0:00:02.420,0:00:06.330
PROF VAUGHN: Okay, and this video is going[br]to look at using a gradient as

0:00:06.330,0:00:08.381
a transparency mask.

0:00:08.381,0:00:14.738
So we think of layer masks as revealing or[br]concealing using black or white paint,

0:00:14.738,0:00:16.057
and a range of grays.

0:00:16.057,0:00:21.645
We can use a gradient that is set from[br]black to white to create a really subtle

0:00:21.645,0:00:23.964
blend inside of a layer mask.

0:00:23.964,0:00:26.416
This gives you a lot of blending[br]opportunity.

0:00:26.416,0:00:31.440
So let's do a really obvious example[br]first, I have a colour photograph open,

0:00:31.440,0:00:36.293
I'm just gonna do a layer adjustment,[br]adjustment layer, I'll do it black and

0:00:36.293,0:00:39.715
white so you can have a quick view of how[br]this might work.

0:00:39.715,0:00:43.716
So of course we know our adjustment[br]layers come with gradients.

0:00:43.716,0:00:48.589
This is the effect, this is the- I'm[br]sorry, they come with a layer mask.

0:00:48.589,0:00:50.624
That is the layer mask.

0:00:50.624,0:00:55.813
So if we wanted to use a gradient to[br]blend in the layer mask as a method of

0:00:55.813,0:00:59.265
transparency blending, you could still[br]use that gradient tool.

0:00:59.265,0:01:03.020
When you look at your gradients, you're[br]gonna pick the black and white

0:01:03.020,0:01:04.171
version here.

0:01:04.171,0:01:05.707
So this is black and white.

0:01:05.707,0:01:10.844
Whether or not you reverse it is up to you,[br]remember the way a gradient in a mask

0:01:10.844,0:01:13.965
with black and white will work;[br]black is going to reveal,

0:01:13.965,0:01:16.216
white is going to conceal.

0:01:16.216,0:01:21.256
So, let's just do, um, let's do a radial[br]gradient to see what this might look like.

0:01:21.256,0:01:25.926
I'm gonna click and drag, now remember[br]I've made sure I'm on the layer

0:01:25.926,0:01:28.378
mask thumbnail.

0:01:28.378,0:01:32.381
So this is isolated, it's a pretty small[br]gradient, let's make it a little bit bigger.

0:01:32.381,0:01:38.607
And it's pretty soft, but you can see I've[br]got black and white now here in the middle

0:01:38.607,0:01:44.044
radiating out in my layer mask.

0:01:44.044,0:01:47.531
If you wanted to do a really weird, kind[br]of, small spot, you could.

0:01:47.531,0:01:52.503
Let's look at a linear gradient, now[br]I've sort of moved from black and white,

0:01:52.503,0:01:58.557
shifted it slowly into colour, because again[br]the black and white in the layer mask is

0:01:58.557,0:02:04.077
revealing or concealing, so the white in[br]this case is showing what's underneath.

0:02:04.077,0:02:06.584
So that is a a adjustment layer.

0:02:06.584,0:02:13.581
If we were thinking about using these, um,[br]to perhaps make some actual editing

0:02:13.581,0:02:17.853
adjustments, we could think about not[br]using them for creative purpose, but for

0:02:17.853,0:02:21.290
perhaps fixing an exposure issue.

0:02:21.290,0:02:27.230
So in this particular image, the land is[br]well exposed, it has good contrast, but

0:02:27.230,0:02:31.667
the sky, because the sun is probably over[br]here somewhere, is a little bit too bright.

0:02:31.667,0:02:34.448
It's a little bit blown out, we're losing[br]our contrast.

0:02:34.448,0:02:41.108
You can very easily use, um, an adjustment[br]layer in conjunction with a layer mask to

0:02:41.108,0:02:42.238
fix that.

0:02:42.238,0:02:44.005
So let's do a curve.

0:02:44.706,0:02:49.428
You could use your, um, line here, you[br]can use your scrubby slider.

0:02:49.428,0:02:52.927
Let's try this scrubby slider, so I'm gonna[br]come over here, I know this is the area I

0:02:52.927,0:02:54.433
want to adjust.

0:02:54.433,0:02:58.993
I'm just gonna pull it down, I'm pulling it[br]down, I don't wanna go so far that I get

0:02:58.993,0:03:03.013
this banding, but I'm gonna just pull the[br]sky a little but darker, and then

0:03:03.013,0:03:04.064
close that out.

0:03:04.064,0:03:08.735
So, before it was like that, now it's like[br]this, so I'm really- I'm happy with this

0:03:08.735,0:03:12.173
kind of blue happening over here and[br]it's- it's dimmed it down a bit.

0:03:12.173,0:03:17.645
But what I don't want to do is effect the[br]landscape, so in this case I'm gonna

0:03:17.645,0:03:22.951
use a gradient inside the mask, and I'll[br]use a linear gradient.

0:03:22.951,0:03:29.123
I'm gonna just move from the top to the[br]bottom, I'm gonna click and drag.

0:03:29.123,0:03:33.144
I'm gonna actually start a little bit[br]lower 'cuz I want most of the gradient

0:03:33.144,0:03:40.384
the sort of, white portion, to be up[br]high, and I want it to start to blend.

0:03:40.384,0:03:45.279
So I'm gonna maybe somewhere in here,[br]and let's go actually a little bit more,

0:03:45.279,0:03:48.302
a little bit more straight on down.

0:03:48.485,0:03:49.319
Okay, let's see how we're doing.

0:03:49.319,0:03:53.925
So if I turn it off and on, so I've still[br]got my mount- it's affecting these hills

0:03:53.925,0:04:01.149
a little bit much because of this angle,[br]maybe I'll start it from about there.

0:04:03.534,0:04:08.152
It's still a bit too angled, that's a[br]better angle here, so I turn it off and

0:04:08.152,0:04:12.857
on you can see there's a nice blend in[br]the sky, it's still getting my mountains

0:04:12.857,0:04:17.096
because I don't have a perfectly straight[br]horizon line, but that's okay, because I

0:04:17.096,0:04:24.520
know I can actually just grab my brush,[br]make a bigger sized brush, and continue

0:04:24.520,0:04:26.671
to work inside this mask.

0:04:26.671,0:04:31.826
So I want to paint with black, reading[br]this layer mask here, and let's open-

0:04:31.826,0:04:37.964
that looks pretty good, so maybe I'll[br]just come in and kind of get the mountain

0:04:37.964,0:04:42.137
out of the layer mask, so that would be[br]a pretty easy fix.

0:04:42.137,0:04:46.551
You would want to zoom in and do a little[br]bit more detailed work, but if I just kind

0:04:46.551,0:04:49.076
of quickly do this.

0:04:49.076,0:04:51.745
I need a slightly harder brush.

0:04:53.614,0:05:02.093
I will have edited, essentially, just the[br]sky, and made a nice subtle kind

0:05:02.093,0:05:03.427
of difference.

0:05:03.427,0:05:07.014
Again, you would clean these edges up,[br]but for purposes of demonstration this

0:05:07.014,0:05:12.603
gives you a good idea of how you can[br]use a layer mask inside an adjustment

0:05:12.603,0:05:16.357
layer to adjust something in a more[br]seamless fashion.