: Is there an "inverse eraser" tool on Photoshop? I have a PNG with some transparency. In PhotoPaint I have a tool "transparency brush" where I simply choose 100% opacity and the transparency

@Hamaas979

No, but there are layer masks, which is what you will need to use for non-destructive deleting.

In Photoshop, add a layer mask to the layer you wish to erase. In the layers panel click on the layer mask to select it. Choose the Paint Brush tool, Press D to choose the default black and white foreground and background colours. Paint on the image in Black to add transparency, paint on the image in white to return to opaque. You can switch between black and white foreground colours by hitting the X key. If you change the brush opacity to less than 100% you can reduce the amount of black or white you apply to the mask, with each stroke.

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@Nimeshi706

The short answer is not really.

The only way that I know of to retrieve pixels that are transparent is to duplicate the layer and merge it again and again.


Select the layer in the layer panel
Hit CMD/CTRL+J - to duplicate the layer
Hit CMD/CTRL+E - to merge the layer down
Repeat step 2 & 3 until there's no more transparency


Then you can make a layer mask and paint the transparency just like you like it.
Here's a great answer on how to work with layer masks

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