GFS Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Doubtless simple ... but I can't find how to do it. I'm using the Pen tool in AFPhoto to make a shape, which I want to use as a mask for a pixel layer. I also want to use it as a mask for a fill/paint layer. How do I alter the width of the mask/shape edge? It is by default razor sharp. I would like it to be somewhere between 4 and 20 pixels (not sure yet) ... so that the edge is soft. How do I achieve this? Quote Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon1 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 apply an fx to the shape (down in the layers panel, next to mask, live filters and adjustments) and alter the gaussian blur radius :) in case of other questions this post may help https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/32113-how-to-crop-destructively-and-how-to-clip-mask/?p=155890 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdenby Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Apply a gaussian blur to the vector shape. Quote iMac 27" Retina, c. 2015: OS X 10.11.5: 3.3 GHz I c-5: 32 Gb, AMD Radeon R9 M290 2048 Mb iPad 12.9" Retina, iOS 10, 512 Gb, Apple pencil Huion WH1409 tablet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFS Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Thank you chaps! (Very useful other post MBd ... thank you). anon1 1 Quote Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon1 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) Thank you chaps! (Very useful other post MBd ... thank you). thanks you´re welcome a live gaussian blur filter works as well like chaps said but I´d prefer using the fx as it is more subtle, you don´t need the mask that comes with the live filter layer anyway so the fx is the more minimal approach. no difference in functionality apart from that though. edit if you use the live gaussian blur on the path, then use the path to mask another layer, you can´t access the live filter unless you drag out the curve again. The fx stays directly editable there were some discussions already about why live adjustment filters on masks are not accessible, I think that should be corrected asap e.g. if you apply a curves adjustment to a traditional mask and mask a pixel layer with that mask, you can not alter the curves directly anymore, very unfortunate Edited December 21, 2016 by MBd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFS Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Thought of something else! Is there a way to apply the fx blur as a gradient? Quote Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon1 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Thought of something else! Is there a way to apply the fx blur as a gradient? in this case you can use the live filter layer and apply a gradient to it´s mask that it comes with natively. or you can go totally overboard and add another clipping shape to the live filter layer, add a transparent to opaque gradient to it and then use the live filter together with it´s own vector mask as a vector mask for the main image Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFS Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 There is one aspect of using blur to soften the edges that's not so good and that is that it blurs them. Having a pixel width to the mask would make the mask's edge increasingly transparent toward the outer edge, but not blur it. So the image is still sharp, but the mask is soft edged. So I guess there's no way to achieve this in AFPhoto? Quote Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambiroa Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Kinda surprised, isn't this 'refine edge' of the mask (or any selection really) something that is one of the core things used in photo editing? Hopefully a staffmember will chime in on this and explain to us how simply it is to have it, can't imagine that the option is missing AP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon1 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 There is one aspect of using blur to soften the edges that's not so good and that is that it blurs them. Having a pixel width to the mask would make the mask's edge increasingly transparent toward the outer edge, but not blur it. So the image is still sharp, but the mask is soft edged. So I guess there's no way to achieve this in AFPhoto? if you apply a blur fx to the masking shape it does just fade out the transparency, it does not blur the image - if you upload a sample image I might be able to tell what you do differently refine edge is another topic as were not talking about selections here but about vector masking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambiroa Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 if you apply a blur fx to the masking shape it does just fade out the transparency, it does not blur the image - if you upload a sample image I might be able to tell what you do differently refine edge is another topic as were not talking about selections here but about vector masking Yes, but a mask is a type of selection, not a regular selection, but as the name says, a shape that can cover or let through specific parts. Unless AD uses the term "mask" completely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon1 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Yes, but a mask is a type of selection, not a regular selection, but as the name says, a shape that can cover or let through specific parts. Unless AD uses the term "mask" completely different. but you cannot use refine edge on a vector shape refine edge is for pixel selections only Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFS Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 but you cannot use refine edge on a vector shape refine edge is for pixel selections only You can actually ... it depends on how you go to the final image. AFPhoto mixes pixel and vector, so you could apply a pixel width to a vector shape, which AFPhoto could 'interpret' for the screen preview and then rasterise to an actual pixel width when you decide to actually use your file, e.g. print, build to tiff, send a jpeg etc. etc. (alternatively known as flattening). I know this can be done, because I've been working like this in a 100% vector photo app since 1997. (If only AFPhoto had the speed of that app, I'd be happy enough). Quote Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon1 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 No you can not You can of course convert a vector to a pixel by rasterising it or you can convert to a pixel selection directly by cmd clicking it But you can not use refine edge on vector shapes Is the fx blur now working for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFS Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 Sorry MBd, talking at cross purposes. I'm simply saying that technically, there is no reason why AFPhoto cannot do this. However, in its current state, as you say, it can not. Who knows, perhaps Serif will move forwards towards the past and make AFPhoto more of a vector app. Would be nice ... especially for the speed. Quote Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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