Pro tip: I used a layer mask wrong for a year and it changed my whole workflow

I was painting out a background in a portrait last week and kept getting these jagged edges, no matter how soft my brush was. Turns out I had the layer mask selected but was painting with black on the actual image layer the whole time... I watched a tutorial from 'Procreate Folks' on YouTube and they pointed it out in like two seconds. Felt pretty silly, but now my selections are way cleaner. Anyone have a good trick for keeping track of what layer you're actually on?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_thomas19d ago

Quote from @sullivan.nina: "hah, that's a relief to hear from @paige514." Yeah, that locked background layer thing gets everyone at some point. The zoom trick works okay, but I actually find that turning off the other layers for a second helps way more. You can see exactly what you're painting on without any extra stuff getting in the way. Just a quick toggle before you start painting can save you from that sinking feeling.

paige5142mo ago

Oh man, that is such a classic move. We've all been there, painting on the wrong layer for way too long. Honestly, I just zoom in super close now to double-check the layer highlight.

sullivan.nina2mo ago

Hah, that's a relief to hear from @paige514. I once spent an hour trying to erase something before realizing I was on the locked background layer the whole time.