How to Make a Heart-Shaped Mask without Using the Preset Heart Frame

[Jadendreamer13]

I tried to make a custom heart-shaped mask today without using the preset heart-shaped frame (it doesn’t fit my artwork), but I couldn’t figure out how to do it.

Can anyone walk me through how to accomplish that?

Thanks!

[PenguinPower]

You need an .SVG file in the shape that you want. Place the SVG file and the file you want to mask into your design and if necessary reorder the layers so that the shape is on top of the image to be masked - if you want the image to be masked to be a template image do that now, before you set the mask. Select both the image and the shape layers and use the tool button at the top of the screen. 

[Jadendreamer13]

So, that’s what I did, and the end result does not display the photo. I thought that I was doing something wrong. This makes me think that the design tool has yet another glitch.

[Baylee]

I just tested it out on my PC and everything seems to be working fine using my own svg file. It's probably a foolish thing to mention, but double-check that you have both the svg and photo layers turned on before you select the mask tool...that's the only thing I can think of that might make your photo not display. 

[ColsCreations]

It could be a problem with the specific .svg.  Sometimes .svgs are "corrupt" if not made/saved properly and don't work as expected in the Design Tool so you have to try again making it. Is your heart .svg behaving properly as an svg (you'll get the option in the right-hand panel to change its color) before you try to use it as the mask? It could be a problem with the specific .svg. 

[Jadendreamer13]

I’ll have to try these suggestions in the morning (too lazy to go upstairs to my office tonight). I’ll let you know what I find out.

One thing that might be causing the trouble is that I created a transparent background on my heart-shaped SVG and only used an outline of the heart.

Does the SVG shape need to be a solid shape?

[ColsCreations]

Yes. In Zazzle's Design Tool, when you mask an image to an svg, the image will show through only on the non-transparent parts of the svg. So if you want your image to appear as a heart shape, your svg needs to be a solid heart. If it's just the outline of a heart, the image will only show through on the outline as that's the non-transparent part. 

Masking: Element Shapes vs Your Own SVG and the New Edit Mask Mode

[ColsCreations]

P.S.

In the Design Tool, it doesn't matter if the mask shape is above or below the image in the Layers panel, it'll properly mask them either way. 

[Jadendreamer13]

Thank you for the solution - and the explanation. 🙂