# A Visible Mask

**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/a-visible-mask/275522
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [November 14, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/a-visible-mask/275522 "2008-11-14T22:59:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mayobutter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dfb087/32.png) [@mayobutter](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/mayobutter)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/a-visible-mask/275522/1 "2008-11-14T22:59:20Z")

</div>

Is there a way to have a visible mask, or to at least simulate that effect?

What I’m trying to create is sort of a “paint-splash” effect where I’ve got a “Splat” symbol that 's placed over a target object. I don’t want the “Splat” to go beyond the bounds of the object, so I tried setting the splat’s mask to be the target object. Except then the target object vanishes…

I could just have two objects - the target and a mask, but the potential target objects is unlimited and may be animated.