How to use SRD masks and layers

[musicelect]

In Silverfast Ai Studio 8, I'm unsure how to use masks and layers in SRD. I have made several masks around scratches and marks, but it seems that only one is active at a time. The drop down list with the masks only lets you choose one.

It would seem to me that I need to add a layer to add additional masks on top of one another. For example, I have a mask removing white scratches over a large area and a small mask in inside this to remove some small black marks. However, when I change layers it shows the same mask in the drop down list. When I select a different mask, this new mask is selected when I go back to the first layer. How do I use layers? There is no documentation that I found that specifically mentions how to use layers.

Another thing I'm unsure of is how to use the Polygon and Path tools to make one mask. It seems that when I select one or the other it makes a new mask entirely.

Mark O.

[LSI_Ketelhohn]

Dear Mark,

You can add additional areas to a mask or subtract them
Click and hold the pencil icon for about a second to get access to the additional functions.

Currently you can not combine the path and polygon tools.

Kind regards,
Arne Ketelhohn

[musicelect]

I understand the basic creation of masks, however unintuitive they may be. There are other aspects of the SRD operation that confuse me. In fact, they seem like bugs. Let me provide an example:

Lets say I'm using a mask to remove white spots. I make sure the white icon is selected and proceed to draw path or polygon areas for the mask. Then I notice a few black spots I'd like to get rid of. I add a new mask and click the black icon. When I go back to the first mask the black icon is now selected instead of the white icon. It's as though the settings are universal instead of independent for each mask. As a work-around I can select the mask and then click the appropriate white or black icon to get it to keep the correct color, but that is tedious, repetitious, and seems like a mistake to me.

Furthermore, the layers seem to work independently of the masks. Using another example, lets say I made a mask on a layer called "Layer 1". I decide to make a new mask that occupies part of the same area the first mask did, so I make a new layer called "Layer 2". I can now draw a new mask in the same area of the first mask. However, when I click on Layer 1 it does not change to the first mask. The last mask I was working on is still selected and visible even though I changed layers. Also, the color problem described in the previous example comes into play again, making things worse and very confusing. As a work-around, I can select a layer and then select the mask I want on that layer and it will work, but it is again tedious, repetitious and seems like a mistake. If a mask isn't connected to a layer, what good are layers?

Mark O.

[LSI_Ketelhohn]

Dear Mark,

The settings are saved by layer not by mask.
If you want to use different settings you need to create a second layer.

Each layer can have one active mask.
One mask can incorporate several individual areas using the add function.

You can select the same mask on different layers and it will use the settings from that layer.


Kind regards,
Arne Ketelhohn