Multiple vector masks in photoshop

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Indirectly: Use one vector mask for the layer, put it inside a folder and add a vector mask for the folder. That way you can have two different feathers. You can stack this to get even more different feather settings:

[Julie Mullins]

Thanks a lot!

[Herbert Van der wegen]

It is a real shame Photoshop failed to receive any updates in regards to its layer mask system since… well, since version 4 or 5, or so?

One would expect to be able to add as many layer masks and vector masks as we need by now. Instead, Photoshop users are forced to work-arounds such as the one shown here and awkward clipping masks.

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[Julie Mullins]

Is there a way to do this with a raster layer mask on top as well? I need to cut out as much as I can of an image of a woman with a vector mask, but I need to cut out her hair using the channels technique. Is there a way to combine these?
I don’t understand when it gets to the paste onto a new layer and use the Smudge tool part. I can’t seem to make it work. Is it supposed to smudge the pen layer, or the original?

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Sounds like you are following a tutorial of some kind. I would imagine (without seeing your situation) that you would use the smudge tool on the bitmap mask following the direction of the hair to soften the edges. (Then again, I’ve seen people use the smudge tool on the hair in the image — which I would never do myself…)

You can have both vector masks and bitmap masks on the same layer, the effect is added together. So if you want to paint the hair with a bitmap mask, make sure the vector mask doesn’t cut off the hair but leaves space for the bitmap mask to do the masking.