Layer Masks Demystified: A Compositing Artist's Walkthrough of Aaron Nace's Essential Photoshop Technique

Every composite I’ve ever built starts with the same foundational problem: how do I isolate one element and place it convincingly into a world it was never photographed in? I’ve done it for movie posters, book covers, album art. And every single time, the answer comes back to the same tool. Layer masks. Not selections. Not erasers. Masks. The distinction matters more than most beginners realize, and getting it wrong early is the kind of habit that quietly undermines your work for years.