Soft edged mask

Hello, I'm sure this topic has come up before but does anyone
know of a way I can create a soft edged mask? I have tried one
tutorial which kinda worked but when I tested it, the whole movie
slowed right down as soon as the mask started to reveal the image,
then returned to normal speed when the mask stopped moving! The
tutorial showed me how to make a gradient mask using layer blending
options. Is there any other way? And why would doing it the way I
tried it cause my movie to slow down?
Thanks for your help.

slow processing is common when using motions with gradients,
and alpha transparencies, the processor has a lot of work to do in
order to recalculate each pixel on each redraw, doesn't mean don't
use them.
A good way to make a mask that has gradient or a soft (alpha
transitioned) edge, is to draw the mask object a break it apart
into a bitmap, then place it in an MC and turn on the
'cacheAsBitmap' property, when using a mask with transparency, both
objects (mask and maskee) must have this property assigned to true.
Now make the MC layer into a mask layer. go to the Object MC you
are masking and turn on the 'cacheAsBitmap' property. If you have
several Objects or layers that are being masked you will need to
place them within a single MC instance to use this method.

Similar Messages

Soft Edged Mask tool or plugin?

Hi there,
if I got this right, there is still no way in CS5 Premiere Pro to do a simple soft edged mask like in AE. Is there tool or plugin known for Premiere Pro that could do this at least allows cropping an image and soften the new edges?
Thanks!

No masking tools like you're accustomed to in in After Effects (make a feature request like most of us have). Depending on the shape you need, you could use the Track Matte effect for this, though.
Diesign a shape in the Titler or Photoshop (either as white on black for a Luma matte or as a shape on a transparent background as an Alpha matte), drop it on a track above the clip you want to mask, and apply the Track Matte effect to the clip you want to mask. Set up its parameters to use the shape you created to mask parts of the clip. You can drop a blur effect on the matte clip to soften the edges of the mask, without affecting the video within the mask.
Pixelan SpiceMaster also offers some on-clip masking tools.

Blurred Edge Mask

Is there a way to create a blurred edge mask? I have tried
creating my mask layer, changing it into a movie clip and adding a
blur filter to it. When I create a mask out of this, the edge is
hard and not blurred. I have also tried creating a mask layer that
has a linear gradient from 100% to 0% opacity. The same thing
happens when I create a mask out of it.
Does anyone have a suggestion? Can this be achieved using
actionscript?
Thanks.

cheesewagon,
> Thanks for the response. I do not see where I can sign
up
> for a free preview in order to view the tutorial?
The freebie is for 10 days, and you can get to it by
clicking the Join
CMX link in the upper right of the site. In the new page,
click "Monthly
with 10 day Trial." Even if this particular tutorial doesn't
give you what
you need, you may be pleasantly surprised to find bunches of
other stuff,
including tutorials on other Adobe products and even
non-Adobe technologies.
> I am trying to have this mask wipe across the screen
> revealing anothr image. Will this explain how to do
this?
The technique in that article will certainly give you the
footing to
accomplish what you're after, but it isn't an article on mask
tweening.
I've used this technique to apply soft-masking to a video
clip that moved
around the stage, so I know that it a) gives masks a soft
border and b) can
be animated. :)
David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog,
http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."

How to add a border without a soft edge?

I want to add a border to a graphic but I don't want a soft edge. Anyone know how to do that? I'm using Elements 5.0
Thanks.

Karla,
A simple hard edged border can be created by increasing the canvas size and
filling the added area with a color. Go >Image >Resize >Canvas Size and
fill in Width and Height. Next select the added space and fill it with the
color (>Edit >Fill Selection). There are more sophisticated ways to it, but
this will get you on the way. If you use >Select >Modify >Border, you only
get a soft edge.
Juergen

Soft Edge looking not so soft.

