Extract mask from quick mask layer?

[cgidesign]

- I made a new adjustment layer (color balance).

- Ctrl I to make it black

- Quick mask to select part of the image

Now I like to get exactly that mask for another layer. Is there a way to extract the mask which is now internal part of the color balance?

[cgidesign]

Forgot to mention - it is about Affinity Photo.

[Ray S.]

Hi anim,

hold the cmd-key and click on the adjustment-layer-thumbnail, this creates a luminosity-layer which you then can paste on another adjustment- or mask-layer.

[cgidesign]

Maybe I am missunderstanding. If I ctrl (Windows PC) click on the adjustment layer it shows me the selection which I initially made. That already helps me, because I can now make a new mask from the selection. So, question answered - thanks for that.

But it does not create a new luminosity layer?

[Ray S.]

The luminosity layer (or selection in this case) is in the clipboard (memory), its not a "physical" layer. I can't explain what happens technically, I'm a simple user. Another tipp concerning the use of the same mask for more than one layer is to make the mask for a group and insert your layer(s) into that group.

[Move Along People]

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[kirkt]

When you CMD-click (Mac) on the adj layer with the existing mask, a SELECTION is created based on the grayscale values of the mask.  You can then use that selection to fill the mask of the next layer that you want to have masked identically to the exiting adj layer.  This is one way to transfer the mask grayscale values from one layer to another.

When you create a mask on an adj layer, you can see the mask in that layer's ALPHA channel - you need to open/view the Channels palette to view a layer's channels.  You can right-click on this alpha channel and you will see various options , such as making it into a grayscale layer, making it into a mask layer, etc.  Choose the one that works best for your application.  You can make a mask layer from the existing alpha and then nest that into your new adj layer - the effect will be the same as using the new adj layer's built-in mask.

Another way is to group the adj layers and then apply the desired mask to the group.  All of the adj layers in the group will only be applied according to the Group mask.

The most recent beta version has more ways of masking layers with a single mask that will make the job even easier.

kirk

[cgidesign]

Thanks all. It works.

[Roland Rick]

Questions like this and difficult workflows could be avoided by simply adding a command to the right click menu of a live or adjustment layer saying the nice and lovely words “Separate mask from layer”.