
There are several ways to hide part of a layer in a digital art program. In Adobe Photoshop, you can use layer masks to hide and reveal parts of your composition. A layer mask is a grayscale image where the areas painted in black are hidden, the areas painted in white are visible, and the areas painted in shades of gray appear in various levels of transparency. Layer masks are useful when combining multiple photos into a single image or when removing a person or object from a photo. In MediBang Paint, you can use the Alpha Lock function to protect the transparency of a layer, allowing you to edit only the parts of the layer that already have paint on them. Additionally, you can temporarily hide layers by switching between hiding and displaying them in the Layer Window. In Clip Studio Paint, layer masks can be used to hide unnecessary parts of a layer without erasing them or to limit the area of fill and gradient layers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Software | MediBang Paint, Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint |
| Method | Layer masks, Alpha Lock, painting over with background colour |
| Pros | Can combine multiple photos into a single image, remove objects from photos, protect transparency of layers, prevent accidental edits |
| Cons | Painting over with background colour can be an issue if you want to change the background colour later, hides everything beneath it on all lower layers, hassle to work around if you want to add colour |
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What You'll Learn

Use masks to hide layers
Layer masks are a valuable compositing technique that can be used to hide and reveal parts of a layer in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Fresco, and Clip Studio Paint. This technique is useful when combining multiple photos into a single image or when removing a person or object from a photo.
To use layer masks, first select the layer in the Layer palette and create a selection area of the part you want to keep or hide. You can do this by using the Selection tool or the Lasso tool. Next, use the Layer menu to select "Layer Mask" and then choose either "Mask Selection" or "Mask Outside Selection". A layer mask thumbnail will appear next to the layer, with the visible area shown in white and the masked area shown in black.
You can also use the "Add Layer Mask" button in the Layers panel to create a mask that reveals or hides the entire layer. To do this, simply click the "Add Layer Mask" button, or choose "Layer" > "Layer Mask" > "Reveal All" or "Hide All". After creating the layer mask, you can change the masked area by drawing on the mask layer with any color to uncover more of the layer, or with an Eraser tool to mask more of the layer.
It's important to note that layer masks are resolution-dependent bitmap images, while vector masks are resolution-independent and created with a pen or shape tool. Both types of masks are nondestructive, allowing you to re-edit them later without losing the pixels they hide. Additionally, you can adjust the opacity of a mask to control the amount of masked content that shows through, invert the mask, or refine the mask borders.
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Temporarily hide layers
When using layers in MediBang Paint, you can temporarily hide layers by clicking on the left highlighted part of the selected layer. When the "●" icon shows, the layer is visible. This allows you to switch between hiding and displaying a layer.
Additionally, you can lock a layer to prevent future edits and ensure you do not accidentally change it. To do this, select the layer you want to lock and click "Lock (1)" in the Layer Window. An icon will appear on the left side of the locked layer thumbnail to indicate that it is locked.
If you want to temporarily hide a specific part of a layer, you can use the Alpha Lock function. First, select the layer you want to lock and check "Alpha Lock (1)" in the Layer Window. This will protect the transparency of the layer, allowing you to edit only the parts of the layer that already have "paint" on them.
In Adobe Photoshop, you can use layer masks to hide and reveal portions of layers. Layer masks are grayscale images where the areas painted in black are hidden, white is visible, and shades of gray appear in various levels of transparency. To create a mask, select the layer or group in the Layers panel and click the "Add Layer Mask" button, or choose "Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All" to reveal the entire layer. You can also create a mask that hides the entire layer by Alt-clicking (Win) or Option-clicking (Mac) the "Add Layer Mask" button, or choosing "Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All".
Layer masks are useful when combining multiple photos into a single image or removing objects from a photo. They are nondestructive, allowing you to re-edit the masks later without losing the pixels they hide.
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Use layer masks to hide unnecessary parts
Layer masks are a valuable tool to hide and reveal parts of a layer without deleting them. This technique is especially useful when combining multiple images into one or removing objects or people from an image.
To use layer masks, first, select the layer in the Layer palette and create a selection area of the part you want to keep or hide. Next, use the Layer menu > Layer Mask > Mask Selection or Mask Outside Selection. A layer mask thumbnail will appear next to the layer with the visible area shown in white and the hidden area shown in black. You can also use the Mask Outside Selection icon on the Layer palette to create a layer mask. If no selection area is created, the mask will be applied to the entire layer.
