Changing to a different mask

[Robert Schleif]

If I have generated several masks in the course of editing an image, when I go back to a transformation using one of the masks, it doesn't seem possible to see which mask was used in a transformation, nor to change to a different mask. The only option that seems to be provided is to reopen the mask dialog and edit the mask that was originally used. To change to a different mask it looks like I must delete the transformation using the first mask and then open the transformation anew. It wasn't immediately obvious that I needed to use this delete-reopen procedure. This procedure is really inconvenient if I just want to see which mask was used and if a transformation further down the branch takes a long time to run (precise Gaussian).

[jsachs]

I assume you are referring to creating masks based on a mask generated by some other transformation.

To change to a different mask, click on the Amount mask box and select Reset from the drop-down menu. Then click the box again and select the new mask from the list.

To see what mask is being used, right click the transformation thumbnail and select Show Dependencies. This will list all the transformations and masks the transformation depends on.

[Robert Schleif]

Dependencies--what a wonderful capability. Despite using PWP for years, somehow I never learned of this tool.

If multiple masks have been generated with the Masks transformation, Depencencies does not identify which mask has been used, it only identifies the Mask transformation from which the mask was generated.

With respect to your second sentence "To change to a different mask, click on the Amount mask box and select Reset from the drop-down menu. Then click the box again and select the new mask from the list." If I click on the Amount mask box, and then select "Reset" the following appears in a window
Reset Mask?
All mask operations will be lost.
This sounds rather ominous and suggests that I may lose the mask and perhaps more, i.e. masking elsewhere in the branch. Would it be correct if the window said something like "Masking control in this transformation will be ended until another mask has been activated."

Also, just hovering over the Amount mask box generates the little message "Create or Edit Amount Mask" Maybe you would like it to say "Choose, Create, or Edit Amount Mask"?

[jsachs]

For the next release, I updated Show Dependencies to display the mask number for mask dependencies.