with gradients.

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This is the effect, this is the- I'm
sorry, they come with a layer mask.

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That is the layer mask.

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So if we wanted to use a gradient to
blend in the layer mask as a method of

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transparency blending, you could still
use that gradient tool.

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When you look at your gradients, you're
gonna pick the black and white

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version here.

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So this is black and white.

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Whether or not you reverse it is up to you,
remember the way a gradient in a mask

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with black and white will work;
black is going to reveal,

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white is going to conceal.

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So, let's just do, um, let's do a radial
gradient to see what this might look like.

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I'm gonna click and drag, now remember
I've made sure I'm on the layer

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mask thumbnail.

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So this is isolated, it's a pretty small
gradient, let's make it a little bit bigger.

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And it's pretty soft, but you can see I've
got black and white now here in the middle

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radiating out in my layer mask.

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If you wanted to do a really weird, kind
of, small spot, you could.

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Let's look at a linear gradient, now
I've sort of moved from black and white,

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shifted it slowly into colour, because again
the black and white in the layer mask is

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revealing of concealing, so the white in
this case is showing what's underneath.

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So that is a a adjustment layer.

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If we were thinking about using these, um,
to perhaps make some actual editing

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adjustments, we could think about not
using them for creative purpose, but for

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perhaps fixing an exposure issue.

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So in this particular image, the land is
well exposed, it has good contrast, but

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the sky, because the sun is probably over
here somewhere, is a little too bright.

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It's a little bit blown out, we're losing
our contrast.

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You can very easily use, um, an adjustment
layer in conjunction with a layer mask to

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fix that.

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So let's do a curve.

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You could use your, um, line here, you
can use your scrubby slider.

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Let's try this scrubby slider, so I'm gonna
come over here, I know this is the area I

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want to adjust.

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I'm just gonna pull it down, I'm pulling it
down, I don't wanna go so far that I get

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this banding, but I' gonna just pull the
sky a little but darker, and then

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close that out.

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So, before it was like that, now it's like
this, so I'm really- I'm happy with this

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kind of blue happening over here and
it's- it's dimmed it down a bit.

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But what I don't want to do is effect the
landscape, so in this case I'm gonna

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use a gradient inside the mask, and I'll
use a linear gradient.

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I'm gonna just move from the top to the
bottom, I'm gonna click and drag.

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I'm gonna actually start a little bit
lower 'cuz I want most of the gradient

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the sort of, white portion, to be up
high, and I want it to start to blend.

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So I'm gonna maybe dome where in here,
and let's go actually a little bit more,

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a little bit more straight on down.

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Okay, let's see how we're doing.

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So if I turn it off and on, so I've still
got my mount- it's affecting these hills

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a little bit much because of this angle,
maybe I'll start it from about there.

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It's still a but too angled, that's a
better angle here, so I turn it off and

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on you can see there's a nice blend in
the sky, it's still getting my mountains

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because I don't have a perfectly straight
horizon line, but that's okay, because I

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know I can actually just grab my brush,
make a bigger sized brush, and continue

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to work inside this mask.

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So I want to paint with black, reading
this layer mask here, and let's open-

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that looks pretty good, so maybe I'll
just come in and kind of get the mountain

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out of the layer mask, so that would be
a pretty easy fix.

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You would want to zoom in and do a little
bit more detailed work, but if I just kind

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of quickly do this.

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I need a slightly harder brush.

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I will have edited, essentially, just the
sky, and made a nice subtle kind

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of difference.

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Again, you would clean these edges up,
but for purposes of demonstration this

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gives you a good idea of how you can
use a layer mask inside an adjustment

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layer to adjust something in a more
seamless fashion.