When do you decide when you need to smooth the mask?

[gailgongster]

Kent does 4 masks :  To scale down the sides of the face (3:39) [no smooth mask], to move the chin down (5:49) [smooth mask], to pull out the neck (7:25) [no smooth mask], and to pull out the shoulders (8:50) [smooth mask].  I’ve also written down which ones he uses smooth mask on: The first and third ones he does NOT use the smooth mask. In the second and fourth, he DOES use the smooth mask.  Can someone please explain the reasoning for this?

[Martin Bergwerf]

Basically, it depends on whether the transition needs to be sharp or smooth…(not very helpful, I know).

I’d recommend actually doing the opposite of what Kent does in those 4 instances; so using ‘Smooth Mask’ when he doesn’t and vice versa. (I have done that myself, because I was asking myself that same question…)

I’m sure Kent can give you a much better explanation, but I hope this at least helps a bit.

[Omar Domenech]

Yes I saw the lesson, it is as Spikey says, it’s a matter of the transition you are trying to achieve, if you need a smooth one or a sharp one, it depends on your goal, so Kent uses the masks knowing what he is after. The brushes are tools that can accomplish specific tasks, but that said, is not an exact science. When you’re sculpting you’re freely flowing, like playing with digital clay, unlike when you’re box modeling where you are working inside stricter parameters.

So in other words, try not to think about it as if you have to be specifically mindful on where to use each mask or that you made a mistake if you didn’t, get comfortable at getting the feel on what tool you think adapts better to your goal. The tools are at your disposal. It’s just as easy as a chef deciding the dish needs more salt because the food feels flat, even though the recipe shows an exact amount to follow, he adjusts the amount on the fly following his perception on the matter.

[Kent Trammell]

Both Martin and Omar are exactly right that it depends on whether the transition needs to be sharp or smooth. If I don’t smooth the mask, that means I want a sharper transition at the border of my mask. If I smooth the mask I want a softer transition.

Like Omar said it’s all about you understanding the tools and using them for your goals. In that way it’s totally valid for Martin to prefer smoothing masks opposite of the way I do it 👌

[Martin Bergwerf]

I don’t prefer it, Kent, I just wanted to see the effect of it, to better understand why you use, or don’t use ‘Smooth Mask’ in specific situations 🙂

[Kent Trammell]

@spikeyxxx OH so you do the opposite to reveal the function of demonstrated method? That’s a really interesting learning technique. I’m going remember that for suggesting in the future.

[Author]

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