# Why does Gmask Tracer suck at this?

**URL:** <https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319>\
**Category:** Flame Questions\
**Tags:** gmask-tracer\
**Created:** [March 20, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319 "2024-03-20T17:03:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bryanb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/bryanb/32/136_2.png) [@bryanb](https://forum.logik.tv/u/bryanb)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319/1 "2024-03-20T17:03:07Z")

</div>

I miss the old Gmask node being able to do this:

 ![Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 12.01.16 PM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/thedepartmentofexternalservices/original/2X/b/bd2205d21acb32df8ac8fbb91f5e08375fcf84bb.jpeg)

Why does Gmask Tracer do this? Is there something I’m missing?

 ![Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 12.01.36 PM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/thedepartmentofexternalservices/original/2X/d/d08ed0b62952f814276076a8f568a10aa207a4fc.jpeg)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GPM](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/gpm/32/4224_2.png) [@GPM](https://forum.logik.tv/u/GPM)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319/2 "2024-03-20T17:16:03Z")

</div>

It’s the one thing that I find vastly inferior to the legacy gmask functionality – all the weirdness with gradient points. Don’t get me started on trying to animate them, and then they start dancing around and rotating all over the place.

Devs have been aware of these complaints for a very long time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jerem](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/jerem/32/6903_2.png) [@Jerem](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Jerem)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:21am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319/3 "2024-03-23T08:21:19Z")

</div>

I dream having the gmask legacy softness managment inside the tracer.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![paul\_round](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/paul_round/32/389_2.png) [@paul\_round](https://forum.logik.tv/u/paul_round)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319/4 "2024-03-23T15:16:12Z")

</div>

Err, stupid question, but why not use the legacy Gmask? I still use it a lot.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bryanb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/bryanb/32/136_2.png) [@bryanb](https://forum.logik.tv/u/bryanb)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319/5 "2024-03-23T15:38:52Z")

</div>

I do use gmask for things like my example above. But then I don’t have a planar tracker, tracer keys, and other features of the Gmask Tracer. It would be nice to have it all in one node.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ytf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/ytf/32/109_2.png) [@ytf](https://forum.logik.tv/u/ytf)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/why-does-gmask-tracer-suck-at-this/10319/6 "2024-03-23T16:19:04Z")

</div>

I find that everything in the gmask tracer is superior to the legacy mask except this one issue. (and this example is on the extreme side. For most cases it’s fine) I work around it by making multiple masks and using the combining options and blending modes. In the long run, I find I have more control with this method anyway.