Masking part of an image

You can use a mask associated with a layer to make one or more parts of the layer transparent. When a part, even one with objects in it, is transparent, the layers underneath the part are visible. You create these invisible areas by drawing or painting with black on the mask. Alternatively, you draw or paint with white to make parts of a layer visible.

 

An advantage of using masks is that they are nondestructive, since the entire original image in a layer is still present. Consequently, a mask can be changed in the future if needed. This differs from some destructive editing techniques in which information in an image is permanently lost.

 

To mask part of an image in a layer

  1. In the Layers panel, select the layer that will have the mask to make it the active layer.
  2. At the bottom of the Layers panel, select Mask . Note that a thumbnail picture of the mask contents is added to the layer in the Layers panel and that the Foreground and Background Colors in the lower left of the Pixelitor window are now black and white, respectively.
  3. Using tools on the vertical toolbar, draw or paint the areas on the image that are to be transparent.
  4. (Optional) If needed, you can draw or paint with white in the mask to return previously painted transparent areas to being visible again. To do this, in the lower left of the Pixelitor window, reverse the Foreground and Background Colors by selecting the middle of the three white buttons above the two colors. Then draw or paint with white.
  5. (Optional) If needed, you can stop editing the mask and change to editing content in the layer. To do this, in the Layers panel in the layer that contains the new mask, select the thumbnail picture of the layer, which is the middle of the three small squares shown on the layer.

Tip: You can access various mask related operations, such as editing, disabling, and deleting a mask, by right-clicking on the thumbnail picture of a mask in a layer in the Layers panel and then selecting an operation from the shortcut menu.

 

 

Related topic

Managing layers