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I've been playing with opacity masks and I think they are great. So what can you make using an opacity mask? Here is a semi transparent cloud that I did. I think it would be great to see what other creative things can be done with this versatile transparency type! So let's see what you can come up with and have fun!
Neat! Like the subtlety :)
Thank you John. It's going to be interesting seeing what others can think of to use opacity masks for. Come on everybody give it try!
This is another simple example. I just added a second rectangle with a circular fill and sliced it. :D
Interesting topic. As of the release of Designer 6 Pro a lot of us were trying to figure out a use for this. Any other suggestions or discoveries?
Not much practical use yet Gary, but I've been testing which operations can be done on the 'hole' ... this one [originally posted here] uses feathering and bevels. It's amazing what you can do with a void :D Stained glass? Or just stains?
Unfortunally it doesn't work with blends...
Can you attach an example that doesn't work for you please? Works ok for me (with a blend as the actual mask).Quote:
Originally Posted by MarciaB
Neil
Xara
Suggestions: windows, the reflections in windows, and obtaining complicated gradients more easily. I posted a couple of examples in this thread. When I have time, I'd like to pursue the gradients more, as my gut tells me that there are some interesting possibilities down that road.Quote:
Originally Posted by gwpriester
well here's an interesting discovery, you can apply an opacity mask to an extrusion. If you apply the om to the sides of the extrusion the extrusion is still completely editable as an extrusion! however if you apply the OM to the face of the extrusion you get some rather bizzare results if you try to adjust the angle.
I'll have to look at that Frances! That looks fun :)
Here it is. Tried it again, grouped, ungrouped, but it doesn't work. Maybe I'm doing something wrong...
How did you do that Frances ? The cubes on the left look like ice cubes !
Edit : Never mind, found it...
In this one I used 3 opacity masks to create custom shading that follows the contours of the flag. The real cool thing is by editing the opacity mask with the shape editor I was able to mold my shading!
What isn't working the way you want it to? Note, that if you select all three objects using marquee select then the black rectangle and the blend will be used as the mask for the photo. If you just select the blend and the black rectangle then the blend will be used as the mask for the black rectangle.Quote:
Originally Posted by MarciaB
If you are trying to use the black rectangle as part of the mask for the photo then you don't need to do this. You can simply toggle the "clipping" flag on the resulting object, e.g. delete the black rectangle, select the photo and the blend and select Arrange/Apply opacity mask, then hit Ctrl-Alt-C to toggle the clipping state of the opacity mask group. This will cause all areas of the masked object to become totally transparent outside the area of the mask object(s).
Gerry
This is fun, using Opacity Masks.
The attached uses a blend between two ellipses that has a linear fill from white to black. Used with the 'gold' filled rectangle, it was applied as an Opacity mask for the jpg image of a rose I drew some years ago.
I could not resist Ctrl+Click to toy with the ellipses. This was the result.
The rose jpg was used to clipview the rectangle + ellipse blend.
I'm still playing around trying to find a common use for the Opacity masks. Maybe for flash animation or watermarking photos I guess.
Thanks Gerry, that was it !
Here's another example. I used the Opacity Mask to mask out 5 areas of the background in this image rather than using the traditional Ctrl 4 (Slice) option.
Also used colour black for the word opacity and masked this with the flowers a second time and then placed a duplicate of the flower images behind the text to achieve a nice matching background.
A guess it's an OK way of masking out backgrounds and retaining the full image within a group.
That's a great image! :)
Way cool, Jerry! Once you get the hang of it, OMs are so easy and so flexible.Quote:
Originally Posted by GerryI
I have to admit, I was skeptical of this feature at first. It looked like something that could be done with ordinary transparency.
I prepared this example for a company that is reviewing Designer Pro 6 to demonstrate the process.
Note how the white shape makes the center pencil totally opaque and lets it jump out from the rest of the image.
I am starting to like this new feature. A lot. :D
You'll have to forgive me but I don't think I understand opacity masks ... everything I've seen could have been done with cutting out and transparencies in less time I would have thought? Or am I seriously missing out on something here?
You are forgiven.Quote:
Originally Posted by JokeArtist
True.Quote:
everything I've seen could have been done with cutting out and transparencies
False.Quote:
in less time
I don't know. On some "Drugs and Drink" maybe? (reading member profile) ;))Quote:
Or am I seriously missing out on something here?
I haven't experimented, but in looking at the examples, I wondered the same thing...Quote:
Originally Posted by JokeArtist
Opacity masks? I'm curious all of this excitement over a feature that has been in Xara for years. I don't understand, is there something different here? I've always been using them just right click on any b/w or even color bitmap in the bitmap gallery and hit apply as transparency. This feature has been around forever.
I think the keyword here is that you can use OM with any drawn shape not just bitmaps. Just another way of achieving the desired result. I like options!
Ummm, actually in past versions you can do just that select anything you create in xara go to your bitmap gallery, right click on a bitmap and select apply as transparency. Voila you have an opacity mask.Quote:
Originally Posted by JaffDave
Opacity masks allow you to use vector objects to control the transparency of other vector objects.
Try using a text story with a complex fill and feathering as an opacity mask and then editing the text in place. Then try the same thing using only the old bitmap transparency feature...
Gerry
I'm in two minds about this one myself. Perhaps in some circumstances it might save time, but I haven't yet found exactly how. Perhaps we have all acquired a particular way of using vector objects and need to look at this from another angle?
I like the new enhance transparency though. Not sure if this could be done before, but I think being able to "enhance" part of a complex vector image, including many objects, even parts of multiple objects, will be quite useful.
After spending many hours playing with this feature I still can't see an obvious use for it. Seems a lot of effort has gone into a tool that does so little. I think I will wait to see if anyone does anything impressive before spending any more time on this one.
End result: a grouped transparency mask rather than a sliced vector.
Back to work for me with a new spanner in the toolbox.
Try watching XaraXhris' video .... there "appear" to be items that you couldn't produce before.
Here is an example by using an inner contour to create the OM you now have an editable transparency that follows the contours of an irregular object!
Here is My indulgence
Attachment 73577
Jim
I can still do that with Xtreme Pro 5.Quote:
Originally Posted by angelize
;))
Maybe at some stage someone will organise a competition using OM? I have a gut feeling the tool will have lots of uses, but I lack the inspiration.
maybe the bit of confusion in this thread is a good hint to xara that the feature needs more xara-made videos...
I just came across a place I would use opacity masks to do something quicker: compositing pictures. I am using the photo tool on two copies of the same picture, directly on top of each other. These have two different photo levels applied, so that different items stand out in each of the pictures. In my case one level is applied to adjust the black background of a star field, and the other to bring out the stars on the second photo. If I had 6, I would just draw a bunch of circles on the top one for the stars I want to keep, and then apply it as an OM. It can be done in 4 and 5, but it is much slower.