Minimize an 'open' Finalized Mask Dialog Box and an 'active' transformation

[den]

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Ref: v8.0.149

1) Open a 48-bit color image in the Browser
2) Open any transformation and select a New mask
3) Make Mask settings and Finalize; and transform settings leaving both Open [No OK]
4) Minimize the Mask Dialog Box - disappears from the Desktop
5) Minimize the transformation - disappears from the Desktop
6) No visible means to Maximize the Mask Dialog Box and transformation dialogs
7) Left-click on the 'active' Browser Thumbnail will maximize the transformation dialog - still no visible means to maximize the Mask Dialog Box even if the transformation dialog is relocated
8) Resetting and selecting a New mask will produce a 'default' Mask Dialog Box where the previous Finalized settings are 'lost' and require to be re-created

The Mask Box and transformation dialogs seem to disappear under the Input/Output display workspace area when minimized. In 8) the transform Amount mask options are only: Reverse; Reset; and Help. No option to Re-open Mask Dialog Box.

Believe this to be generic for all transforms with masks and may apply to transform dialogs without masks as well. I sampled with Color Curves, Saturation, and Multi-Color Balance.

...den...

OT: Is it possible to: Add, Subtract, Overlap, Invert; two or more previously saved <*.mask> files that are loaded to a single Mask Dialog Box session? ie, similar to PWP7's Combine masks.

Perhaps something for the future?

[jsachs]

As of 8.0.137, transformation and mask dialog boxes are minimized to the Windows task bar alongside the Picture Window Pro icon -- previously they were saved on the desktop but in a way that often made them impossible to read or use. Clicking the task bar icon restores the dialog box.

The trick for doing a PWP7-style Combine is to use Save current mask and Combine saved mask from the Mask settings menu. There is an example of this at the end of Creating and Using Masks.pdf. It was implemented this way to avoid potentially complicated mask dependencies.

[tomczak]

As to mask adding: am I correct that the Save Current Mask and Combine Current Mask would work only within the same mask session? If this is true, is there a way to combine somehow either two or more previously made masks (for example those sitting in the Mask transformation) or perhaps saved mask files?

I remember trying to do it once by saving two mask files and then compositing them and using as a new mask. I can't think of an easier way - but maybe there is one? I was thinking that (at least the way I composited them) that would be just adding (or subtracting etc.) static masks with no dependencies required.

[den]

Heh! Ha! the laugh is on me... ...perhaps a note in Help for those whose Win10 option is to "Automatically Hide the Task Bar when in Desktop mode":

Screenshot (16) v1.jpg (79.57 KiB) Viewed 2784 times

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...den...

Thank you for the Hint/Refernce to combine mask script files in a Mask Dialog Box session.

[jsachs]

Yes, I don't see any other way than to use Composite to combine two pre-built mask images.

[tomczak]

Den, how did you construct the mask for your flower colour correction with colour curves?

[den]

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I was not trying to do anything special... ...just create an illustration. Mask 1 is simply the Luminance channel of the File Open image:

Screenshot (17) v1.jpg (88.29 KiB) Viewed 2762 times

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I will sometimes use this as a basis to isolate subsequent Luminance tone ranges and perhaps adjust them to contrast preference with the Mask Brightness Curve.

...den...