Photoshop - How do you add a levels adjustment inside a layer mask

Method14253

Hi! I'll get right to it.
What shortcut is used to add a levels adjustment *inside* a layer/vector mask?
Photo example from tutorial below.

Joopson

You click on the layer mask, and hit ctrl+L. This gives you the levels adjustment window to adjust the levels of the mask, but it's destructive, i.e. it doesn't give you a levels layer, attached to the mask, that you can revisit.

I'm not sure if there's a way to do it non-destructively.

gnoop

Photoshop does not support mask stacks  or erase blending mode   as some other image editors ( Affinity Photo, Photoline)   but it still  could be perfectly done non-destructively   with  clipping groups and "blend if " dialogs 

Make black pixels  gradually transparent through "blend if" dialog  on Level 1  smart object and add whatever  levels you want  to it.

Then uncheck  "Blends Clipped layers as Group"   in  the Group1  "blend if" dialog.

Same way you could make shared "masks" through the stack  by means of smart objects . Make them unique  by "New smart object via Copy"   put its own groups and layers  in  masking stacks/groups  and so on .   

In a word Photoshop can be totally non-destructive  if you willing to deal with so damn complicated layer stack.

Affinity Photo does it in much more elegant manner  with erase layers  that you could link content  of to each other  and use a complex curve to "blend if"

  

Photodhop kind of feels more rusty and outdated each new year

Method14253

ctrl+L is the shortcut that was used I believe as I followed the steps again and the outcome was the same,

Eric Chadwick

You can't apply Levels to a vector mask, only to a layer mask. Check what kind of mask you have. When you do it correctly, you'll see the mask listed in the Channel area, like this.