Masks#
Masks control how an item’s area interacts with the content behind it. They are applied per-item in the FX tab and determine whether (and how) the wallpaper background is visible through the item.
How to apply a mask#
- Select any item (Shape, Text, Image, etc.)
- Go to the FX tab
- Set Mask to one of the available types
- Adjust the mask-specific parameters below
Demo#
Mask types#
None#
Default. The item renders normally with no background interaction.
Background#
Shows the live wallpaper background through the item’s shape. The item becomes a window into the wallpaper behind it. Only available in KLWP.
Blurred#
Same as Background, but the background content is blurred before being shown through the item. Useful for creating frosted panel effects.
| Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blur | 0–100 | Gaussian blur radius applied to the background content |
Clip Next#
Clips the next item in the layer stack to this item’s shape. The current item becomes an invisible mask — the next sibling item is only visible where this item’s shape exists.
Clip All#
Same as Clip Next, but clips all subsequent items in the layer stack, not just the next one.
Liquid Glass#
Available since version 3.82 — requires Android 13+
Creates an Apple-style glass material effect that simulates a transparent, refractive surface. The background is visible through the item with physical light simulation including refraction, specular highlights, and color tinting.
The effect works by computing a Sobel gradient on the blurred background to determine surface normals, then displacing the background texture to simulate light bending through glass. A directional specular sheen is added from the top-left corner.
| Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blur | 0–100 | Gaussian blur radius on the background. Higher values create a more frosted/diffused glass. A minimum blur of 10 is enforced internally — the Sobel refraction algorithm requires blurred input to produce meaningful surface normals. |
| Dim | 0–100 | Darkens the glass surface. 0 is fully transparent glass, 100 is opaque black. |
| Refraction | 0–100 | Strength of the light-bending distortion. Low values give a subtle wobble, high values create strong displacement of the background image. Default: 30. |
| Specular | 0–100 | Intensity of the glass sheen highlight. The highlight comes from the top-left corner, simulating directional lighting. Default: 50. |
| Tint | color | Glass color tint applied via screen blending. The alpha channel controls tint strength. Default: #40FFFFFF (subtle white). Use colored tints for stained glass effects. |
Tips#
- Pair with Squircle shapes for an iOS-style widget look — set a Shape to Squircle, apply Liquid Glass, and place it over a photo background.
- Blur matters: Without blur the refraction produces noise rather than smooth glass distortion. Values of 20–40 give the best balance of clarity and effect.
- Refraction + Specular together: Increase both for a more dramatic glass look. Refraction alone gives displacement without shine; specular alone gives shine without depth.
- Use formulas: All parameters support Kustom formulas — tie Dim to time of day for a glass panel that darkens at night, or animate Refraction with gyroscope data.
- Performance: Liquid Glass is GPU-accelerated. On Android 13+ it uses AGSL, on older devices it falls back to the OpenGL ES path. Battery impact is minimal for static elements.