Gradient for Transparency

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

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

and a range of grays.

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

blend inside of a layer mask.

This gives you a lot of blending
opportunity.

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

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

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

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

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

That is the layer mask.

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

transparency blending, you could still
use that gradient tool.

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

version here.

So this is black and white.

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

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

white is going to conceal.

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

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

mask thumbnail.

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

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

radiating out in my layer mask.

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

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

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

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

So that is a a adjustment layer.

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

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

perhaps fixing an exposure issue.

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

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

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

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

fix that.

So let's do a curve.

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

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

want to adjust.

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

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

close that out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

a little bit more straight on down.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

to work inside this mask.

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

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

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

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

of quickly do this.

I need a slightly harder brush.

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

of difference.

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

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

layer to adjust something in a more
seamless fashion.