Creating A Text Mask, Beginner Rating Options

[Rob Wells]

In this tutorial you will create a block of text, through which you can place anything you wish.
This is an example of what you can create with this technique:


Preview

[See bottom of tutorial for .swi]

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1.

Start by adding your text.

· Use any font, size, width, height you want.
· Make sure your text is Static (Not Dynamic/Input).
· Color does not matter at this point.

2.

Right click on your block of text and select 'Grouping' then 'Group As Shape' from the menu.
Swishmax will now ask you if you'd like to 'Make the overlapped regions of the objects with the same fill style empty. Click Yes.

3.

Now you need to make three copies of your Shape.

· Use 'Copy' > 'Paste in Place' to ensure they are all on equal coordinates.

Rename your Shapes in the following order:

- Outline
- Mask
- Color

[attac

4.

Outline, as you will have no doubt guessed, is the outline of the text.

· It will display infront of the mask.

Double clicking on Outline will take you to the 'Shape' Panel.

From here you want to remove the Fill, then ad an Outline.

· You can customize your outline 100%; it doesn't need to have specific properties for the effect to work.
· I recommend you use a solid, bold outline for this effect.

5.

We'll skip Mask for now, and customize Color.

· I suggest you set Mask to invisible (Click the little eye next to it), or you will not be able to see Color while editing.

Once again get yourself to the Shape panel, but this time instead of removing the Fill and adding an Outline, simply edit the Fill color to whatever variation you like.

· You can use Gradient fills if you wish.

6.

Now for the Mask.

· You can keep the Mask invisible as you do not need to see it when editing.

Right click on the Mask and select 'Grouping' then 'Group as Sprite' from the menu.

Rename the new Sprite to 'Mask'.

Now double click on your Sprite and look at the Sprite Panel.
About halfway down there is an option labeled 'Use bottom object as mask'.
Make sure you check this.






That's it!

The content you want to Mask, you place in the Mask sprite.

· Always make sure the content you do place in the sprite is above the Mask shape.
· You can add sprites within this sprite, and you can use script and effect just like normal.

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Hope it helps,

Rob

 mask.swi ( 39.21K ) Number of downloads: 4415

[*D*]

13dots looks pretty groovy Rob, has that Austin Powers look to it.

Many thanks for adding this up.

[Lakeside]

Wow and..wow! Starting to think I should get SwishMax! Thanx for that, Rob

[ted]

lol... that reminds me of cheggers plays pop...! very nice as usual mr wells.

This post has been edited by ted: Apr 7 2006, 06:58 AM

[krypton]

Hi,

great exempla! The masking function allow us to make a lot of special things.

Greetings
Krypton

[Ghallya]

nice , I tried it , thanx

[osta90]

Thanks...

[wcnktm]

Nic text effects

[neocrk]

thanks man - that was very helpful

[chmichael]

Weee Disco like effect!

This post has been edited by chmichael: Dec 19 2007, 05:45 PM