To add a Mask Object you can:

• Click on the “M” Icon at the top right hand side of the Objects and Animation Screen
• Right Click in the Object Panel or Main Screen in Objects and Animation and choose to “Add a Mask”

You are offered three alternatives

• Choose from Circle or Rectangle

• Click OK to add the Mask to the Object Panel
• A Rectangle Mask is added to the Mask Stencil

• Right Click on Mask Content and Add / Image

• You can then add Animation to the Image within the Mask
• You can Zoom, Pan etc the Mask Container and/or the Mask Stencil

• You can add a Blank Mask to add your own Image as a Mask

• Add an Image as Mask Content

• A Video could also be added as either the Mask Stencil or Mask Content

• Add Text as a Mask Stencil
• Add an Image to the Mask Content

• Masks in Version 9 also have another property which enables complex masks to be generated from a mixture of black and white objects: the ability to switch the “Alpha Channel” on and off.
• Here is an example using two black rectangles with a white centre rectangle. Remember “white reveals” and “black conceals”..

• These two rectangles can be used to generate a composite mask
• The two rectangles are now used as mask stencils in a user-defined Blank Mask
• Rectangle 2 is above Rectangle 1
• For Rectangle 2, if “Convert to Alpha Image” is ON, then the black area where Rectangle 2 overlaps Rectangle 1 becomes transparent

• Convert to Alpha image is ON For Rectangle 2

• In the next example, “Convert to Alpha Image” is OFF for Rectangle 2 and the black area blocks out the area where it overlaps Rectangle 1

• More complex masks are possible using this technique and an example is shown below