Masks and Mats

The features that make MyScrapbook Studio different — non-destructive photo crops and layered mat backings.

4 min read

These are the features that make MyScrapbook Studio different from a generic design tool. Worth learning even if you ignore everything else.

Masks — what they are#

A mask is a shape that crops a photo non-destructively. Apply a heart-shaped mask to a photo and you see the photo only where the heart is. Move or resize the mask afterward — the photo stays linked.

Common uses:

  • Heart, star, circle masks for theme pages
  • Torn-paper edges for vintage looks
  • Custom drawn shapes for one-off creative crops

Applying a mask#

  1. Select a photo on the canvas.
  2. Floating toolbar → Mask → Select Mask.
  3. The mask library opens. Browse by category (basic shapes, paper edges, themed shapes, etc).
  4. Click one. It applies to the selected photo.

The photo now appears clipped to the mask outline. The mask is stored with the photo — moving the photo moves the mask with it.

Editing a mask#

Click the masked photo. Then:

  • Resize the mask independently of the photo — there's a mask-edit mode toggle in the properties panel.
  • Reposition the photo within the mask — click into the photo, drag.
  • Swap the mask — Floating toolbar → Mask → Select Mask, pick a different one.
  • Remove the mask — properties panel → Remove mask.

Custom-drawn masks#

Don't see the shape you need? Draw your own.

  1. Select a photo.
  2. Toolbar → Mask → Draw custom.
  3. The custom path drawer appears. Click points around the photo to outline your shape. Close the path by clicking the start point.
  4. Done — the photo is clipped to your shape.

Saves and reloads cleanly, so your custom mask is preserved next time you open the project.

Mats — what they are#

A mat is the framed border around a photo, like the cardstock you'd glue a photo to in a physical scrapbook. Mats give a page polish — they separate photos from the background and let you stack photos over papers without it feeling busy.

Applying a mat#

  1. Select a photo.
  2. Properties panel → Mat section.
  3. Choose a style:
    • Solid colour — pick a colour.
    • Patterned paper — pick from your kit papers.
    • Drop shadow — adds depth without a coloured border.
  4. Adjust mat width (how thick the border is) and inner shadow (subtle shadow inside the mat for a paper-on-paper look).

Mats are part of the photo. Move the photo, the mat moves. Resize the photo, the mat resizes.

Drop zones — for templates#

You'll see drop zones in templates. They're rectangular placeholders that say "drop a photo here". Drag any photo onto a drop zone and it auto-sizes, auto-mats, and auto-masks to match what the template designer intended.

This is the magic that makes templates fast — the layout work is pre-done.

Mask favorites#

Found a mask you use a lot? Star it. The mask library has a Favorites view that surfaces only your starred shapes — fast access without scrolling 100+ shapes every time.

To favorite a mask: hover its tile in the library and click the star icon. To unfavorite: click the star again. Favorites are tied to your account, so they follow you across devices.

Combining masks (boolean operations)#

Two masks can be combined to make a new shape. Useful when the library doesn't have exactly the shape you want and drawing custom is overkill.

With a mask selected on a photo, the properties panel exposes boolean operations:

  • Union — combine two shapes into one (heart + circle = heart-with-circle blob).
  • Intersection — keep only the area where both shapes overlap.
  • Difference — subtract one shape from another (heart minus a smaller heart = heart outline).
  • Exclude — keep only the area where shapes don't overlap.

How to use: place a second mask shape on the same photo as the first → choose the operation. The result becomes a single combined mask that moves and resizes as one.

This is a serious creative weapon. If you've used Photoshop's pathfinder or Illustrator's boolean panel, it's the same idea applied to scrapbook photo masking.

Tips that aren't obvious#

  • Stack masks and mats — apply a mat to a masked photo, the mat follows the mask outline. So a heart-masked photo with a white mat looks like a heart-shaped sticker.
  • Match mat colour to your kit paper — use the eyedropper in the colour picker.
  • Custom masks save with the project — share the project, the mask shape goes with it.
  • Boolean ops + custom drawing — combine a custom-drawn path with a library mask for one-of-a-kind shapes you couldn't get any other way.

Next#

07 — Kits & Templates — how to use them, where to find more.