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Warning

MillMage is in active development and in a prerelease state. Many operations and functions are not feature complete. Please report any unexpected behavior by searching for and reporting the issue or question in the MillMage Beta User Forum. Please include screenshots and as much detail as possible.

Beta Users: Finding Help

Find help and download the latest release candidate of MillMage in the MillMage Beta User Forum.

Users new to MillMage should follow the Getting Started guide.

Warning

This documentation is in active development and in a prerelease state. These documents are not complete and may include missing pages, broken links, and placeholders. Content is being updated as feedback is reviewed. Your patience is appreciated.

Apply Mask to Image

LightBurn Video

This video features our sister software, LightBurn. While there may be slight differences in appearance and layout, the demonstrated processes are similar in MillMage.

Quick Reference: Apply Mask to Image

  • Hero Image

    Hide and cut out parts of images.

  • Location

    Tools → Apply Mask to Image

    Right-click → Apply Mask to Image

Use Apply Mask to Image to crop or hide portions of images.

By default, image masking doesn't delete the data of the removed part of the image, it just hides it from view.

Tip

You can use masking to remove the background of an image, for example to isolate a pet or person from an photograph.

Masking an Image

Overview Demo

In addition to an image, masking requires a vector object, in any desired shape. The vector object must be a closed shape, with a single, shared start and end point

You can use use rectangles to perform standard crops, but the shape can be a more complex path as well, or even a Group of vectors (including text) provided that the Group is all the same color.

To Mask an Image, select the image and vector, then go to Tools → Apply Mask to Image, or right-click the selection and choose Apply Mask to Image from the context menu.

Hidden Vector

If the vector is hidden by the image, use Push to Front to move it forward in the draw order if you're also using a Wireframe View Style.

Removing a Mask (Restoring an Image)

Deleting Demo

You can fully restore the original image in two ways:

  • Select the vector object you used for the mask and press Backspace/delete on your keyboard to delete it.
  • Select the image, right-click it, and choose Remove Mask from Image.

Editing a Mask

Editing Demo

To change which parts of the image are revealed and hidden, you can edit the existing mask as you would any other vector object, for example with the Select, Edit Nodes, and Boolean tools.

Grouping

Once you have the mask as you want it, it's a good idea to Group the vector and image to avoid accidentally moving one without the other.

Flattening (Baking-In) a Mask

Grouping and Flattening Demo

The downside of preserving the hidden parts of the image is that it can make masked images harder to align to other objects, but it is possible to permanently remove the hidden areas of a masked image (also called "baking in" the mask).

To do so, right-click the masked image and select Flatten Image Mask.

This also removes the masking shape, leaving you with a only an image in the shape it had been masked.

For more help using MillMage, please visit our forum to talk with MillMage staff and users, or email support.