CathyZarMI

I will have to experiment and see if that is the problem.

I have had problems with layer masks twice now. Once when I was preparing a photo book cover for print, and now when I was editing a Senior Session (See "Help!! I'm trying to clean up trying to clean up the edges of a mask on an image"). I used a gradient on the layer mask of the book cover and it introduced noise that looked terrible when I sharpened it for print. The second time I again used a gradient on a mask and when I tried to use a brush or stamp tool to clean up the edges, I couldn't get a clean edge. (Damien...we just got company so I won't be able to reply to anything for a while.)

Could using a gradient on a layer mask introduce noise and therefore cause pixelated edges to your brush when cleaning up the edges of the mask?

I'm going to start another topic about layers and masks because my troubleshooting led in a different direction.

I was trying to get the backgrounds on a series of images to be the same intensity and shade (the room was a nightmare to photograph in...one green wall, another pink, another gray...AND SMALL!). The easiest way was to just go b&w on the background and then adjust the brightness. Of course the backdrop had a lot of wrinkles even though I steamed it before I left. I think I seen a tutorial from you where you used levels to make an all white background and it also gave the look of smoothing out the background? I'm thinking I'm going to get a roll of background paper!

Yes.

Yes, I wasn't able to answer as I had to shut down for the night. After doing some more troubleshooting, I believe it was something to do with both the Brightness/contrast layer AND the the Back and White layer. I redid both, and there is no longer a problem. About using the Brightness/Contrast...I guess I should use levels instead?

Thanks Damien...I've got to get to bed as I have to get up at 5 p.m. If it happens again, you will hear from me.

I did the two adjustment layers over again (brightness/contrast and Black and White). Something was on them that was goofy, who knows...

It is just happening on the masks. I tried drawing directly on the image and the brushes nor the stamp too does that.

I think I'm going to shutdown PS and see if it straightens out.

The one that I have the 100% crop of is for turning the background black and white (not her and the pom poms). I'll just name what each is for from bottom to top; The background copy is for cleaning up the background, the next adjustment is for turning the background black and white (not her and the pom poms), next is for brightness/contrast, and the top layer is where I had to fix chipped fingernail paint.

It's doing it in the stamp tool too...

I found the hardness but it didn't make any difference...

I can't find the hardness slider. I updated PS CC thinking that would solve it and that may have changed where it was found before?