Quick Mask Selections in Affinity Photo

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

Always one of the best tutorials. Thank you!

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad you think so. Thank thank you.

[@tonyjohn57]

One of the best explanations of this tool that I have come across. Clear and easy to follow.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you.

[@GravelRat]

Brilliant.... again!!! Like others have said, I wish I had have found your channel a long time ago... learning Affinity has been a long journey of determination.... your videos have eased the pain....

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks, that's great to hear. I wish I knew why KZbin seems determined to keep me a secret though. 😀

[@DavidHarry]

Excellent tutorial, Robin. As someone who's busy making videos I often don't get the time to make "proper" thumbnails, as I'm not a designer or have a particular eye for layout. Like many, I've been trying to find shorts cuts to making nice simple thumbnails. However, like with most things I life, there really are no shortcuts. Having watched this tutorial I've managed to create an "OK" thumbnail for a video. Yes, it's taken me more time than I'd care to spend but the simple truth is that you don't get a free lunch and you do have to take time with such things. This tutorial had been awesome for me and definitely worth a sub. I'll be sure to trawl through your other videos 👍 Cheers, Dave.

[@RobinWhalley]

I'm glad you found it helpful and you are spot on. There is no free lunch and most of the tools that automate editing are only just good enough. Perhaps they will improve.

[@extremelydave]

The only problem I have with your KZbin channel is that I did not find this a LONG time ago. Just freaking awesome!! You will be saving me a lot of time and grief!!! Thanks!!!

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you. I'm starting to feel like the hidden secret of photography. I've been doing this for a long time but there are so many people who haven't heard of me. Please spread the word.

[@katm1884]

Great tutorial. Quick mask is so simple yet I've always had problems with it. Thank you

[@RobinWhalley]

Happy to help! Thanks

[@ianoliver3879]

Thank you very much. The lesson was good, but I appreciate the quiet, reasoned approach even more - a welcome contrast to the shouty idiots in back-to-front hats. Too much time spent on-line during lock-down.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you. Nice to know my approach clicked with you.

[@markm83]

Thanks Robin, Really concise, clear and useful video.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you

[@leonbronson9736]

Brilliant Robin! Although I have been using Affinity for some time, you addressed a few issues that were causing me grief - that is in saving selections for future use. Thanks so much 🙏

[@RobinWhalley]

That's great to hear. Thank you

[@EdwardKilner]

Excellent video. Best hint was saving a selection.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful. Thank you

[@Dekurio]

Your video is very helpful to me. Now I understand the function of Quick Masks. Thank you so much.

[@RobinWhalley]

You are welcome! It's great to hear that the video helped. Be sure to watch the Refine Selection video as well if you haven't already kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqLRqYafqd53r9k

[@KathleenRenninger]

Thanks; a clearly-explained tutorial.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you.

[@Patricksstrategy]

Robin, This was a truly excellent presentation which had the optimal pace, content and background information. Great presentations like yours has the attribute of making the complex simple. So thank you so much.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you 😊

[@tonygreenwoodN10]

Great tutorial, thanks. Looking forward to the Refine tutorial - I usually struggle a bit with Refine!!

[@RobinWhalley]

Coming soon!

[@collharti]

Excellent presentation. Very helpful.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you

[@brucec6689]

A good tutorial Robin - thanks. One tip: hold the Option key to activate the Subtract mode, rather than going up to the top bar to change to Subtract.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks, and yes, good tip. I didn't include the various shortcut keys as I felt it could make the video appear too complicated. I've noticed too many shortcuts can put people off watching.

[@edphi]

Excellent video. Clear. Advanced. And thank you.

[@RobinWhalley]

You're welcome! I’m pleased you liked it.

[@Keith12001]

Brilliant tutorial, thanks for sharing

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad you liked it! Thank you.

[@johnrussell593]

I use the selection and select a building, refine it, mask and apply. I check the mask and the building edges need work. It is a pain to use the brush to edit the masks building edges. Too many mistakes from unsteady hands trying to draw a perfect line along the building edge or portions of it. I have tried the PEN tool but found it is useless. All I get when I click for the second node is a curves something like a mask pops up above the layers. What am I doing wrong? Is there a special setting(s) in the pen tool? I have searched and watched many videos and I have not found how to draw a perfectly straight line using any tool for a mask. Is there one? I can not find any other way to communicate and get an answer. Great videos, easy to follow, good information in each one.

[@johnrussell593]

Finally found an answer... As long as the start of the (brush) stroke is done with a drag, shift-clicking on another point will connect the end of the dragged stroke ...

[@RobinWhalley]

I'm pleased you figured out you problem. The Pen tool is the best option for buildings and objects with clean edges. That said, you can do a lot by refining the edges of the mask. If you didn't see my follow up video to the one you watched (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqLRqYafqd53r9k) you might find it helpful. You can even use it with selections made with the Pen Tool. In fact, I would recommend you do because it can pick up things you won't be able to draw around.

