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How Do You Make a Luma Key in Photoshop?

Last updated on September 24, 2022 @ 3:01 pm

Luma key is a type of chroma key that uses only luma information to create a transparent overlay. This can be useful when shooting against a white or very bright background. You can create a luma key in Photoshop by using the levels or curves adjustment layer.

PRO TIP: If you are not familiar with Photoshop, or with the process of creating a Luma key, we recommend that you do not attempt to do so. A Luma key is created by isolating a particular range of brightness values in an image, and then using that selection to remove the background. If done incorrectly, this can result in an unusable image.

To create a luma key, first open your image in Photoshop. Then, go to the Adjustments panel and click on the Levels or Curves option.

Adjust the levels or curves until you get the desired effect. Finally, add a mask to the layer and paint over the area you want to be transparent.

Dale Leydon

Dale Leydon

Sysadmin turned Javascript developer. Owner of 20+ apps graveyard, and a couple of successful ones.