However, the object below it can be anything – a raster photo, vector drawing, etc. It is important to click on the mask, not the layer. You now need to rearrange the stacking order of the layers to create your clipping mask. Clipping masks in Procreate work the same way that a clipping mask works in Photoshop. A clipping mask is a shape (called a clipping path) that masks any object below it, so only what’s inside of the clipping path is visible. For example, suppose you have a shape in the base layer, a photograph in the layer above it, and text in the topmost layer. You're masking the text with the image, not masking the image with the text. The toggle checkmarks 'clip', 'invert' etc can also trip you up if you're not careful. Clipping Masks. To get a clipping mask working, you first need to put layers into a group. The bottommost layer, or base layer, defines the visible boundaries of the entire group. The mask appears automatically in white, which means that the paint on the left layer is shown in its entirety. Your red area will become a selection which can once again be turned into a layer mask. At the moment the background layer is locked. You can keep adding clipping masks to a layer which is invaluable when you want to make changes that only affect the clipping mask that you created earlier. A clipping path can only be a vector object, not a photo. While clipping masks can be fun and they are often used with text in graphic design, layer masks are far more common in photography. When this is turned on, you will see areas of clipped highlights filled in wtih bright red and any areas with clipped shadows filled in with bright blue. As far as transparency mask goes, it does not need a compound shape or single object like a clipping mask does. The non-transparent part of the base layer clips (reveals) the content of the layers above it in the clipping mask. A clipping mask lets you use the content of a layer to mask the layers above it. For transparency panel, paint or fill white for visible, black for invisible, grey for relative opacity. The benefit of clipping masks is often misunderstood but still valuable. All other content in the clipped layers is masked out (hidden). In our example, say we wanted to make the picture in the frame black and white. Content of the bottom or base layer determines the masking. The image is obviously converted to grayscale to be used as a mask and the text is black—so, the result is obviously grayscale. To create black areas - define the parts that we want to be not visible - we have to take the "eraser tool" and erase them inside the mask. Turn A Picture Into A Painting With These Great Apps. Instead of using black and white values on an invisible canvas, clipping masks borrow transparency from their bottom layer. A clipping mask is when you mask a layer based on another layer. To do this, create a new adjustment layer and choose “Black & White…”. 4. This Reddit thread covers some of the basics between regular masks and clipping masks. Using the Paint Bucket tool, fill the new layer with white. But it does not work like a clipping mask. Simply do the same as you're doing but with the text on top of the image (the mask needs to be the top object when creating your opacity mask). HOW TO USE A CLIPPING MASK To use a clipping mask in Procreate, simply create a new layer above your design, add color, texture, or your file of choice to that layer and then select “clipping mask… You can turn these warning colors on or off in several different ways. Renée shows how to use 'lock transparency' feature in Autodesk SketchBook to use it like a clipping mask. Here we do that with the iris and the eye-white layers. A clipping mask is a group of layers to which a mask is applied.