I am using PS CS3 on Mac OSX 10.5.8. I recently had my hardware replaced with a 2.66GHz Quad Intel.
My brush tool is rendering a hard edge when I have done everything to make it soft.
I am creating shadows and using a brush that has it's edge set to 0% hardness using a 90%K for color. I have adjusted the opacity of the brush across the entire range 0-100%. I have switched the apply mode from multiply to normal and there is no change. I have checked the info to get a reading of the ink density at the transition edge and it reads as a very smooth transition. 0% Background and a 1% on the edge.
Why is it looking like such a harsh edge? Is there a setting that I missed resetting that is causing this to look different?
I attached an example image.
Thanks

Thanks J,
You are correct. The Eye One is a calibration device.
The issue I am having is not a cast it is that the transition from a white background to any "soft edge". the brush setting is down to 0% and the edge is still a very visible edge. However if I slide it over to my secondary monitor it is fine.
I have rebooted, swapped plus for the monitors, checked contrast and brightness settings for both monitors. Checked icc profiles.
Edit to Add:
Calibration. I calibrated 9 times. Finally got a smooth edge.

How to Create a consistent Gradient w/ Soft Edge & Filter

Hello, Im using photoshop 6, and Im trying to apply an effect for a banner photo, that will be consistent for other banner photos of the same size.
I've attached a photo of this.
As you can see the gradient (which contains the text) starts with a grey color then transitions to white. The right edge that meets the blue sky isnt a hard edge but rather a soft edge.
Im not sure how to create that soft edge. Someone else had mentioned to use the gradient with colors from grey to white then to transparent to create that soft right edge. Im not sure how to set that up.
I used a brush in this case, and as you can see, the line is uneven.
Also I believe the Filter used here is Ripple or Ocean Ripple.
I was hoping if someone could walk me through what the correct steps would be to create that effect, so that I can use this consistently for several photos

Oh, I see, PS 6. The parts here about Fill Layers and Layer Styles won't apply, but the editing method is the same:
First, open the Gradient Editor by clicking on the Gradient in the Option Bar or the dialog for a Gradient Fill Layer:
Set up a Gray-to-White Gradient, and add a transparent stop just pas the White stop:
Enter a name, and click on "New" to save it. You can also save as part of a Layer Style with Gradient Overlay.

Clean soft edge with two clips overlayed?

I have two clips in my timeline with one over the other. The top at 50% transparency and moved over to the left a bit. I"m trying to get a nice smooth soft edge on only the right side of the top clip. Basically compositing them together so I don't see the hard edge on the right. Is there any way to do this nicely in PP? I've tried various options and nothing really works well.
If your answer is, After Effects, I"m wondering if there are plugins available that can do this more simply within PP. Thanks!

Works great Richard, very much appreciated. I"m coming from another video editing platform for many years and am finding simple things are sometimes beyond my grasp. I'll put this in my favorites folder!

Soft Edge Eraser Tool Missing

Hi All
I am currently running Photoshop CS5.5 64-bit and all of a sudden my soft edged eraser brush is missing.
I have tried the 'reset brushes' option, which did not resolve the issue. I copied the the .abr files from another computer to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 (64 Bit)\Presets\Brushes which also did not resolve the issue. Anyone have any other suggestions, before I try an uninstall/reinstall?

Hi,
It sounds like you have the Mode for the Eraser Tool set to Pencil instead of Brush.

Suddenly the soft edge of a brush leaves a hard line

Hi all,
System...
Photoshop CS4, on a MacPro, Snow Leopard, with a Wacom Intuos, PSD file, 16bit.
Document...
I have a full-height portrait with an almost--white background. In photoshop, I added a layer and painted full white to cover the background. Added a mask to the new white layer, now I am using a paint brush to mask out the white on the people in the portrait. On the floor of the portrait, I use a soft brush to transition from the pure white painted layer to the actual white floor, allowing the natural shadows on the floor to be revealed.
Issue...
I have done this a million times without an issue, but for some reason, the last two sessions where I have tried to do this, there is a cleanly defined (though faint) border on the outside edge of the softness area of the brush. Take a look at the enclosed screenshot. You will see the size of the brush as defined by the black circle, then outside of the brush (near the edges of the screenshot) you will see a faint outer ring where the edge of the softness stops somewhat abruptly. Although faint in this screenshot, there is clearly an outside edge to the brush blur. As a result, I cannot paint a clean transition with the mask tool.
Thanks for your help.
Matt

Howdy Cowboy,
I have never seen this problem either. I can soften the edges of the mask with both the blur tool and a blur filter. But I prefer not to have to do that workaround.
I did some additional testing.... Painting on a clean layer gives a clean soft brush. The problem only reveals itself when painting on a mask.
As I mentioned before, this problem suddenly appeared, with no changes between the brush working properly and now.
As a double-check, I made sure that none of the brush parameters had changed (such as wet edge, etc) and everything is set properly.
Thanks for the reply.
Matt

Anyone have a refine edge/mask 'program error' failure?

