User Guide

Chapter 7: Sprite Technology
3. The object appears in channel mask edit mode, with the object visible and the channel mask
selected. You can edit the channel mask with painting tools (see "Editing channel masks" on
page 676).
4. Press Esc to leave edit mode when you finish.
When you create a new channel mask, the channel is filled with white pixels. At this point, the
channel mask produces no transparency because white pixels in the channel mask produce 0%
transparency in the masked object. As you edit the channel, painting with gray produces partial
transparency, and painting with black produces 100% transparency.
To create a channel mask with the Sprite tool:
1. Use the Sprite tool to apply a channel mask to a text, vector, or image object.
2. Select the object to which you want to apply the mask.
3.
Select the Sprite tool and click on the selected object.
The object switches to image edit mode.
4. Once masked, apply transparency effects to the mask with Painting tools.
To set the channel mask scope:
When you apply a channel mask to a vector object, the channel mask affects the vector object’s fill
ink or fill ink and stroke (pen ink). To change the effect, change the Scope option in the Properties
bar or Transparency palette (see "Controlling the scope of transparency effects" on page 670).
Masking with a paint object
You can create a channel mask by attaching a paint object to another object. If you have an existing
paint object that you want to use as a channel mask, it’s quicker to use this procedure than to use the
Channels palette to place the paint object in a channel mask.
To attach a channel mask:
1. Place a paint object to use as a mask in front of the object to be masked. The two objects do
not have to overlap or touch, but the paint object must be in front of the other object in the
stacking order.
2. Select both objects.
3. Choose Object | SpriteLayers | Attach Mask. Canvas creates a channel mask and both objects
remain selected. The original paint object is not changed.
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