A button is available on the Kaleid Tools panel to toggle Mask/Mandala on/off (or type the F4 key).  When Mask/Mandala is enabled, the current screen image will be combined with a Background according to parameters set via the Mask/Mandala Options screen.  The Mask Background can be either a solid color or another image.  The Background area is defined by either a pre-defined Shape or a Stencil, which is usually a grayscale image.  The static Mask Background will appear in the darker portions of the Shape or Stencil, while the changeable image shows through the lighter areas.  (This is reversed when the Negative Mask option is set.)  The Mode parameter determines how the Background will be merged into the display; either On/Off to cause distinct areas, or Blend to mix the Background translucently with the display image.

To create a standard circular Mandala just choose Mandala as the Mask Shape, and set the Mask Background to Mask Color.

The button can be right-clicked to show a popup menu of Masking options.

The Set Mask Background Image option can be used at any time to capture the current screen display as the Mask Background Image.  Then when Mask is enabled, the Background portions of the screen will be filled with that static image, while the rest of the screen can be altered with Kaleider patterns, perhaps rendered using different source images.  Essentially, this allows two completely different images to be merged according to the current Mask Mode, either On/Off or Blend.

The current display can also be automatically converted into a Mask Stencil by using either the Create Stencil From Display or the Create Negative Stencil From Display option.  Set Background/Create Stencil and Set Background/Create Negative Stencil options combine the actions of setting the display to the Mask Background, while simultaneously creating a Stencil based on that display.  This can produce some very interesting results.

NOTE:  The Create Mask screen provides more flexible options for building a Mask based on the current screen display, as well as other images.  It also makes it possible to save the resulting Masks permanently as Stencil Images.

Mask actions can be captured in Scripts, and later revised via the Script Control and Editing screen.  Random Masking can be applied during Automatic Effects, according to options set in the Automatic Effects Configuration screen.

Mandalas and Stencils can optionally be used with 3D Rooms by setting the Apply Masking to Rooms option in the Room Options screen.