A layer mask is used to reveal or hide a portion of a layer. Layer masks are commonly used with adjustments, filters and creative effects to selectively reveal or hide them on parts of a photo rather than globally. Using masking is non-destructive, which means you can return to refine your adjustments at any given time.
In Affinity Photo 2, two types of masking is possible:
Pixel masking: performs a similar task to the erase tools with one important difference; a pixel mask can be modified, or even discarded. Gradations of grey in a pixel mask can be used in various ways. For example:
To produce an anti-aliased selection whose edges are softer, not hard and jagged—useful when compositing images, say.
To apply a luminosity mask to a Curves adjustment layer so its impact varies by brightness.
Vector masking: generated by a pen or shape tool, it involves using vector content as a mask over another layer that crops to the vector content's outline.
Pixel Selection Mask
Greyscale Painted Mask
Transparency Mask
Clipping Mask
Colour Selection Mask
Luminosity Mask
Channel Mask
Vector Mask
About masks
Masks are applied as separate layers, allowing them to be freely edited and moved. Mask layers affect any layer below them in the Layers panel, unless clipped to individual layers.
You can apply destructive filters to mask layers. For example, a selection of blur, sharpen, distortion or noise filters can be applied to mask layers, as well as layers with mask layer properties such as adjustment layers, live filter layers and masked fill layers; spare channels can also take destructive filters too.
Masking can be applied at any level in the Layers panel—as an independent mask layer or applied to a specific layer or to a layer group. This is governed by the mask layer's positioning in the layer stack.
By default, a created mask layer is clipped to the selected layer or added at the top of the Layers panel if no layer is selected. It can be moved up and down within the Layers panel for greater control over the affected areas.
Layer masks allow for a non-destructive workflow. Any adjustments made on a mask can be returned to and modified without any loss in image quality.
Mask layers can have a unique blend mode assigned.
To create a mask layer:
On the Layers panel, select the layer you wish to mask.
Do one of the following:
On the Layers panel, click Mask Layer.
On the Layers panel, -click Mask Layer to reveal the options, then select Mask.
On the Layers panel, -click Mask Layer to reveal the options, then select Mask.
From the top menu, select Layer>New Mask Layer.
To create an empty mask layer:
On the Layers panel, select the layer you wish to mask.
Do one of the following:
Hold and (at the bottom of the panel) click Mask Layer>Empty Mask.
Hold the and click Mask Layer.
-click Mask Layer to reveal the options, then select Empty Mask.
From the top menu, select Layer>New Empty Mask Layer.
To view/edit a pixel mask in isolation:
-click on the mask thumbnail.
To return to normal view, click the thumbnail again whilst holding .
Other mask types
Apart from the default mask and empty mask, Affinity Photo 2 introduces additional masking options. These are available via the Layers panel and offer more control over the edit depending on the desired workflow and outcome.
The following additional mask types are available:
Compound Mask—a powerful masking system that uses boolean operators to combine masks non-destructively.
Luminosity Range Mask—a live, non-destructive mask that targets pixels based on their luminosity value.
Hue Range Mask—a live, non-destructive mask that targets pixels based on hue.
Band-pass Mask—a live, non-destructive mask that targets pixels based on a configurable frequency band, used in a range of sharpening techniques.
To create one of the above masks:
Do one of the following:
On the Layers panel, -click Mask Layer to reveal the options.
On the Layers panel, -click Mask Layer to reveal the options.
From the Layer menu, select New Live Mask Layer to reveal the options.
Masking methods
Masking can be performed using a number of methods depending on on what you wish to target.
Pixel selection
Great when working with a range of photographic genres, where adjustments are targeted to a specific pixel area.
To create a mask based on pixel selection:
Make a selection.
Do one of the following:
On the Layers panel, click Mask Layer.
From the Layer menu, select New Mask Layer.
(Optional) Refine mask selection and decide on its output.
Greyscale
Based on the dark and light values, this type of masking can be used to control the amount of visibility of the added effect, adjustment, etc. Greyscale masks are great to work with images of high contrast as they give you a high-level of control over the adjustment's opacity.
To mask using greyscale:
Select a layer.
Add an effect or an adjustment.
Do one of the following:
Use the Paint Brush Tool with its colour set at a tonal value of grey, 50%, say.
