Secondary Colour Grading > Modifying Geometries >

# Applying Softness to Geometries

You can increase and decrease the softness range to soften the edges of geometries. You can set the softness of the mask edge using:

- Constant softness.
- Variable softness to vary the softness range for different parts of the mask.

Applying Constant Softness

You can apply a constant range of softness to the edge of a geometry on a secondary. You can apply constant softness to the inside or outside of the mask border. You do not need to convert a basic shape to a free-form geometry in order to apply constant softness.

To soften the edges of the geometry:

1. Do one of the following:
   - In the Player, select a geometry.
   - From the Axes list, select a geometry or its axis.
2. In the Secondaries menu, do one of the following:
   - To apply softness to the inside of the mask border, enable In, and then drag the Softness slider. Drag right to increase softness. Drag left to decrease softness.
   - To apply softness to the outside of the mask border, enable Out, and then drag the Softness slider. Drag right to increase softness. Drag left to decrease softness.

   The softness level set by the Softness slider is applied to the geometry.

Applying Variable Softness

You can apply variable softness to the edges of one or more geometries to customize the softness at different parts of the mask. Variable softness has two softness borders, one inside and one outside the mask border. It also includes inner and outer softness vertices for each regular mask vertex.

(a) Outer softness border(b) Inner softness border(c) Softness vertices(d) Mask border

You can customize the softness at different parts of the mask by adjusting the distance of each softness vertex from the mask border—you set a softness value based on each vertex in the shape.

Variable softness can only be applied to free-hand geometries, or to basic geometries that have been converted to a free-form geometry.

To apply variable softness to the edges of the geometry:

1. Do one of the following:
   - In the Player, select a geometry.
   - From the Axes list, select a geometry or its axis.
2. In the Secondaries menu, enable Variable.

   Softness is applied inside and outside the mask border.

3. Drag the Softness slider. Drag right to increase softness. Drag left to decrease softness.

   The softness level set by the Softness slider is applied to the geometry.

4. Drag the vertices and tangents to adjust the shape and vary the softness at the edges of the geometry. See Adjusting Tangents and Vertices.