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Creating clipping masks with layers

Creating clipping masks with layers - Photoshop Tutorial

From the course: Photoshop 2025 Essential Training

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Creating clipping masks with layers

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Clipping masks are another way to mask the contents of a layer or multiple layers to one another. In this example, we'll use a clipping mask to clip multiple photographs to multiple shapes, and then we'll clip a single photograph to all three shapes. I'm going to start with the color fill layer here on the left-hand side, and I want the photograph of the waterfall to only appear within that shape. I'll target the waterfall layer, and then choose Layer, and then Create Clipping Mask, or we can use Command-Option-G or Control-Alt-G on Windows. Now when a layer is clipped, the base layer is always underlined, and the clipped layer is indented, and it has this small downward pointing arrow. This is a very flexible way to have a photograph masked to a shape because I can select the shape, And with the Move tool, I can reposition the shape, or I can select the photograph and I can reposition it. All right, let's target this color fill layer three, and I wanna clip the basalt columns to it…

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