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Vector Masks / Stencils


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How do I make a vector mask by nesting my vector shape into a layer, as opposed to what it normally does, which is to make a stencil?  (Wouldn't it be good to use the correct terminology or is this something Adobe have forever condemned us to?)  In other words, I want my vector mask, to actually mask the area I have drawn and allow everything outside it (on the canvas) to show.  The mask area itself should be transparent to allow lower layers to show through.

Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats)

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Thanks MEB.

 

I don't really understand how I 'subtract' one shape from another.  Can you hold my hand on this one and explain it to me in easy to follow steps?   :)

 

(I think it would be a good idea, as a feature, to have a toggle button on the mask layer, for switching between stencil and mask.  It's fundamental for complex compositing).

Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats)

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You can invert a raster mask easily going to menu Layer ▸ Invert (with the mask layer selected). For vector masks however you have to "invert" the shape manually creating another shape with the size of the document then subtracting (boolean operation) the original shape (the selected area) Check this clip (no sound) for instructions. First i've created the shape and used it as a mask ("stencil"), then i moved it outside the pixel layer and created the rectangle with the same dimensions of the document and subtracted my original shape. Then i applied the resulting shape as a vector mask again dragging it over the thumbnail of the pixel layer.

 

Another way to achieve the same result is to simply change the blend mode of the original shape to Erase in the Layers panel.

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In other words, I want my vector mask, to actually mask the area I have drawn and allow everything outside it (on the canvas) to show.  The mask area itself should be transparent to allow lower layers to show through.

This is the opposite of the normal meaning of the word "mask." Please refer to the definition of the word, for example here, or here; or consider common, everyday examples like masking tape or masks worn to disguise or protect faces.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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Hi MEB.

 

Thanks for the *complex* workaround.   :)

 

I really feel that this should be a simple process in AFPhoto.  Here is a screen-movie of how a very old app manages this.

 

As you can see, it is very simple to switch from a mask to a stencil and visa-versa.  It is wonderfully easy to copy masks and stencils from one layer to another (with a modifier).  I also show how easy it is to use *any* brush mask (the painted red ... could be any type of brushed in layer) and simply copy that brush mask onto any type of layer.  NB ... the circle is a clipping mask/stencil, but the painted red one is a brush mask.

 

(R C-R ... thanks for the pointers.  Perhaps I didn't express myself very well, but I've been working with masks and stencils for a very long time and do know and understand the difference.  As you will see in the screen-movie, you can have stacked masks/stencils where the area outside/inside the mask/stencil is transparent ... pictures are easier than words. :) )

Grumpy, but faithful (watch out all you cats)

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@GFS

 

The boolean method is not really very complex -- if you have snapping enabled, a rectangle can be created & snapped precisely to the canvas dimensions, moved below the vector shape you want to use as a stencil, the shape subtracted from it, & the result moved to the mask position in just a few steps that take two or three seconds at most.

 

If you think about this using the mask/stencil terminology that has been standard for several centuries (can't blame Adobe for that!) the process is the same as making a real world stencil -- the shapes forming the stencil pattern are cut (subtracted) from the mask. And like the real world version, this is not limited to cutting out a single shape or a mask that covers everything, making it much more adaptable to a wide range of uses than a simple inversion of a single vector shape would be.

 

However, when you don't need that adaptability, why not just clip the image layer to the vector shape? 

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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  • 4 months later...

Hej guys! i have an issue within this kind of topic. When i import a pdf containing vector files Designer handles them as 'embedded documents'. They are obviously processed as vector data as i can zoom wide into the canvas while keeping those thin lines sharp which i need for a very highres printjob. These lines are supposed to stencli transparent geometric art into given vector shapes. My problem is that the 'Substract' function (actually any boolean except 'Divide') is greyed out if i highlight two layers and one of them contains an 'embedded document'. Is this a known bug? I've also already tried your approach with layer blending mode 'Erase'. This is working as long it comes to the export process where the 'embedded document' content gets rasterized and looks extremely crappy in the resulting file. I'm going to export as *.pdf but also had many unlucky attempts with other formats like *.svg or *.eps. Can somebody help me with a nice workarround or something? Thanks in advance (: 

 

1st picture is from the exported file, 2nd while working with the open project..

 

Screen Shot 2017-09-12 at 03.26.56.png

Screen Shot 2017-09-12 at 08.56.55.png

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On 12/09/2017 at 0:10 PM, owenr said:

Group the objects to be stencilled in the Designer document.

Open the stencil PDF in Designer.

If there's more than one object in it, group them.

Copy the stencil object/group.

Close the PDF without saving.

Paste the stencil into the Designer document.

Position/scale/rotate the stencil as required.

If the stencil needs to be inverted, then its shapes will need to be Boolean subtracted from an opaque vector rectangle that covers the canvas, to create a masking object for the next step.

Use the stencil/mask as a vector mask on the design group.

 

Hey mate, thanks for the quick response. I gave it a try but your workaround didn't work out for me. Luckily i could finish my project by ignoring transperency, delivering white shapes instead. So i didn't need to use the stencil method. But actually it feels a bit buggy that this feature is not working right with embedded documents atm. Even if these are just pushed to the back they get pixelised without any reason. Hope Affinity will fix this soon...  

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