Masks
Show a layer only through the shape of another, using Use as mask and the five mask modes.
A mask hides everything except the area a shape covers. Use one to show a product photo inside a circle, or to fade a photo with a gradient. The shape is not drawn itself. It only decides what shows of the layers above it.
Make a mask
Stack the layers
The mask must sit below the layers it shapes, in the same parent. In Layers, the shape goes lower in the list and the layer to reveal goes above it.
Choose Use as mask
Select the mask shape and its content together, then choose Use as mask in Arrange, or press Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+M. The layers are grouped into a Mask group, and the lowest layer becomes the mask.
You can also select a single layer, right-click it and choose Use as mask, or press Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+M. It becomes a mask where it is, and it masks every layer above it in the same parent, up to the next mask.
In Layers, the mask carries a Mask tag. The layers it shapes are indented with a line and say "Masked by the mask layer below".
Choose a mask mode
Select the mask layer, the one with the Mask tag in Layers. Appearance in the Design tab shows a Mask setting.
| Mode | The layers above show... |
|---|---|
| Alpha | Where the mask is solid. Use as mask starts with this mode |
| Alpha inverted | Where the mask is see-through, so the shape cuts a hole |
| Luminance | Where the mask is light. Black hides, white shows |
| Luminance inverted | Where the mask is dark |
| Outline | Where the shape is drawn. It looks the same as Alpha |
A gradient from white to black in Luminance mode fades a photo out. See Gradients.
Remove a mask
Select the mask layer, right-click it and choose Remove mask, or press Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+M again. The layer is an ordinary layer again. The Mask group stays, so ungroup it with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+G if you do not need it.
A mask works on whatever photo a row brings. The shape stays put and the image shows through it, so a masked Product Image works for every row of the sheet.
Try it
Round the product photo on the sale card. Draw an ellipse the size of the Product Image. In Layers, put the ellipse below the Product Image. Select both and press Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+M. The photo now shows inside the circle. Select the ellipse in Layers and try Alpha inverted in Appearance to see the opposite, then set it back to Alpha.
Next
Updated 1 Nov 2026