Don't know how to use the new mask tool

[SBusAsCensored]

@MIDNYTE_DUBH

@AquaPainter168

@PlumCrazy010

It’s a great feature, but it has an unfortunate limitation. It seems the mask cuts through everything beneath it.

I forgot to mention that’s why I put the blue layer behind my masked layer groups to illustrate that. Also not sure if there’s a way to add borders to masked text (didn’t have enough time to play around with it last night) so we might still have to employ the old method at times:

EDIT – I put some more thought into this while I was running some errands. My initial comments below are one approach, but there’s a quicker option to creating a border. When you convert a layer group to a mask, the original layer group remains. In most cases, you would probably just delete these remnants if layer count is an issue. If you’re creating a border, however, you would ungroup the remnants and modify them to extend out from underneath the mask to create your border.

Just as a side note, I found that masks can also be used to create copies of the original layer group…

---- INITIAL COMMENTS FOLLOW ----

If I’m thinking clearly, you could probably use the masks to make bordered sets – if your colors for the border and the surrounding paint aren’t too far from each other. In your AC/DC logo for example, let’s say you the letters to be silver, the border a light blue and the rest of the car a darker blue:

1. Paint the car silver
2. Lay a single layer of the dark blue
3. Apply a mask that extends to the outermost edges of the border
4. Lay a single layer of a lighter blue and adjust its transparency to about 80%
5. Apply a second mask that extends only to the edges of the letters

The semi-transparent layer of step 4 would slightly alter the base color, but allow the border to stand out from the core. Over a metallic base, both the lettering and the border would have some degree of metallic element to them.

[PTG_Wildcat]

@SBusAsCensored

@MIDNYTE_DUBH

@AquaPainter168

@PlumCrazy010

It’s a great feature, but it has an unfortunate limitation. It seems the mask cuts through everything beneath it.

I forgot to mention that’s why I put the blue layer behind my masked layer groups to illustrate that. Also not sure if there’s a way to add borders to masked text (didn’t have enough time to play around with it last night) so we might still have to employ the old method at times:

EDIT – I put some more thought into this while I was running some errands. My initial comments below are one approach, but there’s a quicker option to creating a border. When you convert a layer group to a mask, the original layer group remains. In most cases, you would probably just delete these remnants if layer count is an issue. If you’re creating a border, however, you would ungroup the remnants and modify them to extend out from underneath the mask to create your border.

Just as a side note, I found that masks can also be used to create copies of the original layer group…

---- INITIAL COMMENTS FOLLOW ----

If I’m thinking clearly, you could probably use the masks to make bordered sets – if your colors for the border and the surrounding paint aren’t too far from each other. In your AC/DC logo for example, let’s say you the letters to be silver, the border a light blue and the rest of the car a darker blue:

1. Paint the car silver
2. Lay a single layer of the dark blue
3. Apply a mask that extends to the outermost edges of the border
4. Lay a single layer of a lighter blue and adjust its transparency to about 80%
5. Apply a second mask that extends only to the edges of the letters

The semi-transparent layer of step 4 would slightly alter the base color, but allow the border to stand out from the core. Over a metallic base, both the lettering and the border would have some degree of metallic element to them.

If I’m understanding what you’re trying to do … this won’t work. If you’re talking about stacking masks of slightly different widths or heights on top of each other to create a border effect … remember that all masking layers cut all vinyls all the way down to the base paint. So the tallest or widest masking layer will cut out everything else … including a slightly shorter or narrower vinyl underneath that was to function as a border.

If you were trying to explain something else, please elaborate.

[AquaPainter168]

@PTG_Wildcat

@SBusAsCensored

@MIDNYTE_DUBH

@AquaPainter168

@PlumCrazy010

It’s a great feature, but it has an unfortunate limitation. It seems the mask cuts through everything beneath it.

