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How do you use masks in Publisher?


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I went to the help files first - there it states, yes, there are masks. But it doesn't tell you how to use them?

I have used masks in Photoshop for over 10 years. 

Obviously, masks work completely different in Publisher.

The problem I'm facing: I have inserted an image, and I want to mask out a part of it. In Photoshop I'd use the rectangular tool or the paint brush and in seconds the feat would be done.

But in Publisher I don't know how to mask anything out. All I could do is create an empty mask that now sits attached to its layer. 

How can I get anything on that mask so it can actually do what its name promises?

Step by step info would be much appreciated!

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Unless you have AP for using brushes or get selection from forms or strokes made in AD (shift+click), and use again brushes or invert the colour to blacken those selections, you'll only be able to use the Gradient tool on layers in APub.

Using the Gradient tool is the same as using the Transparency tool, but you can use more than one Mask with different gradients on them to achieve different results.

 

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Assuming you don't have Photo and Designer installed (if you do you just need to use StudioLink to access a whole variety of pixel tools including brushes), you could create a mask as follows:

(1) use pen tool to draw the area you wish to retain in the photo or just use a shape tool eg Rectanguar Tool. This will give a new layer.
(2) fill with black, white or any other colour (doesn't seem to make a difference  - a bug?)
(3) right click and select 'mask to below'. Only the photo included within the shape will be revealed.
(4) you can adjust the mask by right clicking, selecting 'edit mask' and then use node tools to amend nodes. Best to do this by releasing the mask so that the photo layer is also revealed and then remasking.

(5) you can also move the mask around, just select the mast layer and use the move tool.
 

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14 hours ago, World View said:

In Photoshop I'd use the rectangular tool

Draw a rectangle over the part of the image you want to keep visible.

In the layers panel drag the rectangle over the image's thumbnail and release

Note: The rectangle must have a fill colour but it does not matter what colour it is

 

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2 hours ago, World View said:

not masking off, but creating a shape through which you view what can be seen

That is exactly what masking is when you use a vector shape to mask.

You must remember Photoshop is image editing software and Publisher is layout app. You can mask objects also with pixel masks when you move to Photo persona (though editing is a bit weird IMHO..). In InDesign you cannot do any pixel editing.

Basically cropping and simple vector edits for image frame should be enough in layout app; if any more advanced masking is needed it should be done with image editor. Publisher may be a game changer here as its Photo persona allows a lot of image editing right in the layout view.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/16/2019 at 3:33 AM, Wasp11b said:

Assuming you don't have Photo and Designer installed (if you do you just need to use StudioLink to access a whole variety of pixel tools including brushes), you could create a mask as follows:

(1) use pen tool to draw the area you wish to retain in the photo or just use a shape tool eg Rectanguar Tool. This will give a new layer.
(2) fill with black, white or any other colour (doesn't seem to make a difference  - a bug?)
(3) right click and select 'mask to below'. Only the photo included within the shape will be revealed.
(4) you can adjust the mask by right clicking, selecting 'edit mask' and then use node tools to amend nodes. Best to do this by releasing the mask so that the photo layer is also revealed and then remasking.

(5) you can also move the mask around, just select the mast layer and use the move tool.
 

(deleted)

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As you mentioned using the rectangle tool, it sounds like you want to perform some kind of simple crop on the image, so perhaps simply using Publisher's Crop Tool would do the job for you?

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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Suggestion

I hope that soon we get a video which deals with this, in fact infomation is hard to come by in dealing with when Pub is transferred by link with to other personnas, the crop does not change to the photo one but stays the same as if you hadn't clicked on the photo personna.

John

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4 minutes ago, jrkay said:

when Pub is transferred by link with to other personnas, the crop does not change to the photo one but stays the same as if you hadn't clicked on the photo personna.

There's no other way it could work. If you want the standard Crop Tool from Photo you would need to open the image for editing, in a separate tab, rather than simply switching to the Photo Persona.

If you simply got the Photo Crop Tool by switching to the Photo Persona you would end up cropping out the other page content, because you would still be operating on the complete page. But if you have a linked image file (JPG, TIF, PNG) or a linked document file (.afphoto, .afdesign, PSD, SVG, PDF, etc.) then you can open it for editing as a separate object.

Select it with the Move Tool and use Edit Image (or Edit Document) in the Context Toolbar or double-click on it and it will open in a new tab. Then switch to the Photo Persona and you have the standard Photo Crop Tool available. Note that if you have an image file (JPG, TIF, PNG) any changes you make will apply to the original file, not just the copy in Publisher.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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Thanks, Walt, I got it going. The dragging of the mask on top of the picture just is so finicky. That little upward rectangle appears on the layer with the image in it, and you let go, but often it doesn't mask then but just slides off and covers the whole page. Something's not working too well here, so I'm using now the submenu when you click the right button via your stylus.

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Good to hear you got something working. In addition to the Crop Tool, if you haven't tried Picture Frames you might find their capabilities useful.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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