Free Panel to Make 16-bit Luminosity Masks

Lately I’ve been experimenting with several features that could make Photoshop extension panels easier to install and use. To test some of these new elements, I’ve created a mini-panel (image below) focused on just making 16-bit luminosity masks, like the downloadable actions that were available in the previous blog posts. With the new custom panel these same actions can now be run with a click of a button instead of having to play them from Photoshop’s regular Actions panel. The new panel can be downloaded free at this website.

It’s a very simple panel overall and provides the easiest way yet to quickly generate the Lights, Darks, and Midtones series of luminosity masks using the new 16-bit process. The luminosity masks generated are placed on the Channels panel, so check there for the results after clicking one of the buttons. Luminosity masks can do many things, and it’s up to the user to determine which mask they want to use and how to use it for their image. Techniques for using luminosity masks are described in the tutorials section of my website.

The CC and CS6 versions look slightly different, but do the same thing. They also have slightly different installation procedures. The complete Instructions PDF describes how to install the panel, how to use it, and also has some trouble-shooting tips. Please take a few minutes to read it before installing the panel to help insure that the process goes smoothly.

Once installation is complete on any compatible version of Photoshop, open Photoshop and click through the menu commands Window > Extensions > TK. The panel should appear. Once available, it can be opened, closed, and docked to a panels bar just like over Photoshop panels. An image needs to be open for most of the buttons to work.

This is my first experience with the new features and distribution method. If there are problems, please let me know. We can try and work them out together.