[@MOHAMEDHASSAN-fk9jv]

Very helpful tutorial. Thanks.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you.

[@peterjackhandy]

Thanks for that 'throw-away' tip to reset the studio. I must have diddled about one time too many & lost the channels header, which meant I had to View, Studio & tick Channels every time I needed it; then it was gone again down the black 'ole. I'm using a Dell Inspiron 15", 7195, 2-in-1 with 4k touchscreen (Black Friday from Santa 😎) and while, overall loving working with the stylus, I'm encountering quite a lot of quirks & things wot just don't work as they should. Not sure yet if it's down to win 10's touchscreen implementation, or confined to Affininity Photo's, as I don't notice any frustration with Capture 1 Express Fuji, which is my raw developer; but hoping things might improve with time. One example being the add/subtract option for the selection brush - does nothing.

[@RobinWhalley]

Good to hear it helped. Good luck working with the stylus as well. I can be very frustrating.

[@rogerbeltz2370]

Have been a graphic artist for about 27 years and an Adobe PS user for 20 years. I am trying to decide if, when I get my new Mac Mini whether to stay with Adobe or switch over to Affinity. Ninety-five percent of my artwork involves pictures of antique classic cars. My artwork entails making "precise" selections of these type of cars...........and I mean PRECISE selections. This being said, where and how does Affinity Photo allow me (the artist) to "paint" a precise selection, indicated by actually painting with a brush and actually "seeing" a translucent colored overlay superimposed over the car (or any object) upon which I am painting? (in the old days, a rubylith). No, I do not want to rely on some computer algorithm to "try to determine" what I want selected (or NOT selected) - I want to be in TOTAL control of what gets selected and what doesn't! I don't want to rely on "marching ants" to show what's selected or what's not selected...........and also do not want to be confused by exactly what areas are the "selected areas" and what areas are the UN-selected areas. Frankly if Affinity doesn't allow what I need and want or doesn't intend to include such a essential feature, they will not get my business. Please tell me that with Affinity Photo, one can switch between a colored translucent mask and the marching ants so "the artist" and not some "algorithm" is in control of selections. Love the video - but disappointed with what I believe I'm seeing and hearing. Not you, the presenter's fault, rather, Affinity's shortcoming............

[@RobinWhalley]

I'm a little confused because what you are describing is what the quick mask allows you to do. I know in the video I combined it with the Selection Brush but you can use it with any selection tools and painting methods. When you click the quick mask icon it displays the ruby mask but you can change it to other mask views. You can then pain on the quick mask in white or black with the brush tool to create a selection. Most of the selection tools you find in Photoshop are present in Affinity Photo they may just work a little different. For example I did a video this week about the Pen Tool kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3iUYo1srbZ1qqs where you can see some differences. What you won't find in Affinity Photo (though it may come in the future) are the new AI Selection Tools in Photoshop.

[@danbuchman7497]

Hi Robin, very good demo. There was a lot here I hadn’t understood before. One question, do you use your mouse or an input device like a Wacom tablet. If you’re using a tablet, I’d be interested in seeing how you use it.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks. I use a mouse for the videos. I do have a tablet but don't use it very much.

[@terry2228]

Well well what can say how long has that box been in Affinity never noticed it. I always just clicked refine 🤔... 🤣🤣across the top to bring the red mask up is their a difference or just same can't wait to go home and see the box 😁 also great tip video

[@terry2228]

😆 I get it never noticed it Thanks next level 😍

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks. The two methods do the same thing. It's still the same tool you are opening.

[@SousDine]

Many thanks for this clear explanation. I was also interested to see how you saved the selection in a spare chanel. However, one can use a selection to make a mask, and masks can also be saved and duplicated. Thus, I am curious as to the pros and cons of saving a selection and/or saving a mask?

[@RobinWhalley]

There isn't really a benefit. The reason I save the to channels rather than masks is for organisation. I know that all the spare channels in my image are saved selections that I want to keep and might reuse. They are a kind of master selection if you like that I might make other masks from. I'm then free to edit and delete masks without wondering if I've done something that I shouldn't have. It just feels cleaner and more organised that way (and it's what I was taught to do).

[@SousDine]

@@RobinWhalley Many thanks. Instruction manuals often tell you what a feature does, but not why one should use it !

[@donmiko345]

What happened at 6:01 happens to me all the time, it's a pity you can't adjust the tolerance. In any case, thanks for the tutorial, it was still useful :)

[@RobinWhalley]

Well you can but it's not obvious. It's based on the size of the brush. I explain it in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/opizYnuGast_ocU. I would also recommend using the refine tools which I explain here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqLRqYafqd53r9k. They are much easier to use to clean up areas. Also keep an eye open as I have a video coming out in a couple of weeks that uses the selection brush and refine to extract a person from a cluttered background. I think you might find it helpful.

