Working with masks

Masks are managed in the Layers tab of the Layer Properties tool window.

  To duplicate the active layer as a mask, hold down the Add button and click Duplicate as 

Mask in the menu that appears.

  To delete a mask, select it and click the Delete button.

  To turn an existing layer into a mask, click the Use as Mask button. The layer will become a 

mask, attached to the layer directly above it.

  Click the Show Mask Only button to disable the layer owning the mask. Instead, the 

transparent areas in the mask will be shown. White areas are opaque, black areas are 

transparent. This makes it easier to edit the mask.

Usually, the mask will be entirely white because its gradient is not yet transparent. The first thing to 

do is to open the 

gradient editor

. Note that only the opacity view of the editor is enabled, since the 

colors in the gradient do not matter for a mask. Add a few extra control points to the gradient so it 

will start to show some transparency (darker regions).

By toggling the Show Mask Only button, you can alternatively work on the mask and judge the 

effects that it has on the layer that owns it. The mask can be edited like any layer. For example, you 

can zoom in on it, select another coloring algorithm, and so on.

See Also

Tutorial: Masking

Masks

Layers

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