What is Photo Masking?

Photo masking is one of the aspects of photo editing where you make the part of the image different from the rest of the photograph. It is usually either about changing the transparency level of the portion of the picture or removing it from the rest of the image. Masking comes very handy when you have to remove a portion of the picture from the rest but the poorly defined edges are making things difficult for you.

The photo masking service of various photo editing tools is used widely for designing the product catalogues as well as presentations. The photo masking feature is often used in combination with the technique called clipping path. They are used to remove the background from a complicated or difficult image. Such images are mostly used commercially on the eCommerce websites. This feature becomes all the more useful when clipping path cannot be used on translucent pictures, fur, hair, smoke, flames, feathers and more.

There are primarily four masking levels depending upon the quality and complexity of the image:

• Simple level: This is the type of photo masking which is used for simple images with either the straight lines or the simple curves.
• Medium level: This is used with the images that are a little more complex but not very hard. Photos that feature furs, hair, or soft fabric usually require this level of masking.
• Hard level: This type of masking is more difficult and works on the images that are quite complicated. For instance, if you need to separate an object from the background in a photo you will require this level of masking. The removed objects can thus be used for vector editing or directly for printing for larger format.
• Complex level: This is the type of masking is required for the images or photographs that are extremely complex. Really high resolution photographs with objects like jewellery, flowers, or some really complex patterns require this masking.

Photo masking usually works in two different ways in the photo editing tools such as Photoshop. First way is to just add the mask to a particular layer by choosing the ‘Mask’ option at the bottom of the layer sub-window. The second way is to use the adjustment layers. These layers always feature a mask.

When you are working with the mask in Photoshop white is the color that will reveal the content while the black colour will hide it.