An empty mask is a solid black bitmap. To add an empty mask to the active image:

• Open a new window
• Paint or pour a texture into the window
• Select "New" from the Masks Menu.
• Select "Empty" from the submenu.
• You won't notice any change to your image at all at this point

Click on mask edit, your image will turn black

• using white, type some text and insert it into the image
• change the color to med grey and repeat, placing the medium grey text below the white text
• change to dark grey and repeat a third time, placing the dark grey below the medium grey

check how the background will come thru by clicking on view/Through mask

• if you're satisfied with the effect, click mask/edit again to take the edit off (mask 04)
• click view/Through mask to remove the view through feature
• Now the image looks like it did when you first started.... everything is gone!! Did we do something wrong? Nope, we're just not done, and this is the step most people get to and think 'it didn't work'.

Here too is a spot that gives people problems. They neglect to invert the image or set the brightness and when they save they end up with just the background.

• click mask/invert on the menu bar
• click colors/adjust brightness/contrast on the menu bar
• Set the brightness control to -100 contrast 0 and select ok
• Save

This was very basic, but it gives you an idea of how masks work, and familiarizes you with the steps.

Creating Masks from an Image