Adjustment Layer inversion

[Dave black_w]

I have recently upgraded to Affinity Photo V2. Whilst editing a photograph I added a brightness and contrast layer my goal being to adjust the brightness of the picture in a specific area by making the adjustment to the whole picture and then inverting the layer and painting out the adjustment using the black and white paint brushes. This used to work very well in V1 but does not seem to work in V"? 

Am I doing something wrong?   

[walt.farrell]

I don't understand why inverting the adjustment would be required. Why not just paint on the built-in mask of the adjustment layer to control where it is applied?

However, it might help to know how you inverted the layer, and to have a screenshot showing your layers panel with that layer showing.

[Ron P.]

• Make sure you're working with Pixel layer(s) and not RAW
• The Adjustment and Live Filter Layers in V2's built in Masks are hidden until you start painting on them. Start painting on the Adjustment layer and the mask will appear.

4 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

I don't understand why inverting the adjustment would be required

I do this a lot. Apply like a Curve Adjustment to brighten, but not want it applied to the entire image. So inverting the adjustment, I can then paint it in to the specific area I want.

[Dave black_w]

I have used this process many times in Version 1 so I am assuming that nothing has changed. I apply say a brightness adjustment layer to the entire picture but I only need to brighten a specific area. So having applied the adjustment I then invert the adjustment layer to in effect turn it off. Then by using a white paintbrush I can reveal the adjustment in the areas that I need to. I am working on a pixel layer not a raw file. Basically what I am trying to do is to darken the background and keep the subject light. See the following Pics. 

[Dave black_w]

Guys just to clarify; The second photo shows the brightness adjustment applied to darken the background and the first photo  photograph shows the adjustment layer inverted which in effect has turned off the adjustment and reverted to the original exposure. All of this is working fine, however when I now try to paint with a white brush to reveal the adjustment in the areas I want to see it nothing happens. 

[lepr]

Look at right hand end of the context toolbar for the brush - you need to untick the Protect Alpha to allow the brush to affect a mask.

[Dave black_w]

Thanks very much it works now I didn't think to look at the settings for the brush especially the preserve alpha tick box which I normally leave ticked.