Refine mask or edge constantly fails and reports a 'program error' dialog box after the OK button is pressed.
The file is small and my computer has the horsepower to handle it - Win7 64bit, I720, 12GB ram, and 100GB scratch disk space. Saphire ATI 4850 video 1GB ram. Tried disabling GUI acceleration no luck.
This has started after I did a reinstall of CS5 last week.
Searched Google and narry a mention of it.
And this was my most desired new feature in CS5. Everything else seems to be running fine with the exception of certain modified f keys (such a shift - f?) not working properly but this has been reported by others.
Larry

Chris,
My memory is a little fuzzy right now as to exactly what was causing the
problem. Anyway I don't encounter it much anymore.
If I remember correctly I had the mask attached to curves adjustment
layer and ran refine edges from there. Example I wanted to darken the
sky so I made a selection of the sky. The horizon had lots of trees
which needed the refine edge command to clean up. I ended up applying
the mask to the pixel based image and clipped the curves layer to it.
Same result as far as the adjustment goes but the refine edge command
worked with the mask attached to the pixel based image. So, if I
remember correctly, it was a non-pixel layer with the mask attached that
caused the problem. Maybe I was using Decontaminate colors which could
cause the problem on a non-pixel layer. Could be that it worked
sometimes because I did not use Decontaminate and failed when used.
Anyway, I avoid attaching mask to non-pixel layers if I am going to use
refine edge. Have not run into errors since, but then it could have been
fixed in 12.0.1 update. Or maybe the stars are aligned properly now. Who
knows?
Win 7 64 bit, 12GB ram, I720
Larry

Split screen with soft edge

I know this should be simple, and its probably staring me in the face, but for the life of me, I can't get what I want. I want to be able to set a filter on to a clip(s) that allows me to do a split screen between 2 clips of video, and in the split is actually a diagonal line, that is feathered.
I can add a 4-point matte and get the split and line, but when I go to the feather control, it feathers the line perfectly, but it also feathers all the other sides of the video, so that the clip below shows through on the top, right and left.
Thanks for the help.

Same problem here. You can use an edge wipe the length of the two shots you want the split between. Then make the start and finish positions the same (probably 50%) Problem is with an edge wipe you can control direction of the wipe line but not softness. With a gradient wipe you can have softness but can't set direction. Very strange.

Using Toolkit for CreateJS (v1.1) produces jagged edged Masks

The toolkit is publishing everything from Flash very well, except for Masks. Masks do show up in the published file, but they produce very jagged edges on the result. The mask is just a shape layer. I've tried masking other basic shapes that are broken apart and also tried masking a grouped shape (object), a graphic, and a movie clip. But keep getting an object that has jagged edges where the masking occurs.
Does anybody have any ideas on why this is happening? I'm a flash animator (yes they still exist) not a developer, so the javascript file is 75% mystery sauce to me. In other words, I could be missing something very simple.
I know there are some restrictions on masks as written at the Adobe Developer Connection:
"It also supports mask layers with some restrictions. The mask layer cannot contain symbol instances, bitmaps or text; only vector shapes are supported. Shape tweens and keyframes are supported to allow animated masks."
I've attached the .js code pertaining to the mask creation, not sure if that will help.
Thanks for any help you can provide,
Jenny
// symbols:
(lib.square = function(mode,startPosition,loop) {
          this.initialize(mode,startPosition,loop,{},true);
          // masker (mask)
          var mask = new cjs.Shape();
          mask._off = true;
          mask.graphics.p("AHvhYIjhI4IpigmIiZpPIIDlKIHZGH").cp();
          mask.setTransform(90,93.9);
          // redSquare shape
          this.shape = new cjs.Shape();
          this.shape.graphics.f("#CC0000").s().p("ALhrgIAAXBI3BAAIAA3BIXBAA").cp();
          this.shape.setTransform(73.7,73.7);
          this.shape.mask = mask;
          this.timeline.addTween(cjs.Tween.get({}).to({state:[{t:this.shape}]}).wait(23));
}).prototype = p = new cjs.MovieClip();
p.nominalBounds = new cjs.Rectangle(0,0,147.5,147.5);

The toolkit is publishing everything from Flash very well, except for Masks. Masks do show up in the published file, but they produce very jagged edges on the result. The mask is just a shape layer. I've tried masking other basic shapes that are broken apart and also tried masking a grouped shape (object), a graphic, and a movie clip. But keep getting an object that has jagged edges where the masking occurs.
Does anybody have any ideas on why this is happening? I'm a flash animator (yes they still exist) not a developer, so the javascript file is 75% mystery sauce to me. In other words, I could be missing something very simple.
I know there are some restrictions on masks as written at the Adobe Developer Connection:
"It also supports mask layers with some restrictions. The mask layer cannot contain symbol instances, bitmaps or text; only vector shapes are supported. Shape tweens and keyframes are supported to allow animated masks."
I've attached the .js code pertaining to the mask creation, not sure if that will help.
Thanks for any help you can provide,
Jenny
// symbols:
(lib.square = function(mode,startPosition,loop) {
          this.initialize(mode,startPosition,loop,{},true);
          // masker (mask)
          var mask = new cjs.Shape();
          mask._off = true;
          mask.graphics.p("AHvhYIjhI4IpigmIiZpPIIDlKIHZGH").cp();
          mask.setTransform(90,93.9);
          // redSquare shape
          this.shape = new cjs.Shape();
          this.shape.graphics.f("#CC0000").s().p("ALhrgIAAXBI3BAAIAA3BIXBAA").cp();
          this.shape.setTransform(73.7,73.7);
          this.shape.mask = mask;
          this.timeline.addTween(cjs.Tween.get({}).to({state:[{t:this.shape}]}).wait(23));
}).prototype = p = new cjs.MovieClip();
p.nominalBounds = new cjs.Rectangle(0,0,147.5,147.5);

Refine edge/Masking

Please help, I have read many threads and tutorials regarding this and am still having issues. In outline, I have takena number of photos to use on a website/flyer, I used the magic wand and refine edge tool to extract the image but when I go to drag it from photoshop into indesign the cut out is good but it has a white background? I have tried saving it as a gif and png then drag it from mini bridge into indesign but still has white background......any help would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Richard

Dragging from photoshop probably won't work so well for transparency, but
you should be able to drag from mini bridge and maintain the transparency
and use you can also use File>Place in Indesign. To maintain image quality
you can use png or psd, but not gif.
Before you saved your png did you turn off the visibilty of the background layer?
Maybe if you posted a screenshot of your photoshop layers panel someone
could spot the problem.
MTSTUNER

Will AE CS6 have planar tracking / variable edge masks built in?

Hi, one of the two most asked things are a better tracker and variable point edge feathering. I think its dumb you have to leave AE and go to Mocha for this.
Will AE CS6 finally have these two features built in??
Thanks

na, i read in an article your gonna need mocha mood stabilizer cs
27 for AE for that.

Adjustment Brush - Expanding "Auto Mask" Capabilities

Please expand the "Auto Mask" capability on the "Adjustment Brush".
The "Adjustment Brush" is the most powerful localized adjustment tool - even before the wonderful enhancements in LR4.
However, the "Auto Mask" function is limiting.
In its current state, LR samples a narrow range under the cursor which creates a mask having numerous voids.
Adding a “color range" and "fall off" sliders to the Adjustment Brush's "Auto Mask" would expand the sampling range and therefore the create a smoother soft-edge mask with adjustable tolerance. This would greatly expand the function of this powerful tool. (see 2 options inserted below)
This is similar to Photoshop's Hue/Saturation: “Specify the range of colors adjusted in the Hue/Saturation adjustment” - (where the two inner vertical sliders define the "color range" and the two outer triangle sliders define the “fall off” (transition) of the color range”)

There is another thread at http://forums.adobe.com/message/4142055 ("soften auto mask"), where users have also been asking for feathering and an upgrade to the performance and usability of the auto mask.

Soft edged mask

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