Rhia474 posted at 7:04 PM Mon, 27 April 2026 - #4505862

OK Bill so what IS a mask? And how do you create it?

Giana: you are always so very helpful, many thanks. I do have Haxagon...

Y'all have to understand: I am reasonably sure many people, not just me have no idea how to do any on this, so very small steps, explanations and from the beginning definitions would go a long way. Probably why there aren't tutorials about this sort of thing around at all.

The definition of a mask is an image that simply shows which parts of something to use. Usually it's going to be black and white. Transparency maps are basically a type of mask; the image shows which parts should show up (not transparent) and which should not (transparent) and then there may be some in-between parts. 

You can use masks in Poser by using math functions like Multiply: white has a value of 1, so anything you multiply by 1 stays the same, while black has a value of 0, so anything you multiply by black becomes black. Or plug them into Cycles "fac" inputs.

But you can also use masks in Photoshop and other graphics programs. Depending on the software you might add them as a mask layer which filters which parts will be affected by some other thing.

In physical terms, a mask is basically a stencil. It's a piece of paper with some well-placed cutouts. It's great for adding color selectively, e.g., with spray paint.