Use the Gradient Tool and set the start and end points' tonal values as required.
Transparency mask
Setting different levels of transparency to a layer mask controls how much of the effect is visible (see-through).
To control transparency:
Select a layer.
Add an effect or an adjustment.
Change the Opacity value on the Layers panel.
Clipping mask
Using a clipping mask, you may take one item and transform it into another. Common examples are an image enclosed in text or a drawn shape.
To create a clipping mask:
Open an image.
Create an object, e.g. text or a shape, and ensure it resides on top of the image layer.
Do one of the following:
Drag the shape layer onto the thumbnail of the image layer you want to clip to.
-click the layer to clip (shape, text, etc.) and choose Mask to Below.
On the Layer menu, select Mask to Below.
The thumbnail of the target object changes to indicate that a mask and crop have been applied.
The masking object is clipped to the target object using a "crop to top object" operation.
The masking object can be a group of objects which will remain as independent objects after masking; the group can be expanded/collapsed and its objects will remain editable.
Colour range selection mask
When there is no clear edge to your subject, such as when (in landscape photography, for example) clouds fade into the background, you may wish to employ the colour range masking technique. Then, identifying the pixels based on their colour will prove far more precise.
To mask using colour range:
Select the image layer and do one of the following:
Select Layer>New Adjustment Layer>HSL.
On the Layers panel click Adjustments>HSL.
Use the dedicated colour circles or the Picker to locate the exact colour.
In the dialog, adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity.
Mask to the adjustment by doing one of the following:
From the Layers panel, select Mask Layer.
From the Layer menu, select New Mask Layer.
Paint, erase or fill the adjustment layer as on any mask.
Luminosity mask
We can target specific tonal areas of an image based on Luminosity. The selected are the grey tonal values of an image, and not colour.
To create a luminosity mask:
Do one of the following:
On the Select menu, choose Selection from Layer Intensity.
On the Layers panel, press and s and click the layer's thumbnail.
On the Layers panel, click Mask Layer.
Channel mask
This masking method is particularly useful for targeting midtones, shadows and highlights of an image based on colour channels' information, where you can separate and edit them non-destructively.
To create a channel mask:
Select the image layer.
Choose Select>Tonal Range and decide on either: Select Midtones, Select Shadows or Select Highlights.
Choose Select>Save Selection>As Spare Channel.
On the Channels panel, -click Pixel Selection and select Create Spare Channel. You can rename this depending on the selected tonal range.
Repeat the above for other tonal values if required.
Vector mask
This is a path that cuts out the content of a layer. In general, it is more accurate than one formed with pixel-based methods. A Vector mask is usually created with a Pen Tool or a Shape Tool.
To create a vector mask:
On the Layers panel, select a layer with vector content, e.g. a shape layer.
Place an image in the document.
Drag the vector layer and offer it to the thumbnail of the image layer. The thumbnail of the target layer changes to indicate that a mask (and crop) has been applied.
Masking actions
Non-destructive by design, masks can be further edited, released, refined, inverted, updated or deleted completely at any time in the editing workflow.
To edit a pixel mask:
On the Layers panel, select the layer mask.
Do one of the following:
To erase from the mask, paint on the page using the Erase Brush Tool or the Paint Brush Tool set to black foreground colour.
To restore the mask, paint on the page using the Paint Brush Tool set to white as its foreground colour.
Select the Gradient Tool and drag across the layer. Adjust the gradient colours (context toolbar), as required.
On the Layers panel, modify the Opacity setting.
To release a pixel mask:
On the Layers panel, select the mask's thumbnail.
-click and select Release Mask.
To refine a pixel mask:
On the Layers panel, select the mask's thumbnail.
From the Layer menu, select Refine Mask.
To invert a pixel mask:
On the Layers panel, select the mask's thumbnail.
Do one of the following:
From the Layer menu, select Invert.
On the Channels panel, -click the mask's alpha channel entry and select Invert.
Press +I.
To change pixel mask properties:
As you erase or paint on the mask, adjust Width, Opacity, Flow and Hardness from the brush's context toolbar.
To delete a mask:
With the layer mask selected, do one of the following:
To create a mask layer:
To edit a pixel mask:
To invert a pixel mask:
To delete a mask: