# Applying Masks, When Do They Work? **URL:** \ **Category:** flash\ **Created:** [September 10, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/applying-masks-when-do-they-work/63844 "2004-09-10T14:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Davese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@Davese](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Davese)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/applying-masks-when-do-they-work/63844/1 "2004-09-10T14:34:40Z")
This should be an easy one for one of you flash hardcore elite. Basically i was wondering if it was possible to apply a mask over a scripted scene like for example creating the falling snow technique ([[color=#800080] **Falling Snow** [/color]](http://www.kirupa.com/developer/mx/snow.htm) kirupa tutorial)[color=#006699][/color][color=#000000]and then applying a mask so the snow can be seen only through a window or something? I cant seem to make it work! [/color] Also ive found that however high i put an item in the stack the snow always seems to be on top, is this the problem, is there a solution? Any thoughts on this one apprechiated, dave… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/applying-masks-when-do-they-work/63844/2 "2004-09-10T14:43:10Z")
> [@Davese](#): > > This should be an easy one for one of you flash hardcore elite. Basically i was wondering if it was possible to apply a mask over a scripted scene like for example creating the falling snow technique ([[color=#800080] **Falling Snow** [/color]](http://www.kirupa.com/developer/mx/snow.htm) kirupa tutorial)[color=#006699][/color][color=#000000]and then applying a mask so the snow can be seen only through a window or something? I cant seem to make it work! [/color] > > Also ive found that however high i put an item in the stack the snow always seems to be on top, is this the problem, is there a solution? > > Any thoughts on this one apprechiated, dave… i don`t know the falling snow tutorial but what you have to do with anything like that is to put all the snow flakes into 1 mc and mask that. You can use swapDepths() to change the stacks. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/applying-masks-when-do-they-work/63844/3 "2004-09-10T15:42:57Z")
ok thanks for the post. with the snow theres only 1 flake, so i have that in a mc. masking wise ive tried masking it with a layer above it in the mc, as well as masking it with a layer above it on the main timeline. trying to mask within the mc is a no go as it get effected by the script alongside the flakes. masking on the main timeline never works although on a close study it seems to catch one flake, the one the others get created from on the desktop i assume, whilst the others generated dont get applied to the mask? so i think it might not be the stack problem after all? any ideas? dave ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/applying-masks-when-do-they-work/63844/4 "2004-09-10T16:12:26Z")
> [@Davese](#): > > ok thanks for the post. with the snow theres only 1 flake, so i have that in a mc. > > masking wise ive tried masking it with a layer above it in the mc, as well as masking it with a layer above it on the main timeline. > > trying to mask within the mc is a no go as it get effected by the script alongside the flakes. masking on the main timeline never works although on a close study it seems to catch one flake, the one the others get created from on the desktop i assume, whilst the others generated dont get applied to the mask? > > so i think it might not be the stack problem after all? > > any ideas? dave see if this helps you understand a little about masking