Editing masked area with external plug-in

[JLGF1]

I suspect there is a video on this somewhere, but I haven't been able to locate one; or a Question topic, but hard to filter out.

 

I use external (Topaz) plug-ins; the plug-ins work as expected if sending the entire pixel image.

 

However, what I am attempting to do is create a Quick Mask and then edit only the selection with the external plug-in.

 

eg Pass the selected sky to DeNoise

 

I have tried using a duplicated Background layer (with Quick Mask) without success (get the entire image), but I must be missing a step along the way. I am probably not doing the Mask/Selection correctly.

 

Can anyone point me to a tutorial video?

 

Thanks.

[v_kyr]

When you say a copy of the background layer, do you mean a worked out layer just of the selection area as an image layer (meaning here just the quick masked drawn portion as an own layer here not the selection/marching-ants)?

I believe it will during interoperation always pass over the whole layer bitmap here (maybe even all document layers flatted and so the whole image). So I can imagine that you would need at least just the sky portion as an own layer.

What happens when you separate the sky as you said via a quick mask, then make a new document with just that sky portion as your initial image (so to say only the sky and the rest is transparent on that new image) and then call the Topaz plugin? - Does it take that correctly over or do the transparent image portions then showup as white/black in Topaz?

[Gnobelix]

Try the following.
Create a selection with the selection brush tool (marching ants).
Copier the selection with Ctrl + C in clipboard.
Create a new layer with Ctrl + J.
Select the new layer.
Then you can apply the desired plugin from Topaz.

 

Regards
Gnobelix

[MEB]

@Gnobelix,

There's no need to copy the selection to the clipboard. just create the selection and press ⌘ (cmd) + J to create a layer with the selected part (assuming the original layer is a pixel layer not an image layer type).

[Gnobelix]

Hello MEB,
Thanks, again learned something and a click less

[JLGF1]

17 hours ago, MEB said:

@Gnobelix,

There's no need to copy the selection to the clipboard. just create the selection and press ⌘ (cmd) + J to create a layer with the selected part (assuming the original layer is a pixel layer not an image layer type).

 

Actually, after fiddling with it for over an hour it does not seem to work like you outline (on Windows at least).  With the one Background pixel layer...and a marching ants selection...selecting "New Layer" gives me a blank Pixel layer.

 

What I have to do to get the desired selection into the layer is either:

 

a) copy/paste as Gnobelix suggests  (oddly, with an extra layer which can be deleted)

or

b) Duplicate the layer (ie the Background Pixel layer with selection) which brings in the masked selection into the new layer

 

Either (a) or (b) method can be passed to the external plug-in (the desired end result); (b) is the least clicks.

 

Not sure why Layer/New doesn't do the same thing  as (b)...it doesn't really seem intuitive, but at least I know how to get where I need even if it's not really clear why it works that way.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

[MEB]

Hi JLGF1,

Welcome to Affinity Forums

I believe you misunderstood my post. Pressing ⌘ (cmd) + J duplicates the selected layer. If that layer happens to have a selection active then only the contents of the selection will be duplicated to the "new" (duplicated) layer.

[Alfred]

7 hours ago, JLGF1 said:

Either (a) or (b) method can be passed to the external plug-in (the desired end result); (b) is the least clicks.

 

Method (b) also preserves the previous contents of the system clipboard, which would be overwritten by copy and paste.

 

7 hours ago, JLGF1 said:

Not sure why Layer/New doesn't do the same thing as (b).

 

The ‘New Layer’ option isn’t ‘New from Selection’, as you seem to expect. It’s designed to allow the user to add a blank layer for completely new content.

[JLGF1]

7 hours ago, MEB said:

 

I believe you misunderstood my post. Pressing ⌘ (cmd) + J duplicates the selected layer. If that layer happens to have a selection active then only the contents of the selection will be duplicated to the "new" (duplicated) layer.

 

I will revisit that. Thanks.

 

[JLGF1]

7 hours ago, Alfred said:

 

The ‘New Layer’ option isn’t ‘New from Selection’, as you seem to expect. It’s designed to allow the user to add a blank layer for completely new content.

 

As there are many "Layer/New From..." commands it seems odd to me that there isn't a "Layer/New From Selection", but as I said I have solution.  Thanks for the tip on the clip-board.

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, JLGF1 said:

 

As there are many "Layer/New From..." commands it seems odd to me that there isn't a "Layer/New From Selection", but as I said I have solution.  Thanks for the tip on the clip-board.

There is, as MEB pointed out. It's just that Layer/New from Selection is named Layer/Duplicate
(I'm glad to have read this discussion, as I was also missing Layer/New from Selection, and now I know where it is.)