I forgot to mention that’s why I put the blue layer behind my masked layer groups to illustrate that. Also not sure if there’s a way to add borders to masked text (didn’t have enough time to play around with it last night) so we might still have to employ the old method at times:

EDIT – I put some more thought into this while I was running some errands. My initial comments below are one approach, but there’s a quicker option to creating a border. When you convert a layer group to a mask, the original layer group remains. In most cases, you would probably just delete these remnants if layer count is an issue. If you’re creating a border, however, you would ungroup the remnants and modify them to extend out from underneath the mask to create your border.

Just as a side note, I found that masks can also be used to create copies of the original layer group…

---- INITIAL COMMENTS FOLLOW ----

If I’m thinking clearly, you could probably use the masks to make bordered sets – if your colors for the border and the surrounding paint aren’t too far from each other. In your AC/DC logo for example, let’s say you the letters to be silver, the border a light blue and the rest of the car a darker blue:

1. Paint the car silver
2. Lay a single layer of the dark blue
3. Apply a mask that extends to the outermost edges of the border
4. Lay a single layer of a lighter blue and adjust its transparency to about 80%
5. Apply a second mask that extends only to the edges of the letters

The semi-transparent layer of step 4 would slightly alter the base color, but allow the border to stand out from the core. Over a metallic base, both the lettering and the border would have some degree of metallic element to them.

If I’m understanding what you’re trying to do … this won’t work. If you’re talking about stacking masks of slightly different widths or heights on top of each other to create a border effect … remember that all masking layers cut all vinyls all the way down to the base paint. So the tallest or widest masking layer will cut out everything else … including a slightly shorter or narrower vinyl underneath that was to function as a border.

If you were trying to explain something else, please elaborate.

He means use a mask to cut bits off, and then use the bits separately. I think you might be able to, because I had some bits lying around when I tried the mask out.

[MIDNYTE_DUBH]

@SBusAsCensored

EDIT – I put some more thought into this while I was running some errands. My initial comments below are one approach, but there’s a quicker option to creating a border. When you convert a layer group to a mask, the original layer group remains. In most cases, you would probably just delete these remnants if layer count is an issue. If you’re creating a border, however, you would ungroup the remnants and modify them to extend out from underneath the mask to create your border.

Ah yes, I see… also I hadn’t thought to ungroup the Masked layers either, nice one

Original layer group:

Masked & resized:

** note: I decided to resize the masked layers down rather than extend the original layer group out **

The difference is subtle but I think (with a bit of tidying) the result is more accurate than what I had before plus the layer count is a bit less:

I’d say there’s not much between the two methods as far as time or difficulty required to make a bordered cutout for this particular logo but it could be a case of “horses for courses” when working with other decals. It’s nice to have another option in any case.

[AquaPainter168]

@MIDNYTE_DUBH

@AquaPainter168

…it looks like gold paint is finally here.

To be fair Aqua, it’s always been possible to have that effect, now it’s just less fiddly - or at least, it uses less layers

@PlumCrazy010

It’s a great feature, but it has an unfortunate limitation. It seems the mask cuts through everything beneath it.

I forgot to mention that’s why I put the blue layer behind my masked layer groups to illustrate that. Also not sure if there’s a way to add borders to masked text (didn’t have enough time to play around with it last night) so we might still have to employ the old method at times:

I’ve used gold the other way, but inverted coca cola would be a nightmare.

[AquaPainter168]

@PlumCrazy010

It’s a great feature, but it has an unfortunate limitation. It seems the mask cuts through everything beneath it. You cannot scope it using groups. In the example below it masks out all layer groups below it, including the semi-transparent biasing layer that is intended to boost the base color.

Actually since then I have been able to boost the base colour from the top instead of the bottom. You would use the coca cola shape like I said, and where it overlaps you make more masks to cut out those bits as well. It works I did it with this Elvis Text…

The paint colour is Chrome, so I faked Gold with a transparent layer. The reason I did it that way is because the studs on his jacket are silver, so now I have silver, and gold combined.

