TH3_TWIN

Hi Carl123, the discussion is about creating a complex mask using the gradient tool similar to how it's done in PS. In PS, I will use dozens of gradients to blend images together, not one. (similar to how the paintbrush works) I don't have this option in AP because it clears the previous gradient. I could create a new mask layer each time, but this is slow and inconvenient. I'm not saying "never use the paint brush", I would just like an option to use the gradient tool more efficiently like how the paintbrush affects the mask.

Thanks for getting back to me Zypher69, like you I have found a soft white / black brush to be best. Haakoo, here's an example I have made: I want this final result made from two images: Big wave surfer by Duncan Rawlinson available from Flickr under Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) Playing a fish on the Boat Pool, Kinermony by Des Colhoun available from geograph.org.uk under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) In Photoshop, you would import both images and add a mask to the wave. You can blend the images together using a variety of tools - Brush / gradient / Fill. The tools are destructive to the mask - it's just a mask, it doesn't have any important data on it. The finished mask looks something like this: As you can see the mask is complicated, its not a simple gradient. In my workflow in Photoshop, I primarily use the gradient tool due to its speed. The ability to change radius by clicking and dragging means I don't need to keep changing brush size. In AP, I am restricted to using the paint brush, and whilst I can get a similar result, its not as quick. If I try and use the gradient tool on the mask, it wipes what I have already made using the paint brush. If I use the gradient tool again on top of the first gradient, it wipes the previous gradient. No one is saying the gradient tool is hard to use, we are saying a single gradient per layers slows down or restricts development.

Hey I just stumbled onto your post, I have the same problem / feelings. I've been using Photoshop for around 8 years and have a similar workflow for blending images together using masks: In PS: Apply a mask to the layer, then use an additive radial gradient to the mask (black to transparent or white to transparent) - adjust the transparency as required. This makes it really easy to blend two images together by slowly adding new gradients. In AP, the paintbrush works like this on masks but when I use the gradient tool, it overwrites previous gradients / brushstrokes in the mask. This is frustrating as I cannot slowly blend the image together and I can only adjust a single gradient rather than adding multiple. I like how the gradients can be changed after creating them, but there should be an alternative mode where I can add loads of gradients onto a single layer as if it were a bitmap tool. Zypher69, how are you currently blending images together using masks? Are you using the paintbrush or am I missing something? Apologies if this is currently possible as I am still fairly new to AP.