Blend Options and Luminosity Masking: Blend Option Presets and Visualization

[danlhayes]

Before moving to AP I was relying on luminosity masks (implemented with one of several available plugins), and I understand I can do the same thing with blend options.  In order to visualize what I'm selecting with the Blend Options, I've been putting a brightly colored fill layer in a group, adjusting the group's Blend Options, then when I'm satisfied I can hide the fill layer and put other things in the group (maybe there's an easier way?).

 

It would be great have a shortcut key to instantly get a greyscale image showing what has been selected with the Blend Options.  This would make the operation seem more analogous to luminosity masks.

 

And from there, you could have Blending Option presets corresponding to the "traditional" luminosity levels (darks, lights, etc.).  Or I suppose that could be done with macros.

 

Additionally, it would be nice to be able to select a luminosity level from the image itself, and have the Blend Options automatically configured with a curve focusing on that luminosity level. 

 

I know the inability to keep using my Luminosity Masking plugin was an obstacle for me when moving from PS, but the three things above would almost completely replace the $40 plugin I was using.

[smadell]

You might want to look at some macros I posted. The first set creates luminosity selections, and the second set applies the same luminosity selections to adjustment and live filter layers.

 

For selections on image and pixel layers...

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/27214-luminosity-masks/

 

For use with adjustments and filters...

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/30523-luminosity-masks-for-adjustment-filter-layers/

 

I suspect these will answer your second and third requests. I'm not sure about the greyscale visualization, though.

[danlhayes]

Thanks, smadell,

 

I have been using those and yes, they are what I'm looking for except that it is difficult to visualize what is being selected.  Do you know if there is any way to view a selection as greyscale?  The only way I know to do that is to use your macro to create a selection, then create a mask from the selection.  But it requires a lot of keystrokes if you want to quickly try different levels.  The closest I can come is this:

 

Merge visible

Lights 3

Add mask layer

Deselect

 

Then I need to manually Alt click on the mask to view it--apparently I can't do that from a macro.

 

If I don't like the selection, I can select the new layer, delete it, and try again.

[danlhayes]

Theoretically I could record a single macro that would generate the four "lights" masks, as mask layers.  Then I could easily alt click to view each and select the one I want.  But I can't seem to do that without running into a "cannot record" error.  Steps for each level would be:

 

Merge Visible

Lights 1

Add mask layer

Deselect

Rasterize to mask (this is where I run into trouble with macros)

 

But this all seems kind of over the top, when blend options do the same thing with infinite flexibility, without even creating masks.  But it would be really nice to see a greyscale version of what you have selected with the blend options.  I think that single option would eliminate any need to create luminosity masks or to have plugins for making masks (as is almost required in PS)--although you could still easily create one from your blend option "selection" as you have done in your macros.

 

BTW, thanks for those macros!  Not only are they useful, but I don't think I would have figured out that you can create a selection based on blend options.

[danlhayes]

The Q shortcut was what I was looking for, more or less.

[danlhayes]

Here is a video on doing Luminosity Masking with Blendif (rather than masks) in PS, using a Plug-in.  The last couple of minutes talk about the need to visualize.  The way people work with these is to browse through various masks until they find the one that works best, then they "commit".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWk8YaOKTQQ

[smadell]

Hey, danlhayes...

 

First of all, I've got to tell you that I watched Greg Benz' YouTube video (that you linked to, above) and was fascinated by the fact that he is now doing his Luminosity Masks with Blend If - a method analogous to what we've been doing in Affinity Photo all along. Plus, he touts it as a much improved version of what he had done previously.

 

To get to the point, though, your question regarding Greyscale Visualization of luminosity selections was intriguing, and I took it as a challenge to come up with something. After a whole lot of trial-and-error, I managed to come up with a viable method. I've posted a new set of Macros in the Resources portion of the Forum, and I've linked to that post below.

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/39420-luminosity-mask-visualization/

[danlhayes]

Looking forward to trying them!

[danlhayes]

Those are great!  I tried for a couple hours to do something like that that, but you seem to be able to record some things I can't (I'm on Windows).  For example:

 

Deselect

Add Pixel 

Set description----Cannot record "Set description".

 

I can't record most of the steps in these macros.

 

Windows version 1.5.1.54

[smadell]

Sure you can... The "Set Description" steps only involve naming the pixel layers that are already selected!

[danlhayes]

No, when I try to rename it gives me a pop-up error that it can't record the step.  Maybe I'm doing something stupid.  Another thing it won't record is moving to a different layer.

 

I had assumed that the macros capabilities were still in early stages and had some limitations.

[smadell]

Confession... I am on a Mac, and using version 1.5.2 (why are you still on 1.5.1 - is that still current for Windows?) But, if I have a pixel layer selected, click on the name in the Layers panel, and type a new name, I have no problem. As for selecting a new layer, if I click on another layer, a dialog box asks me if I want to select based on name, position in the layers stack, etc. It gets a little wonky when selecting child layers (like masks) but none of that is going on in the macros.

[danlhayes]

Well that would be nice!  The download page shows me 1.5.1.  I'll look around some more.

 

The macros are working great.  If I want to use one as a mask it's only two more steps.  I think when someone has been relying on masks for a long time, they might prefer that.

 

It might be nice to name the layers "Lights 1" "Lights 2" . . . so that when you get one you like you can see what it was  :).  If I could figure out why I can't record anything I could to that myself.  I might want to add a "Rasterize to Mask" at the end and then if I want to use it I can just drag it down.  Very handy.  Being able to select by name also would open some options for me!

 

Thanks again!

[smadell]

I initially wanted to name the layers something like "Lights 1 Visualization," and so on. However, once I decided to include moving the layer to the top of the stack (and could not necessarily assume it would stay there) the only way to delete the visualization layer was to reference it by name. Thus, the name had to be constant across all the macros.

[danlhayes]

Ah, well I can probably deal with it, lol.

[smadell]

Also, it seems to me that if you include a "Rasterize to Mask" command, it would limit visualization of the selection since you'd have to alt-click to see the mask. Without doing that, a new mask would just throw everything else off.

[danlhayes]

When I Rasterize to Mask it stays as an independent layer, and if I want to use it as a mask on another layer I have to drag it there.  I'll verify that in a sec--I'm seeing if a "repair" installation will fix my macro issues.

[danlhayes]

Just checked, "rasterize to layer" keeps the layer where it is, where it masks the underlying layers--after rasterizing, I see the original image with the "black" bars transparent.  

 

Repair didn't help my macros.  I'll reinstall.

[smadell]

Since I'm on a Mac, I can't speak to any differences that the Windows version may have with respect to which steps macros can or cannot record. At any rate, I'm glad the macros are working for you. Enjoy them!