Layer masks are resolution-dependent bitmap images that are edited with painting or selection tools. Vector masks, on the other hand, are resolution-independent and created with a pen or shape tool. Both types of masks are nondestructive, allowing for re-editing without losing pixels.
When using layer masks, the areas painted in black are hidden, the areas in white are visible, and shades of gray create various levels of transparency. You can adjust the opacity of a mask to control how much of the masked content is visible. Additionally, masks can be inverted or have their borders refined through the Properties panel.
Layer masks can be applied to layers with keyframes by enabling the "Edit layers with active keyframes" option in the Animation menu. Layer masks can also be temporarily disabled without deletion by unchecking "Enable Mask" in the Layer menu, indicated by a red cross over the mask thumbnail.
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Hide by painting over with the background colour
Hiding part of a layer in a digital art program can be achieved in several ways, one of which is by painting over the desired area with the background colour. This method can be useful in a pinch but does come with some drawbacks.
To achieve this, you must first select the desired layer from the Layer menu. Then, using the paintbrush or fill tool, cover the area you wish to hide with the same colour as the background. This will effectively camouflage the chosen area, making it seem invisible.
However, this method has its limitations. Firstly, if you decide to change the background colour later, you will need to repaint the hidden area with the new colour, which can be time-consuming. Secondly, this method will hide everything beneath the painted area on all lower layers, which may not be the intended effect. Lastly, if you wish to add colour or make alterations to the hidden area, it will be a hassle to work around the painted-over section.
Despite these drawbacks, painting over with the background colour can be a quick and easy solution when you need to hide a specific part of a layer. It is especially useful when dealing with small sections that would otherwise require multiple layers to manage.
It is worth noting that there are alternative methods to hiding parts of layers, such as using layer masks in programs like Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint, which offer more flexibility and control over the visibility of specific areas without the need for painting over them. These masks can be edited and adjusted without affecting the underlying content, providing a more versatile approach to hiding and revealing layer elements.
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Use Alpha Lock to protect layer transparency
Alpha Lock is a function that allows you to change the colour of a line drawing in a layer that has been opacity locked with a brush. It is a useful tool when you want to protect layer transparency.
To use Alpha Lock, first, open the Layout window and select the layer with the line drawing. Then, tap on Alpha Lock to turn it on. When Alpha Lock is off, the colour will spread outside the drawing. However, when it is on, the colour stays within the drawing.
Alpha Lock is a useful tool when you want to colour inside a shape. There are multiple ways to do this. One way is to fill the inside of the shape, lock that part, and then draw over the locked part. Another way is to make a selection and colour within that selection. You can also use masks made from selections.
It is important to note that the Alpha Lock tool locks any coloured pixels, including the line itself. To colour the inside of a specific object without colouring the line, set the line drawing layer as a reference layer. Then, create a layer for painting under the line drawing layer and select "Refer to other layers" in the Tool Property Palette.
Layer masks can be useful when combining multiple photos into a single image or removing an object or person from a photo. They are resolution-dependent bitmap images that can be edited with painting or selection tools. Vector masks, on the other hand, are resolution-independent and are created with a pen or shape tool. Both types of masks are nondestructive, allowing you to re-edit them later without losing the hidden pixels.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use the Alpha Lock function in MediBang Paint to protect the transparency of a layer. This allows you to edit only the part of the layer that has paint on it.
In MediBang Paint, you can hide a layer by clicking on the left highlighted part of the selected layer. When the layer is visible, a "●" icon will show.
You can use layer masks to hide parts of a layer in Clip Studio Paint. First, select the layer in the Layer palette and create a selection area of the part you want to keep or hide. Then, use Layer > Layer Mask > Mask Selection or Mask Outside Selection.
You can use layer masks in Photoshop to hide parts of a layer. First, select the layer or group in the Layers panel. Then, click the Add Layer Mask button in the Layers panel or choose Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All.
One way is to paint over a section of a lower layer with the same colour as the background. However, this can be an issue if you want to change the background colour later or if you want to add colour to the hidden section.











































