Empty Mask Layers: How to Use

[Mark Oehlschlager]

I'm just now working though the help files for Publisher, getting to know the application.

With regard to using empty mask layers, it's easy enough to click the "Mask Layer" button at the bottom of the Layers panel to create an empty mask layer, but how is one meant to use it?

I've tried to draw directly on the mask layer to add a masking element, but I'm unable to do so. I can't find any guidance on how one is supposed to use an empty mask layer in the Help files. What am I missing here?

[dominik]

5 hours ago, Mark Oehlschlager said:

I'm just now working though the help files for Publisher, getting to know the application.

With regard to using empty mask layers, it's easy enough to click the "Mask Layer" button at the bottom of the Layers panel to create an empty mask layer, but how is one meant to use it?

I've tried to draw directly on the mask layer to add a masking element, but I'm unable to do so. I can't find any guidance on how one is supposed to use an empty mask layer in the Help files. What am I missing here?

Hi @Mark Oehlschlager,

I think this is a limitation due to the fact that the Affinity Photo Persona is not activated yet. A mask layer that you create via the button at the bottom of the layers panel is a pixel layer. But there are no pixel tools in APub available at the moment. This will most likely change once APh is available with its pixel tools.

What does work is vector masks. But they are created as vector objects/layers and you can e.g. place a rectangle above an image, right click on it and select 'Mask to Below'.

Hope that explains something 
d.

 

[Mark Oehlschlager]

Dominik,

Thank you. That makes sense. 

I know that in Adobe Illustrator one can use a grayscale gradient fill within a masking vector shape to achieve gradient masks. One can also use greyscale photos as a kind of alpha channel to produce partial masks. Is that possible within Publisher, or is Publisher limited to simple cutouts?

 

 

[dominik]

1 hour ago, Mark Oehlschlager said:

I know that in Adobe Illustrator one can use a grayscale gradient fill within a making vector shape to achieve gradient masks. ... Is that possible within Publisher, or is Publisher limited to simple cutouts?

Actually, I was under the impression that it is possible to use vector shapes with gradient fills as a mask to a achieve transparencies. But by trying this out just now I did not get it to work. I must be wrong (or it is a bug? Can someone, please, confirm).

There is a way in APub to assign gradual transparency: use the Transparency Tool (Y).

Cheers,
d.

 

[fde101]

4 hours ago, dominik said:

But by trying this out just now I did not get it to work

The alpha channel is used rather than the color of the shape.

You can use the channel mixer adjustment on a shape with a gradient to recreate the alpha channel from the intensity to make this work, or you can set different opacity levels for the different stops on the gradient.

[dominik]

3 hours ago, fde101 said:

The alpha channel is used rather than the color of the shape.

You can use the channel mixer adjustment on a shape with a gradient to recreate the alpha channel from the intensity to make this work, or you can set different opacity levels for the different stops on the gradient.

Thanks for the help. I was kind of stuck 

d.

[jmwellborn]

On 12/1/2018 at 2:40 AM, dominik said:

Hi @Mark Oehlschlager,

I think this is a limitation due to the fact that the Affinity Photo Persona is not activated yet. A mask layer that you create via the button at the bottom of the layers panel is a pixel layer. But there are no pixel tools in APub available at the moment. This will most likely change once APh is available with its pixel tools.

What does work is vector masks. But they are created as vector objects/layers and you can e.g. place a rectangle above an image, right click on it and select 'Mask to Below'.

Hope that explains something 
d.

 

I guess I am a total idiot, but where is "Mask to Below?"    Here is what happens when I put a rectangle on top of an image, and right click.

[lepr]

.

[jmwellborn]

1 hour ago, >|< said:

Currently, Mask To Below is only in the right-click menu of an object in Layers panel.

Yep.   I am officially an idiot.    Or maybe just learning all this layers stuff.   Anyway, I will try it tomorrow.   Thank you!!!!!!

[dominik]

2 hours ago, jmwellborn said:

Yep.   I am officially an idiot.

Looking in the wrong place does not make you an idiot 

In my eyes it's more like you perhaps found a GUI flaw that will be improved in the future. Currently the right click menues seem to be more related to the top 'Layer' menu than to some of the (additional) functionality in the layers studio.

d.

[jmwellborn]

13 hours ago, dominik said:

Looking in the wrong place does not make you an idiot 

In my eyes it's more like you perhaps found a GUI flaw that will be improved in the future. Currently the right click menues seem to be more related to the top 'Layer' menu than to some of the (additional) functionality in the layers studio.

d.

Thank you Dominik!   You are a true gentleman.