How to create a still mask or text mask with the Mask Creator

1. In the Timeline view (Edit workspace), select the clip you want to work with, and click the Mask Creator button on the Timeline toolbar.
2. In the Mask Creator window, click the Still option.
3. In the Tools area, choose one of the following: Mask Brush, Smart Mask Brush, Rectangle tool, Ellipse tool, Freehand tool or Text Mask.
4. In the Playback window, drag, draw, or type to select a mask area. A highlight appears over the selected area.
5. You can fine-tune the mask by using the tools to modify the selected area.
   • To reset the mask, click the Clear Mask button.
   • If you want to invert the mask, in the Save options area, click the Invert mask option.
   • If you want to save the mask as a Mask Frame (Options panel, Effect > Apply Overlay
     Options > Mask Frame), click Save As and type a name for your PNG mask.
6. Click OK to exit Mask Creator. The mask appears on its own track in the Timeline, below the original source clip. You can adjust the length of the mask as you would other clips and you can apply effects to the mask by dragging an effect onto the mask in the Timeline. You can also change the clip for the mask by dragging a new clip from the Library to the masked clip and pressing CTRL.

To save a mask

1. After you create a mask, in the Save options area of the Mask Creator dialog box, click Mask (default) or Invert mask. Note: If you invert the mask, the Preview area does not show the inverted mask—it displays when you return to the Timeline.
2. Set a destination in the Save to box.
3. Click the Save As button at the bottom of the dialog box, and choose a name for the mask.

If you want to link the mask to the original clip, mark the Link mask to source clip check box. Note that you can link only one mask per file.

To import a video or still mask as an overlay option

1. In the Timeline, select an overlay clip.
2. In the Options panel, click Effect tab
3. Enable the Apply Overlay Options check box, then choose Mask Frame (for a still mask) or Video Mask from the Type drop-list.
4. Click the Add mask item(s) button to the right of the mask preview area, and browse to a saved mask file (.uisx format for a video mask, .png for a still mask). The mask is added to the preview area.