Preserved Topic: clipping paths (Page 1 of 1)

whats the difference between a clipping path and a layer mask?

they are similar, so the question is valid.

as far as i know, the clipping mask uses paths to determine what area is allowed to be visible; hence it clips off areas and that area can be changed, based on vectors, to whatever the user wishes. a layer mask, while it clips out areas of the layer not to be seen, the control of it is not vectoral.

make sense?

so in other words...

clipping paths are vector based and layer masks are raster based?

well, if you want to turn my diatribe into a summary, yes.

Well - almost.
"the clipping mask uses paths to determine what area is allowed to be visible"

There's a thread from a while back about the confusion around clipping paths, clipping masks and clipping groups.

If you meant clipping paths, these are intended to drop out a background when the image is placed in a page layout software such as InDesign, Quark or Pagemaker. It's the only way to create a transparent background in these postscript based programs. You create a path in Photoshop, define it as a clipping path, and then save the file in a format that supports clipping paths, such as TIFF or EPS. When the image is placed in Quark, the area outside the path becomes transparent.

If you meant clipping masks, these are vector shapes that live on a new layer introduced with Photoshop 6, the shape layer. These behave similarly to a layer mask, with the exception that they are vector based and can be reshaped with pen type tools.

If you meant clipping groups, well that's a layer-based trick in Photoshop where the opaque pixels on one layer can be made to "mask" a layer or layers above it.

More clear?

Nah, didn't think so.

can you explain this clipping groups trick alittle more?

http://www.gurusnetwork.com/tutorials/photoshop/backdoors.html

there are only two people that i could accept correction from without bruising my ego; peter and steve.

but..uhh... gosh... umm... don't ever do it again, or say hello to klaus.

:: smile ::

(I'm assuming we're not talking about Santa Klaus here, are we???)

no steve... this klaus is angry.

and german.

Hey, wait a second... I thought Peter and Steve were the same person? he he

they are.

:: cough ::

This is klaus...

- uh -

do I dare ask who belong(ed) to all the empty boots?

~shiver~

I only weigh 135 lbs., and I'm really not all that angry

lol look what i started

wichtigere Probleme?

(I think klaus heard schiizzzam was administering urine tests.)