Cloned masks

[davidh]

1. clone a branch with a Brightness Curve transformation using a (density) Curve mask

2. reopen the Brightness Curve dialog in the cloned branch and reset the mask using the Curve Settings (the button on the right)

3. reload the mask from the Amount control rectangle list -> the Mask Dialog opens (collapsed), the mask overlay is loaded, but if you click the Curve button to expand the Mask Dialog, the curve shows as reset

4. close the Mask Dialog and reopen it with Re-open Mask Dialog Box command -> the Mask Dialog opens (expanded) but the curve still shows reset

The same happens when you reset the mask in the original branch.
After you reset the mask in either of the branches, you can re-load the other branch mask, but the mask curve does not correspond to the mask, it is in default shape.

[jsachs]

I am having trouble following your steps.

In step 2, how can you reset the mask without first re-opening the mask dialog box? If you reset the brightness curve it has no effect on the mask. If you use the brightness curve Reset from the transformation's settings menu or from the Amount menu, the mask is cleared and cannot be reopened in step 3. If you re-open the mask and reset the curve and close the mask dialog box and then re-open it the mask dialog box is opened to the mask curve tool and the curve is restored correctly.

[davidh]

Sorry for not enough clarity. Please see the attached image.

If I understand it well, the mask reloaded in step 3 (No. 28) is the one from the other (original) branch. The mask reset in step 2 (cloned branch mask) no longer exists.

The the upper right image shows the shape of the mask curve of the original image. I would expect the mask curve loaded in step 3 in the cloned branch (upper middle image) to have the same shape as it is in fact the same mask - both are the mask number 28.

The lower right image show part of the mask displayed in both branches. The mask curve in the upper middle image either should display no mask or should have the shape like the curve on the right.

[jsachs]

When you select a mask from the amount menu you get a snapshot of the current mask image which is in turn used to initialize the new mask, not a copy of all the mask operations. This is just like starting a mask off with a copy of some other black and white image of the correct size that you opened from an image file. When you update the original mask, the changes propagate to all the transformations that imported it. If you reset the original mask, the copy is also reset.

When you clone or copy a transformation that has a mask, you get an identical copy of the transformation including all the mask operations. The cloned mask is independent of the original mask and changes to the original mask do not propagate to the new mask.

[tomczak]

This thread may be useful:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2492

[davidh]

Now it's clear, thanks.

[jsachs]

For the next release I added some explanatory material to the help file and Creating and Using Masks.pdf on this topic.