User guide
Layers and Masks 45
Each non-Background layer can have one mask at any given time. (The
Background layer can’t have one because it doesn’t support transparency.) Mask
information, like layer information, can only be preserved by saving the image in
the native PhotoPlus (.SPP) format.
Masking can also be applied to adjustment and effect filters, where you can
isolate regions (e.g., an image background) to which you want a filter to be
applied. (See Using filter masks on p. 44). Similarly, you can use studio-based
filter masking on adjustments by using PhotoFix (see p. 60).
Creating the mask
Before you can use a mask, you
have to create it on a particular
layer. The mask can start out as
transparent (revealing the whole
layer), opaque (hiding the whole
layer), a transparency gradient
(opposite) or—if you create it
from a selection—a bit of both
(with only the selected region
hidden or revealed). The mask
shows as a mask thumbnail.
The choice depends on how you want to work with the layer's contents. By
darkening portions of a clear mask, you can selectively fade layer pixels. By
lightening an opaque mask, you selectively reveal layer pixels.
To create a mask:
1. Select a layer in the Layers tab. This is the layer where you want to create
the mask, and select specific region(s) if desired.
2. Then either:
Click the Add Layer Mask button to create a Reveal All mask (or
Reveal Selection if there is one). Instead, Alt-click the button for a
Hide All Mask (or Hide Selection).
OR