Modifying Masks; Changing The Shape Of A Mask; To Move, Add, Or Delete A Vertex; To Adjust The Shape Of A Path Segment - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 7.0 Manual

To close the free-transform bounding box, double-click anywhere in the Composition or Layer panel.
5

Modifying masks

Changing the shape of a mask

In the Layer or Composition panel, you can freely change the shape of a mask. You can move, delete, or add vertices
to reshape a mask; create a flexible outline to accommodate any shape; and even change a mask shape over time.
Some changes require the use of tools grouped with the Pen tool in the Tools panel. To reveal these tools, click and
hold the Pen tool in the Tools panel. When modifying a mask, make sure that you click only existing vertices or
segments; otherwise, you may create a new mask instead.

To move, add, or delete a vertex

❖
Do one of the following:
•
To move a vertex, drag the vertex with the Selection tool
You can temporarily switch from the Pen tool to the Selection tool by pressing Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac
OS).
•
To add a vertex to a mask, use the Add Vertex tool
•
To delete a vertex from a mask, use the Delete Vertex tool

To adjust the shape of a path segment

❖
Do one of the following with the Selection tool:
•
Drag a vertex.
•
Drag the direction handles extending from an adjoining smooth vertex.
•
Drag a curved segment.
Note: Dragging a curved segment on a RotoBezier mask also moves the vertices.
To toggle a vertex between a smooth point and a sharp corner point
❖
Click the vertex with the Convert Vertex tool
Note: To select the Convert Vertex tool, with the Pen tool selected, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS). Alter-
natively, in the Tools panel, select the Convert Vertex tool. If the Convert Vertex tool is not visible, click and hold one of
the visible Pen tool icons and choose the Convert Vertex tool from the menu.
To adjust the tension of a RotoBezier mask
If you want to adjust the tension of more than one vertex simultaneously, select them.
1
2 Do any of the following:
•
Using the Convert Vertex tool
•
Using the Pen tool , Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a selected vertex.
•
Using the Selection tool
The Adjust Tension pointer
.
, drag a vertex.
, Ctrl+Alt-drag (Windows) or Command+Option-drag (Mac OS) a selected vertex.
appears as you drag a vertex in the RotoBezier mask.
.
to click the segment between two existing vertices.
to click the vertex.
ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 7.0
254
User Guide