Elements, and Masking vs Using the New Frames - ?

[ColsCreations]

What really is the difference?

I'm seeing a lot of posts about issues with "frames" and also how to "mask" (even if the poster didn't use that exact word to describe what they wanted to do) and am confused over the different options Zazzle offers and what the end result to the customer trying to personalize the design might be. 

In the Design Tool, when you click to add Elements, there are some basic "Configurable Shapes" at top then "Shapes" then "Frames".
* If from the 'Configurable Shapes' section you choose the one that looks like a square it is labeled as "Rectangle" in the Layers list. 
* If from the 'Shapes' section you choose the one that looks like a square it is labeled as "Square" in the Layers list.
* If from the 'Frames' section you choose the one that looks like a square it is labeled as "Frame" in the Layers list. 

All three choices let you adjust the size of the shape, in or out of proportion.
All three choices let you use the resulting shape as a mask for a template image. 

elements added

after making them image templates

The only difference I am seeing is one of convenience?  If you use choose the 'Frame' option, the image you add is automatically sized to fit the frame and you don't have to manually select the image and shape layer together and click to Mask. 

Outside of that small convenience, what is the advantage to using a Frame selection instead of a 'configurable shape' or 'shape' or your own .svg to make a mask? 

Also wondering if with all the changes to the interface that I can't keep track of, are there going to be tech issues going forward with manually created masks? Is Z pushing using their Frames instead because it will have consequences down the road if you don't?

[Baylee]

Hmmm, good questions @ColsCreations  I'll be interested to hear the answers since so far I've stuck with the old way of masking using my own svgs or 'Configurable shapes'. It would create a huge nightmare in the marketplace if these options didn't work properly at some point in the future.

[MOM]

@ColsCreations  This very same issue drives me nuts - for a number of days now and it seems to be getting worse for me, not better. I work hard on my designs until they work (I test them out in a different browser after listing). Then I transfer one to an other product and it's all out of wack again. And I don't mind that I will have to resize (sometimes) but some layers are locked and often out of order. It eats so much time to get it right and I tried all three ways. And why is there no round frame with clean edges?

[MOM]

I take my last question back. I swear it wasn't there when I looked for it some time ago but now it is. Sorry about that.

[SJoy]

That's a good question. Here is a screenshot from @Heather from the creator news section about frames and masks. https://community.zazzle.com/t5/creator-news/update-to-image-templates-and-masks-for-easier-customiz...  The whole thread is worth a read, but still leaves many questions.

[Cat]

I haven't had time to test this out yet, but do the new frames and the old masked images behave the same in the new design tool? I'm sure you can replace both using the form on the left, but can you drag and drop an image into a mask the same way you can with a frame? Maybe that's the difference?

Well either way, on all of my old designs that used masks, the mask has been replaced with a frame. Not sure if that was a one time thing, or if even newly created masked images will be "upgraded" to frames automatically.

[Connie]

They change the newly created masks to frames, even before publishing, once you set the image to a template. I had to use my own mask yesterday, since Zazzle doesn't have an arch that fits the snow globes, and the Design tool changed it to a frame when I copied and pasted from the front to the back, with the result that I then couldn't unmask to change the template from "image1" to "image2".

[Fantabuloustef]

For us designers, it adds a lot of complexity to our creation process. 
Before, I used masks for everything, if I needed a basic shape I used the predefined ones Else I created my own svg. Now here are all the steps I have to deal with:

1/ browse all the frames to see if one is suitable for the shape I need. If I don’t find it

2/ browse all the shapes to see if one could be ok for masking, and sometimes try them,  because they can have different proportions not always ok for my design.

3/ If not found, create my own svg …. 

very long, time consuming and I have to say that I sometimes feel fed up with all that….