Mask in Designer

[RainerH]

Hello,

I've placed a JPG in Designer an then changed to the pixel-persona. Here I createt a Mask for the JPG but now I can not draw in white and black to hide / show parts of the JPG. I think I make a mistake or have not understand how to use. When I change back to the desing-persona, the Layer of the JPG has the mask but I can not draw in black or white on it to show / hide parts.

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Or must i crop not wanted parts of the JPG allways first in Photo (that would be contraproductive to the studiolink technology)

Thank you for your answers.

Rainer

[RainerH]

don't know, what I've made now but now it works.... 

[Triptych]

Hi  I have the sane problem in publisher. I add the mask, select the mask change to pixel mode, select the brush but when I draw I get the black  lines as a new layer on top of my picture. NO matter how I approach it I don't seem to be able to work in the mask area. Please help

[Joachim_L]

Welcome to the Affinity forums @Triptych!

Be sure, that the mask is selected (Layers panel) before you paint. This happened often enough in the beginning. Otherwise make a screen recording of what you are doing.

[Triptych]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply, I highlight  the mask layer - I tried both ways opening the group to hightlight , leaving group closed and highlighting. Pressing b for brush. I have watched 2 videos on how it should be done and yet everytime I draw somehow it ( my computer ) decides that it is a new layer as soon as I draw with the brush.  I am not sure if I have a glitch or am wildly incompentant.  I have tried creating a shape draging it down making it a mask and then trying to draw with a brush within that shape layer - once again even though I select the layer with the shape ( like I select the layer with the mask)  again it becomes a new layer and I get black or white lines accross my drawing.  I am very confused. Please help.

[Joachim_L]

39 minutes ago, Triptych said:

I am very confused.

So am I. From your description it sounds correct so far, but maybe I am something missing here. Could you make a screen recording (with a visible Layers panel) of your actions and upload here? Just to be sure: You are in the Pixel Persona? In the Designer Persona you get what you described.

Edited April 8, 2021 by Joachim_L
Found the problem?

[Triptych]

[Triptych]

I will attach video which shows my problem.  Hopefully you can see the highlighting of the mask layer, the checking of the "pixel" choice, I then draw and get black lines on top - I can move these lines into the mask and they work as a mask but I want to be able to create my mask  to work with the drawing and so would like to work in the mask layer viewing the actual picture as it would be with the mask and not by black lines and sragging them down to the layer. I also tried creating a shape, dragging it down to create a mask and then with it selecting using the brush to build on the mask but again I got a new layer with black lines on top of my drawing. I must be doing something wrong - it is probably a very simple thing that I am not doing but I cannot for the life of me work it out and do not want to have to drag every line down.  Thank you for your continued help, I really appreciate it.  Sorry  I will try and upload  again.

[Triptych]

I will attach video which shows my problem.  Hopefully you can see the highlighting of the mask layer, the checking of the "pixel" choice, I then draw and get black lines on top - I can move these lines into the mask and they work as a mask but I want to be able to create my mask  to work with the drawing and so would like to work in the mask layer viewing the actual picture as it would be with the mask and not by black lines and sragging them down to the layer. I also tried creating a shape, dragging it down to create a mask and then with it selecting using the brush to build on the mask but again I got a new layer with black lines on top of my drawing. I must be doing something wrong - it is probably a very simple thing that I am not doing but I cannot for the life of me work it out and do not want to have to drag every line down.  Thank you for your continued help, I really appreciate it.

[MEB]

Hi @Triptych,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
When you click the mask button on the bottom of the Layers panel, Affinity creates a raster based mask. Only the raster based Paint Brush Tool (or raster based tools generically speaking) which can be found in Affinity Designer (Pixel Persona - not available within Publisher, only in the full Designer application) or in Affinity Photo (Photo Persona) can paint on that mask. In your video above you are trying to use the Vector Brush Tool (place your cursor over the tool icon to see the tooltip) to paint on a raster based mask - that's why it doesn't work and creates a new (vector) layer/object with the vector paths that define the brushed stroke. So create the mask as you did switch to Photo Persona, select the Paint Brush Tool there and paint on the mask - it will then work as you'd expect.

Your second example - the double-star - is a bit different. While with raster based masks you can paint within the same mask layer multiple times, with vector based masks, each vector object need to have its own layer. When  you drag the double-start shape over the image you are already using the double-start as a mask for the image and NOT as a base/container to "draw" other vector based objects on it as you do with a raster based mask. For instance if you want to use a vector brush stroke as a mask for the image, draw the stroke over the image with the Vector Brush Tool, then drag its layer over the image's thumbnail in the Layers panel to use the vector stroke you draw as a mask. If you want to paint more than one stroke with the Vector Brush Tool, draw them all, group them, then drag the group layer over the image's thumbnail layer in the Layers panel to use the whole group of strokes as a vector mask.

[Triptych]

hi,

Thank you both - it took me so long to upload the video ( slow internet I missed the reply)  I bought designer and publisher and I guess I wasn't concentrating which one I had opened when I tried to create the effect.  They are both great programs though I wish I could use a variable font in publisher. I am still finding my way around them and that is why I made the incompenant mistake. Thank you for pointing out where I went wrong. I had watched loads of videos on how it should work but just didn't make the connection. I have not bought photo yet - is it a good product? 

[Joachim_L]

14 hours ago, Triptych said:

I have not bought photo yet - is it a good product?

Some say this, some say that. From my perspective it is a good product. Test the trial if the product suits you. At the moment you will get it for a 50% rebate.

[RainerH]

it is definitely and it has an unbeatable price-performance ratio

[R C-R]

9 hours ago, Joachim_L said:

At the moment you will get it for a 50% rebate.

To avoid any confusion, the offer is 50% off the regular retail price, not a lame mail in rebate.