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Layer masks are one of building blocks of Photoshop. Layer masks are nothing else but pixel based layers with two main colors: black and white and shades of gray in between them. It is easy to create and modify layer mask using selection or painting tools. One of the options to modify layer mask is lesser known among Photoshop users: using filters from Filter menu. Yeah, using filters! It wont work with each and every filter from Filter menu but some of them can help you to achieve cool, interesting and non-destructive effects.

Why Use Filters on Layer Mask?

In this section, I want to talk about actual benefit and the reason to use filters with layer masks. Here are two main reasons:

• It is easy to achieve cool and fun effects like interesting decorative borders, shape with wavy or triangle edges, animal shape with a simulation of furry silhouette and so on...
• It is easy to hide, delete and modify layer mask without to change actual content on the layer. Thats what we usually call non-destructive editing.

How to apply filters to layer mask

You need to remember one and crucial requirement: layer mask must be selected in the Layers panel in order to use or apply a filter to it. You can select layer mask by direct click on it or use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl/Cmd + .

Layer mask must be selected in the Layers panel in order to apply filter to it

So, with layer mask selected, go to Filter > Filter Gallery. I will stick with Filter Gallery although you can use and filters from Blur, Pixelate, Stylize sub-menus.

When gallery window appears you can use fitting options from the drop-down in the lower left corner: Fit in View or Fit on Screen.

Filter Gallery offers tons of filters but keep in mind that many of them wont work for our purpose to apply a filter to the layer mask. Some of the below filters will need manual adjustments for what you have various and numerous sliders on the left side of the window. Here is the list of filters that I found useful to apply directly on layer mask:

Brush Strokes (folder): Spatter, Sprayed Strokes
Distort: Glass, Ocean Ripple
Sketch: Torn Edges, Water Paper

Note: you can combine multiple filters stacked one on top of another as shown in the screenshot below.

Product used in this tutorial:
Adobe Photoshop CC 2017

Reference:
Edit layer masks
Filter basics