Problems with exercises in the Workbook

[rugbynut]

Can someone please direct me the forum area dealing with questions arising from the exercises in the Workbook?  Thanks

[Patrick Connor]

@rugbynut

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums

this is a perfect place to ask, please go ahead

[rugbynut]

OK Patrick, thanks for responding. Page 351. Told to make a selection on Lefthand Layer, then make a selection on Righthand Layer then to invert the selection on this layer. Then add a mask to the Cheese group then deselect. What is this supposed to do for me 2 selections on different layers & then mask a Group that doesn't contain those layers? Took me a while to realise there's no such thing as a Hero Mark in AP!. Confused!

[Patrick Connor]

Thanks rugbynut, hopefully someone with the book and program can explain this quickly, otherwise the support team should answer in the week

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, rugbynut said:

Page 351. Told to make a selection on Lefthand Layer, then make a selection on Righthand Layer then to invert the selection on this layer. Then add a mask to the Cheese group then deselect. What is this supposed to do for me 2 selections on different layers & then mask a Group that doesn't contain those layers? Took me a while to realise there's no such thing as a Hero Mark in AP!. Confused!

First, a clarification. Page numbers may change with different printings. I believe you're talking about the section titled "Creating the hero mask", which was on page 249 of (what I think is) the original printing.

Note that you started out by selecting the top bread slices from the left- and right-hand layers, and then inverted the selection. That gave you a selection of everything except those two slices. You then turned that selection into a mask for the (as you noted) unrelated Cheese group.

Basically, I think, that mask will mean that the contents of the Cheese group, and whatever you do to it, won't be able to affect those bread slices that you used to create the mask from the left- and right-hand layers.

Presumably, as we continue the exercise, we'll be combining some information from the Cheese group into the overall composition, and that masking will prevent us from overlaying things in the other layers. But for the ultimate result, you'll need to continue working the exercise.

[rugbynut]

Thanks Mark, how 2 different selections on 2 different layers can end up in a mask on the Group can only be Witchcraft IMHO. Can't wait to hear from the Experts.

[walt.farrell]

3 hours ago, rugbynut said:

Thanks Mark, how 2 different selections on 2 different layers can end up in a mask on the Group can only be Witchcraft IMHO. Can't wait to hear from the Experts.

I already explained (to the best of my ability) what it's doing. (But I won't claim to be an expert )

Perhaps you also need to understand that a selection is just a pixel outline. It isn't really associated with anything, as far as I understand, except an area of the screen. It's only when you do something with the selection that the contents are relevant.

In this workbook example, the selection is used to make a mask for something else, which works because, again, the selection is just a region of the image on the screen. It's not really associated with anything in particular, even though it may appear that way because you drew it around something specific. This means that if you're wanting to turn it into a mask it can be made into a mask for anything you choose. It's just a kind of shape, devoid of any meaning until it's used for something.

[rugbynut]

OK well support didn't want to help on that one.

[R C-R]

10 hours ago, rugbynut said:

OK well support didn't want to help on that one.

Do you understand what @walt.farrell told you? If so, what else do you want to know?

[rugbynut]

I will see when (if) I return to the book, thanks for contact