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Paintstorm Studio not only lets you use multiple layers to create your image, but it also lets you add a layer mask to any layer, if you so desire. If you are familiar with Photoshop, layer masks in Paintstorm work the same way. If you are familiar with iColorama's brush masks, you can think of a layer mask as a brush mask, the difference being that in Paintstorm, you can have a mask for each layer if you wish. Some differences from brush masks in iColorama: in Paintstorm I don't see away to invert a mask. Also, I don't see a way to change the opacity of a mask, as you can do in iColorama. However, unlike brush masks in iColorama, in Paintstorm you can blur a mask by using Filter/Blur with the layer mask selected. This is a nice feature.
Let's look at a simple example. First, launch Paintstorm. You will see a blank canvas. If you view the layer palette, you will see there is a single blank layer called Layer 0. (If you don't see the layer palette, then touch View from the toolbar at the top of the screen, then touch Layer in the menu that pops up.)
Now let's color the layer. The easiest way to do this is to choose a color from the color picker, then touch the Paint Bucket icon on the toolbar on the right edge of the screen, then tap the canvas. The canvas will fill with the selected color. More accurately, the selected layer will fill with the color. In this case, that is Layer 0.
Now let's create a new layer. One way to do this is by touching Layer in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and then selecting New Layer from the menu that pops up. Another way to do this is to tap on the layer palette, and then tap on the left-most icon on the toolbar at the bottom of the layer palette.
You can see the new layer, called Layer 1, in the layer palette. Now let's create some content on the new layer. I'll put a blue rectangle on Layer 1. If Layer 1 is not already selected, select it by tapping on it in the layer palette. Now we'll select a rectangular area on Layer 1. Touch the dotted rectangle on the toolbar on the right side of the screen. A dotted rectangular shape will appear on your canvas, and a red warning box will appear at the top right of the screen to remind you that the selection is active. Use your fingers to position and size the rectangle to your liking.
Now let's fill the selected area with a color. Select a color from the color picker, then touch the paint bucket icon on the toolbar on the right side of the screen. Then tap anywhere inside of the selected rectangular area. The area will fill with your selected color.
Then touch the red box with an X on it to confirm the selection. The Selection warning box will go away, and the dotted lines of the rectangle will become solid lines. Now we will make a layer mask on Layer 1. Be sure that Layer 1 is selected in the layer palette. Then touch Layer in the toolbar at the top of the screen, and select New Mask Layer from the menu that pops up. Another way to create the mask is to touch the layer palette, making sure that the desired layer is selected,then touch the icon with a solid dot in the middle of it from the bottom left toolbar in the layer palette.
Now if we look at the layer palette, we see there is a layer mask on Layer 1.
Now let's paint on the layer mask. First, let's select a brush. I chose Roller Brush Mouse. Then I selected a green paint color from the color picker.
Now in the layer palette, touch the layer mask to select it. Then paint over the rectangle we created. You'll see that wherever you paint, the purple of Layer 0 shows through. You'll also notice that it doesn't matter what color you've picked when you're painting on the layer mask. Here I painted three horizontal bars on the layer mask. If you look at the layer palette, you can that the layer 1 layer mask shows three bars painted on it.
To show you the difference between painting on the layer and painting on the layer mask, now in the layer palette, select Layer 1 instead of the layer 1 layer mask. Then paint over the blue rectangular area. You'll see that now we are painting on the layer itself, with the green color of paint that had been selected. You can also see this by looking at the layer palette: layer 1 shows three green bars painted on it.
If we now pick a new color from the color picker, say, red, and select the layer mask and paint on it, again you can see that instead of red, we see the purple of the underlying layer showing through.
Now if we undo all that painting and go back to the step where we had just created the blank layer mask on Layer 1, I chose Roller Brush 1.
Now I painted on the layer 1 layer mask all around the edges of the blue rectangle, to make an interesting shape.
Now if I want to blur the edges of the mask, with the layer 1 layer mask still selected, touch Filters from the toolbar at the top of the screen, then select Blur from the menu that pops up.
Then select the desired amount of blur using the slider, and hit OK.
Now let's undo the blur. If we find that Paintstorm is complaining that memory is low, we can save some space by applying the layer 1 layer mask. The result of doing this is to transform Layer 1 with the effect of the layer mask and to remove the mask. Do this only if you are sure you're finished modifying the mask. We'll apply the mask by selecting Layer 1, then touching Layer from the toolbar at the top of the screen, then touching Apply Mask from the menu that pops up.
You can see that in the layer palette, Layer 1 has been transformed with the effect of the mask, and that there is no more layer mask for Layer 1.
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