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Masks

Masks mark pixels that should be included, excluded, or displayed as an overlay. They are commonly used for clouds, shadows, water, vegetation, atmospheric artifacts, sensor errors, or areas of interest.

Find masks​

Open Catalog, switch to the Process lens, expand a source, and open Masks.

The Masks section is source-specific. It appears for compatible image-backed sources.

Import masks​

In the Masks section, click the import button. The import dialog supports single-band TIF and ENVI mask files.

Mask import rules:

  • Any non-zero pixel value is treated as part of the mask region.
  • Mask dimensions must exactly match the source image dimensions.
  • A single imported mask can be named in the dialog.
  • Multiple imported masks use names derived from the uploaded files.

After import, the mask appears in the source's Masks section.

Mask visibility​

The Masks section has a section-level visibility control when masks are applicable to the active view. Each mask row also has its own visibility control.

Visibility controls show the mask overlay. Filtering behavior is controlled separately by mask status and polarity.

Mask properties​

Select a mask to open it in the Inspector. You can edit:

  • Name: display name for the mask.
  • Status: enabled or disabled.
  • Polarity: positive or negative.
  • Type: cloud, shadow, vegetation, water, atmospheric, or other.
  • Apply to filter: whether the mask is active as a filter.
  • Show overlay: whether the mask is displayed visually.
  • Opacity: overlay opacity.

Polarity meanings:

  • Positive: keep pixels inside the mask.
  • Negative: exclude pixels inside the mask.

Mask context menu​

Right-click a mask to set status, polarity, or type, rename the mask, or delete it.

You can also create a mask from labels by right-clicking one or more labels and choosing Create filter mask.