Invictus Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 I've got to be honest, I am really struggling with Layer Masks.I really don't get it ! - I understand White Adds Light, Black Subtracts but Ive looked at a number of responses on here and tutorials but I'm finding: - Sometimes images rasterise and don't work. - Sometimes I can either paint black all over the image, other times white. - What layer do I need to be paining on a jpg layer or a pixel layer ? I have found nothing really explains layers in a simple way please can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong ? I'm a new user but loosing total confidence in myself. Many thanks for your help and guidance which is very much appreciated. Nick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris26 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 21 minutes ago, Invictus said: , I am really struggling with Layer Masks.I really don't get it ! You are not alone, if you have come from photoshop then it is slightly more difficult to mke sense of Affinity's masks. To keep things simple, may I suggest you frst watch this video: Then at the bottom I have listed a few other videos that go into more detail about how different masks can be used. Just practise practise along and ask away if at any point you want soem clarification. There are a ton of videos out there but here are some starters. I hope they dissolve away the mystery. Ray Allen 1 Quote Microsoft - Like entering your home and opening the stainless steel kitchen door, with a Popup: 'Do you really want to open this door'? Then looking for the dishwasher and finding it stored in the living room where you have to download a water supply from the app store, then you have to buy microsoft compliant soap, remove the carpet only to be told that it is glued to the floor.. Don't forget to make multiple copies of your front door key and post them to all who demand access to all the doors inside your home including the windows and outside shed. Apple - Like entering your home and opening the oak framed Kitchen door and finding the dishwasher right in front you ready to be switched on, soap supplied, and water that comes through a water softener. Ah the front door key is yours and it only needs to open the front door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invictus Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share Posted January 5, 2021 Thanks for posting these but I have seen these but sadly none of them explain what to do when things don't work exactly to the plan or explain where things go wrong ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user_0815 Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Basically a mask is similar to an eraser in a wider sense. If you add a mask to a layer, it will be white by default and as such does nothing that you could see. Now if you paint black on the mask, it will visibly remove those areas that are painted over with black. This always applies to that layer which the mask is attached to. In reverse, a completely black mask makes that layer completely invisible. In this screenshot, the orange shape layer has a white mask with a black brush stroke attached. Areas where I painted black on the mask are now invisible (a.k.a. "masked out") and the layer below can show through. In Photo, a mask can be added (attached) to any layer. That includes not only image layers such as jpegs but also shapes, adjustment layers and live filters. Adjustment layers also have a white mask already built in. So you can paint black directly on an adjustment layer to erase it's effect in those areas where you paint black. That's the basics of masks afaik. Does that help in any way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl123 Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 11 hours ago, Invictus said: Thanks for posting these but I have seen these but sadly none of them explain what to do when things don't work exactly to the plan or explain where things go wrong ! When something goes wrong with masking, create a post to this forum and include a full-screen screenshot showing the Layers panel, colour panel and the tool you are using selected. More specific advice can then be given as regards your current problem Quote To save time I am currently using an automated AI to reply to some posts on this forum. If any of "my" posts are wrong or appear to be total b*ll*cks they are the ones generated by the AI. If correct they were probably mine. I apologise for any mistakes made by my AI - I'm sure it will improve with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maud Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 I am having this exact same problem and just cannot find the answer despite watching tutorials, ready to give up ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaffeeundsalz Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 No one will be able to give you an answer if you keep quiet about what exactly you're trying to achieve, how you expect Affinity to behave and what happens instead. There is no magical "if things don't work, do that" solution because it depends on your individual case. Just as @carl123 said: Please describe your problem as precise as possible, include a screenshot with the relevant parts of the user interface visible and also tell us whether you're following a specific tutorial and what you have tried so far to solve the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invictus Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 On 1/6/2021 at 12:45 AM, user_0815 said: Basically a mask is similar to an eraser in a wider sense. If you add a mask to a layer, it will be white by default and as such does nothing that you could see. Now if you paint black on the mask, it will visibly remove those areas that are painted over with black. This always applies to that layer which the mask is attached to. In reverse, a completely black mask makes that layer completely invisible. In this screenshot, the orange shape layer has a white mask with a black brush stroke attached. Areas where I painted black on the mask are now invisible (a.k.a. "masked out") and the layer below can show through. In Photo, a mask can be added (attached) to any layer. That includes not only image layers such as jpegs but also shapes, adjustment layers and live filters. Adjustment layers also have a white mask already built in. So you can paint black directly on an adjustment layer to erase it's effect in those areas where you paint black. That's the basics of masks afaik. Does that help in any way? That does help actually thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invictus Posted January 10, 2021 Author Share Posted January 10, 2021 On 1/6/2021 at 4:43 AM, carl123 said: When something goes wrong with masking, create a post to this forum and include a full-screen screenshot showing the Layers panel, colour panel and the tool you are using selected. More specific advice can then be given as regards your current problem I will do that thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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