[@paulfredfield]

Thanks. The quick mask is a tool I think I need to use more!

[@RobinWhalley]

You're welcome.

[@jasonstudd2353]

Awesome, thankyou !!!! Where is the 2nd video you talked about, is there a link to it ?? Thanks from Canada !!

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks. I can't recall which video exactly but I think it was this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqLRqYafqd53r9k.

[@jasonstudd2353]

@@RobinWhalley Thankyou very much sir !!!! Much Appreciated !!!!

[@RobinWhalley]

@@jasonstudd2353 You're welcome

[@WoangLuh]

Thanks for the clear explanation. QUESTION: Can I use this technique to make a discontinuous selection (all the speech bubbles on each page of a 70-year-old scanned comic). I would rather not restart the process for each bubble. Is there perhaps a better tool or technique for discontinuous selection? Thank you again!

[@RobinWhalley]

Yes you can. The Quick mask is just a way to visualise what's selected. Which seelction tool is best really depends on how the speach bubbles appear and are differentiated from the background of the page. The Selection brush tool probably is a good starting point.

[@WoangLuh]

@@RobinWhalley Thank you for taking the time to advise me!

[@RobinWhalley]

@@WoangLuh You're welcome

[@AzWineNut]

Robin, Thank you! I've been using Affinity Photo for a while, but had not mastered the use of the quick mask tool, as I use it in conjunction with Capture One. This is brilliant, and excellently instructive. CHEERS!! Also, to Dan's question, do you use a tablet? I do use both Capture One and Affinity photo with my Huion tablet ( Wacom competitor). When masking like you have shown here, the use of a stylus is easier than doing it with a mouse. My 2 cents.......

[@RobinWhalley]

You're very welcome, thank you. As for the tablet, yes I have a Wacom but don't always use it. I also don't use it for any of the videos because most people use their mouse. I want the videos to be representative of what they will experience.

[@raybohn7]

Robin, very well done. Thank you. Question: What size monitor and at what screen resolution do you use? As I age. I am discovering that Affinity's tool and other icons are too small. I am using a 25" monitor at 1440. What would you recommend? Thanks again.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks. I'm using a 27" Mac with 5K monitor but I don't run the monitor as 5K because it becomes difficult to see fine details and judge sharpness. Instead I set the display to scale larger in the Mac display preferences. I have mine set to scale to 2048x1152 which I find gives a good balance for much or what I do. You could try change the size of some elements of the Affinity display in the Affinity Photo Preferences. Check every section of the preferences because I don't think everything is under the Interface section. Something else you may find helpful is that you can change some elements of some Studio Panels, for example the thumbnail size of the Layers in the Layers Studio Panel. Each panel has a drop down menu to the top right with an icon showing 4 horizontal lines. Click this to see if they have size settings to help. A final option I can think of is that your computer operating system may have an magnifier option. This displays a magnified region around the mouse cursor so as you move it over the icons it helps you to see and pick the right one. Hope this helps.

[@PatMcDonald41]

Brilliant ...

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you

[@layzhd2753]

So I was playing with it. Then the right side with the layers and colors just disappeared and idk how to get it back. Do you have any idea how?

[@RobinWhalley]

I think you've turned off the Right Studio. Go to the View menu and then the Studio submenu. Near to the bottom you will see the "Show Right Studio" option. My guess is that it won't have a tick mark next to it. Click it and your panels should come back. The menu option works as a toggle to turn the panels off and on. It's also possible you could have hidden all the Studio Panel using the "Hide Studio" option in the same menu. If you get in a mess you can reset everything with the "Reset Studio" option in the same menu.

[@gossedejong9248]

brilliant

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you

[@doumepatrice7597]

Merci

[@RobinWhalley]

Je vous en prie

[@mihaimihai7505]

Nice. But is image that helps. Take a image that background is near as object..

[@RobinWhalley]

The Quick Mask is the same with any image. The video was to demonstrate how to use it. You can use any tool with it. If I were using a different image I might pick a different selection tool.

[@joeking5211]

Ah so it's not a mask it's a view, how confusing is it to call it that as it does'nt create a mask, makes you wonder who creates the UI for programs these days, at least you have made it clear that they labelled it wrong and should think of it as a quick view, I notice no one else has picked up on this in the comments below, so maybe a helping heads up for them, many thks for this.

[@RobinWhalley]

It's a view that you can switch in and out of at any time as well as change the way that it displays (red mask, black and white etc.). What's special is that it also works like a mask in that you can edit it to change a selection. That's why it's called the quick mask. The quick mask works the same way in Photoshop too.

[@billyeast6819]

aFFINITY IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO pHOTOSHOP

[@RobinWhalley]

You'll need to justify that statement.