2019

PICTURES
A Guide to QuarkXPress 2019 | 307
corner point’s curve handles can be manipulated independently, usually to form
a sharp transition between the two segments.
To change the character of a line segment, use one of the following buttons:
Straight Segment : Makes the active segment straight. •
Curved Segment : Makes the active segment curved. •
You can also change point and segment types with the Item > Point/Segment Type 
submenu.
Creating special effects with clipping paths
Various options in the Clipping tab let you invert a clipping path or specify
whether a picture is clipped using outside edges only, or whether the picture is
contained within its box. You can create special effects such as making visible
regions transparent and transparent regions visible, allowing holes within a path,
cropping the picture to the edges of the picture box, or removing portions of the
clipping path that fall outside the box borders.
Working with alpha masks
Unlike clipping paths, which produce a smooth edge primarily used for separating a
foreground image from a background image, alpha masks can include transparency
information to subtly blend a foreground image into a new background. To work
with alpha masks in QuarkXPress, you must first create an alpha mask in an image-
editing application such as Adobe Photoshop. You can then use the alpha mask in
QuarkXPress.
The alpha mask on the flames allows the text in the background to show through.
To work with alpha masks in QuarkXPress, you’ll need to save them with the
picture in a format that supports alpha channels.
To apply an alpha mask to the selected picture, choose an alpha channel from the
Measurements palette’s Mask drop-down menu.