Die for food, crazy for cats. Depress at night alone.
Die for food, crazy for cats. Depress at night alone.
As I updated the topic of how layers work in Medibang, I realized that Mask and Stencil are two complicated layers that need their own article. Now it's time to learn about Layer Mask and Stencil in Medibang.
In the article “Create a scatter effect with Clip Studio Paint”, I also have the definition of layer Mask, so we don't need to repeat it again. Now let's go straight to see what we can do with the Layer Mask and Stencil.
You can easily create a layer Mask by choosing the menu Layer -> Add Mask.
Or create it right from the layer Mask button in Medibang's Layer window.
As soon as you make the Mask layer, you'll see that it has an arrow pointing to the layer below. That means that this mask layer is clipped to the layer that was chosen and only affects that layer. If you still don't know what "Clipping" is, you can quickly read the article I posted before about the Medibang Layer.
If you paint on the layer mask with a black color (either with a brush or by making a selection and filling it with color), the selected layer will be deleted right away on the part you painted.
This does not mean that the layer you chose has been erased. The image on the layer that was chosen hasn't changed; only the effect on the layer mask has changed what is shown. That's how Mask works its magic.
With this trick, you can crop the edited layer without worrying about how it will affect the original image.
In fact, Medibang's mask layer is an 8-bit layer. And you know that there will only be white and black color effects on this layer. If you try to choose a different color, Medibang will think that this color is either white or black with the transparency changed. So you can use this feature to get the effect you desire.
You can see how the opacity lowers if we pick another color.
Similar to the Layer Mask, you can create the Stencil layer through the Layer menu or simply choose the button in the Layer window.
The picture you need to edit will disappear right after you create the Stencil layer, even though you didn't turn off the visibility of the layer that had it in the first place.
Instead of throwing a hissy fit, take a look at the thumbnail for the Stencil layer. It is all black, while the thumbnail for the Mask is white. That means the same thing happened with this layer as with the Mask layer. Medibang has created a black masking layer, which has caused the result that the original layer completely disappears.
When you create a layer mask in Photoshop, you can cover the original image by painting it black. And when you want that image to show up again, you can use the eraser to undo the marks you made on the layer Mask.
Instead of putting two tools on the same mask in Medibang, they split it into two different kinds of layers. That doesn't mean that you can only use the Brush to paint on the layer Mask and Stencil. You can also use the Eraser. But dividing them into two different layers can make it easy for even a beginner to control them. And if you use all of these effects at the same time, you can make even more awesome effects.
Once you know how this Mask and Stencil layer works, all you have to do is use your imagination to give your painting a unique look.
I'll be posting instructions on how to use Mask and Stencil to create effects in paintings and comics soon. Instead of waiting, you can think for yourself and design your own effects with Medibang, such as this:
1. Double Exposure Effect
An interesting effect can be made by putting two photos together in a way that makes one image almost see-through on top of the other.
b. Glitch effect
If you need a mysterious photo, Glitch can be an easy choice with Mask and Stencil.
c. Text Mask Effect
You can add more appeal to your cover photo with this Text Mask effect.
If this article makes you confused, I have a video with a quick explanation about Layer Mask and Stencil in Medibang.
Finally, this wraps up my discussion on Layer Mask and Stencil in Medibang. With the knowledge you get from this post, I'm confident you'll be able to use free software like Medibang Paint Pro to great success.
