Ability to disable Adjustment Layer Mask

[Zagata]

I was working with Adjustment Layer masks, and wanted to see before and after changes. I tried different key and mouse combos and right-clicking on the mask thumbnail, and no options to disable the mask for the Adjustment Layer, or to delete it. Could the ability to disable (or even delete) the layer mask be added. Seems pretty useful, since very frequently we like to contrast before and after changes are made.

I know a child/clipped layer mask could be added, which, being a separate layer, can be turned off and on to see before and after changes. But it seems redundant to child/clip a layer mask to an adjustment layer that has a mask already built in.

On the layer mask subject, Alt/Option clicking the thumbnail on both types of mask (separate layer & adjustment layer) brings up the mask detail view so you can see what your mask looks like, but you have to click another layer to exit that view. Minor nuisance, I suppose, but if I want to keep editing that mask, I have to click out then reselect it. Maybe just clicking the same layer anywhere other than the mask thumbnail could exit that view, or using the Esc key.

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Zagata

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums @Zagata

I believe the masking functionality that is built into Adjustment Layers is only meant as a simple and quick way of using masks on Adjustments.
As you have already mentioned, if you want to have more control when using a mask on an Adjustment Layer then you can add a mask to the Adjustment layer. You can then manipulate the mask (and turn it off and on) as required.
This gives you two ways of doing similar things: quick job = use the in-built mask; ‘better’ job = add mask to the adjustment.
Adding more functionality to the quick way of doing things just makes it more like the other way of doing things.

If you have a convincing argument as to why this should change then I (and others) might be swayed.

The attached short video shows (crudely) a mask added to an Adjustment Layer, in case anyone reading this wants to know.

[Zagata]

While it's not a hill I'd be willing to die on, as we both agree adding a layer mask gives full functionality, I thought my argument was pretty convincing. Why incompletely implement any feature? Disabling layers and masks is done frequently enough that adding a second mask to get a single, simple function is redundant.

It also seems to me that you now have TWO masks being applied to the same adjustment layer. Even though one of them is "empty", the software still has to calculate both masks to determine what data is being shown/hidden from each. Unless adding a child layer mask disables or bypasses the built-in adjustment mask, wouldn't it have to calculate both regardless of content, therefore creating more work for the CPU?

Just food for thought.

[GarryP]

I don’t think anything has been “incompletely implemented”, just that there are two slightly different ways of doing similar things.
I have no idea why this should be so, but I assume the developers had their reasons.
Maybe there is a very good reason why things are as they are which I just don’t know about.
(For quite a while I used Mask Layers on Adjustment Layers until I found out that Adjustment Layers had in-built masks.)

As for the extra calculation time, I think you might have a point but I don’t know how things work ‘under the hood’.
The ‘overhead’ could be large or small but I have no easy way of checking.
If the ‘overhead’ is large then I would say that you have a good point which could be worth someone on the team looking into.

Overall, I can certainly see where you are coming from. I’m just not convinced – with the information available to me at the moment – that a change needs to happen.
That said, there’s a lot that I don’t know about the software and the techniques people need/want to use with it.

Hopefully one of the team will see this and give some reasoning which will clear things up.

[Fritz_H]

On 4/3/2021 at 4:58 AM, Zagata said:

I was working with Adjustment Layer masks, and wanted to see before and after changes. I tried different key and mouse combos and right-clicking on the mask thumbnail, and no options to disable the mask for the Adjustment Layer, or to delete it.

True - I agree that this feature is missing and needs to be implemented.
I suggest to use Mouse-Wheel - Click as on/off toggle.

[loukash]

On 4/8/2021 at 10:51 AM, GarryP said:

I have no idea why this should be so, but I assume the developers had their reasons.

I vaguely remember reading a moderator post the other day that it's intentional, just as you already posted:

On 4/3/2021 at 10:23 AM, GarryP said:

I believe the masking functionality that is built into Adjustment Layers is only meant as a simple and quick way of using masks on Adjustments.

So if you need a more flexible and non-destructive masking option, use e.g. a fill layer with a gradient, or make use of linked layers to simulate the still non-existent mask overlay mode (be aware that the latter can be a CPU hog though).

37 minutes ago, Fritz_H said:

I suggest to use Mouse-Wheel - Click as on/off toggle.

Probably useful for those who still use a mouse. Not so much for the rest of us.

[jimh12345]

I was searching for the way to get rid of a mask on an adjustment and found this thread.  Apparently there is no way - other than painting it all white?

[loukash]

26 minutes ago, jimh12345 said:

Apparently there is no way - other than painting it all white?

You can select the Gradient Tool, then in the context toolbar select Type > Solid and apply white fill. That will completely clear the quick mask.