[PlumCrazy010]

@AquaPainter168

@PlumCrazy010

It’s a great feature, but it has an unfortunate limitation. It seems the mask cuts through everything beneath it. You cannot scope it using groups. In the example below it masks out all layer groups below it, including the semi-transparent biasing layer that is intended to boost the base color.

Actually since then I have been able to boost the base colour from the top instead of the bottom. You would use the coca cola shape like I said, and where it overlaps you make more masks to cut out those bits as well. It works I did it with this Elvis Text…

The paint colour is Chrome, so I faked Gold with a transparent layer. The reason I did it that way is because the studs on his jacket are silver, so now I have silver, and gold combined.

Impressive work on the Elvis design.

I have been able to get the biasing effect by interleaving mask layers and matching semi-transparent coloring layers. This way, the mask for the layer above cookie-cutters out the overlapping region of the semi-transparent vinyl below, so there is only ever one semi-transparent layer of depth visible at any given place in the vinyl group. Unfortunately, this also doubles the layer count. It can be a bit tedious too, since they do not provide a means to bulk-set transparency. It works well if you want to add a uniform color bias. If you want to use the mask over a color gradient, or to frame an image, this will not work for that.

[AquaPainter168]

It would be good if you could change the background colour to match your car colour… even gold, and then see the mask tools working in the editor.

[OugaB00ga]

i noticed this mask stuff in FH4 yesterday, looks exciting !
is this mask stuff also in fm7 or at a later date ?
from what i can tell this mask stuff is sort of a replacement for those specialty colors in FM games ?

[AquaPainter168]

@OugaB00ga

i noticed this mask stuff in FH4 yesterday, looks exciting !
is this mask stuff also in fm7 or at a later date ?
from what i can tell this mask stuff is sort of a replacement for those specialty colors in FM games ?

It chops holes in things so that you can see the car underneath, and so it can show gold, and speciality colours. Masking is also good for cleaning up the edges of your artwork if a shape has gone off the edges.

So in a way it’s not a replacement, it does other things too.

[PTG_Wildcat]

@OugaB00ga

i noticed this mask stuff in FH4 yesterday, looks exciting !
is this mask stuff also in fm7 or at a later date ?
from what i can tell this mask stuff is sort of a replacement for those specialty colors in FM games ?

The new masking tool really has nothing to do with specialty colors. It works exactly the same whether the base paint is a specialty color or any of the normal standard colors.

It’s just a tool that allows us to simply and quickly create ‘cutout’ or ‘negative space’ effects that previously took a lot of time and effort to create manually.

[AquaPainter168]

I’ll have to experiment with them more, I keep skipping them, and using the old methods at the moment. I’ll probably do C3PO to test out the Gold.

[OugaB00ga]

Info here NEED’s to be made a sticky, this tool will help me clear up some of the simple problems i’ve been having.
I really want this mask in fm7 please .

[AquaPainter168]

Finally got used to using the mask. I made this…

Real Gold Badge! It’s on my HUB now.

[YoungStar004]

I am going to have to experiment with this some

[AquaPainter168]

The end result of my experimentation…

[Guest]

just cut the mask and go to the add new button and paste to get it on top

[Guest]

Wow, this has really helped me out on making gold or silver painted designs. I can reach tons of downloads by doing this because right now I only have 410 livery downloads and I’m working my way up to at least 10,000 downloads. I’d like to thank the Forza Community for adding this feature to help others with making liveries.

[Guest]

By the way, I forgot to mention: You can use mask shapes to create a vinyl group, also. I have used it to make a Black and Gold livery and it looks absolutely amazing! Edit: Yeah, I can’t put the picture on there because I don’t know how to put it on here.

[PTG_Wildcat]

@Guest

By the way, I forgot to mention: You can use mask shapes to create a vinyl group, also. I have used it to make a Black and Gold livery and it looks absolutely amazing! Edit: Yeah, I can’t put the picture on there because I don’t know how to put it on here.

Not sure I understand the basis for the comment I highlighted above. That’s the subject of this entire thread and is exactly what this discussion is about … masking vinyl groups and ways to use them.