PhotoPlus X2 User Guide - Serif

150 Layers and Masks
To delete a mask:
• Select the mask preview thumbnail and click the layer tab's Delete
button. (Don't press the Delete key!)
Editing on the mask
In Edit Mask mode, you can use the full range of painting tools, selection options,
flood and gradient fills, and effects to alter the mask's greyscale values. These
manipulations cause corresponding changes in opacity, which in turn changes the
appearance of the pixels on the layer itself (or on an adjustment layer, the intensity
of the applied effect).
Remember, as long as you are editing the mask, you're only seeing a preview of
changes on the layer. No permanent changes will be applied until you actually
merge the mask with the layer. You can switch out of Edit Mask mode at any time
to work directly on the layer (or any other part of the image), then switch back to
resume work on the mask.
To edit the active layer's mask:
• Click the Mask thumbnail, or check Edit Mask on the Layers menu. (Click the
layer's bitmap thumbnail or uncheck the menu item to switch out of Edit
Mask mode.)
The image window's title bar shows "[MASK]," indicating that a mask is currently
being edited. The Colour tab switches to Greyscale mode when you're editing a
mask, and reverts to the previous setting when you exit Edit Mask mode. This
means anything you paste from the Clipboard onto the mask will automatically be
converted to greyscale.
In Edit Mask mode, you're normally viewing not the mask, but rather the effects of
changes "as if" you were making them on the layer below. Adding a Reveal All
mask can be a bit confusing, because there's initially no evidence the mask is there
at all (i.e. the layer appears exactly the same as it did before you added the mask)!
It's sometimes helpful to switch on the View Mask setting, which hides the layer
and lets you see only the mask, in all its greyscale glory. For example, a Reveal All
mask appears pure white in View Mask mode—the white represents a clear mask
with no effect on the underlying layer pixels' opacity. View Mask can also be useful
in the latter stages of working on a mask, to locate any small regions that may have
escaped your attention.