Shift Edge - masks/selections

[AllAppsUser]

1. Is there a 'shift edge' or equivalent for selections/masks?
2. If, yes, where is it ?

Shift edge is something found in Photoshop.

Photoshop's Shift Edge expands or contracts the mask by +/- pixels. It's available in the Refine Mask dialogue box in PhotoShop.

Because it's in the Refine Mask dialogue, it means it can be experimented with at the same time as other subtle adjustments to the mask.

I mostly use Shift Edge in combination with Mask feather adjustment. The amount of feather dictates the amount of shift.

Shift Edge is really great for avoiding the halo effect when feathering the mask edge on levels adjustment layers. This is when you've got photos with the common problem of under-exposed foreground + over-exposed sky.

How do you achieve this in Affinity Photo if there is no Shift Edge? (as I suspect might be the case)

 

[Dan C]

Hi @ProDesigner 

There's isn't a direct replacement for 'Shift Edge' in Affinity Photo, my apologies!

You can certainly Grow/Shrink selections by a set amount in Affinity, however there's no such option for Masks currently.

22 hours ago, ProDesigner said:

Shift Edge is really great for avoiding the halo effect when feathering the mask edge on levels adjustment layers. This is when you've got photos with the common problem of under-exposed foreground + over-exposed sky.

How do you achieve this in Affinity Photo if there is no Shift Edge?

Could you please provide a sample image demonstrating this, so myself and other forum members can provide their best suggestions?

Many thanks in advance!

[JimmyJack]

On 9/11/2020 at 11:10 AM, ProDesigner said:

1. Is there a 'shift edge' or equivalent for selections/masks?
2. If, yes, where is it ?

Shift edge is something found in Photoshop.

Photoshop's Shift Edge expands or contracts the mask by +/- pixels. It's available in the Refine Mask dialogue box in PhotoShop.

Because it's in the Refine Mask dialogue, it means it can be experimented with at the same time as other subtle adjustments to the mask.

I mostly use Shift Edge in combination with Mask feather adjustment. The amount of feather dictates the amount of shift.

Shift Edge is really great for avoiding the halo effect when feathering the mask edge on levels adjustment layers. This is when you've got photos with the common problem of under-exposed foreground + over-exposed sky.

How do you achieve this in Affinity Photo if there is no Shift Edge? (as I suspect might be the case)

 

As @Dan C says, for selections there is Grow/Shrink (et al) under Select dropdown.

For masks (and your method in orange above)  you can stack the gaussian (for example) blur with a Max/Min blur. You have to jump back and forth between dialog panels, but they're both live and, together, do what u want (afaict).
Just make sure the pixel mask is arranged as a child and not in the mask position in order to retain accessibility to the blurs. Otherwise you will have to pull the whole set out in order to work on the different elements. 

[AllAppsUser]

Thank you @JimmyJack.  I see what you've generously shared with me there. Really good technique for subtler mask edge work. Thank you, much appreciated.

Got me closer to my goal than anything. I'll see if the client will accept it. They knew they were asking a bit much.

Bottom line: I'm trying to push an awful image to a place it just won't go satisfactorily.

I'll offer them fine (tedious) manual mask painting if they'll fund it, but suggest their money would be better spent getting a pro to reshoot it.

Thanks for your help.

[AllAppsUser]

@Dan C - are there any plans that you know of to introduce Shift Edge into the Refine Mask dialogue?

Ideally it would need the Refine Mask/Selection feature to preview 'live' too... which I don't think it does (unlike Photoshop's).

I assume the team have looked at the Refine Mask feature in Photoshop given it - at first sight - looks like the same thing. The 'quick n dirty' tasks is when it comes into it's own.

I've had a play with expanding the selection in combination with the technique @JimmyJack explained, and got to a much better place. It's not a fast workflow though.

[Dan C]

13 hours ago, ProDesigner said:

are there any plans that you know of to introduce Shift Edge into the Refine Mask dialogue?

No plans that I'm aware of, but it would certainly make for a good Feature Request

[tombro]

I've just come across this looking for exactly the same thing as I had a halo round a cutout I was doing. I came up with a method that worked well for what I had. I created a selection from the mask, I contracted it by 2 pixels, inverted it, feathered it by 2 pixels and then hit delete.