ACE Layers and Masking 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which keyboard shortcut creates a clipping mask in Photoshop?
- Ctrl+G
- Ctrl+Alt+G (Correct answer)
- Ctrl+Shift+G
- Alt+G
Correct answer: Ctrl+Alt+G
Ctrl+Alt+G (Mac: Cmd+Option+G) creates a clipping mask between the current layer and the layer directly beneath it.
Question 2: When painting on a layer mask, what does painting with gray do?
- Fully reveals the layer content
- Fully hides the layer content
- Creates partial transparency proportional to the gray value (Correct answer)
- Has no effect on the mask
Correct answer: Creates partial transparency proportional to the gray value
Gray values on a layer mask create partial transparency, with darker grays hiding more and lighter grays revealing more.
Question 3: What is the purpose of the 'Link' icon between a layer thumbnail and its mask thumbnail?
- It merges the mask permanently with the layer
- It ensures the mask moves and transforms together with the layer (Correct answer)
- It converts the mask to a selection
- It enables the mask for painting
Correct answer: It ensures the mask moves and transforms together with the layer
The link icon between a layer and its mask keeps them locked together so they move and transform in sync.
Question 4: Which Photoshop feature allows you to view a layer mask as a red overlay directly on the canvas?
- Quick Mask mode
- Mask Overlay (Alt+click on mask in Channels panel) (Correct answer)
- Refine Edge
- Disable Layer Mask
Correct answer: Mask Overlay (Alt+click on mask in Channels panel)
Alt+clicking on the mask thumbnail in the Channels panel (or pressing the backslash key with the mask selected) shows the mask as a red overlay on the canvas.
Question 5: A Smart Object layer with a layer mask — what happens when you convert the Smart Object back to a regular layer?
- The mask is automatically deleted
- The mask is rasterized and flattened into the pixels
- The mask is retained as a pixel layer mask on the rasterized layer (Correct answer)
- The mask is converted to a vector mask
Correct answer: The mask is retained as a pixel layer mask on the rasterized layer
When you rasterize a Smart Object, Photoshop retains the existing layer mask on the resulting pixel layer.
Question 6: Which blend mode applied to a layer makes pure black invisible and pure white fully opaque while leaving midtones semi-transparent?
- Multiply
- Screen (Correct answer)
- Luminosity
- Dissolve
Correct answer: Screen
Screen blend mode makes black transparent and white fully opaque, effectively ignoring dark values and preserving light values.
Question 7: In the Layers panel, what does a small down-pointing arrow icon on a layer indicate?
- The layer is part of an adjustment layer group
- The layer is clipped to the layer below it (Correct answer)
- The layer has a vector mask
- The layer is locked
Correct answer: The layer is clipped to the layer below it
The small down-pointing arrow on a layer thumbnail indicates it is a clipping mask clipped to the layer directly beneath it.
ACE Layers and Masking 2
Which keyboard shortcut creates a clipping mask in Photoshop?