Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 328

The conversion of a RotoBezier path to a manual Bezier path does not change the shape of the path.
1 Select a mask in the Layer, Composition, or Timeline panel, or select a shape path in the Composition or Timeline
panel.
Choose Layer > Mask And Shape Path > RotoBezier.
2
Modify a Bezier mask path or shape path
You can change a Bezier mask path using the Selection tool and pen tools in the Layer or Composition panel. You
can change a Bezier shape path using the Selection tool and pen tools in the Composition panel.
The pen tools—Add Vertex, Delete Vertex, and Convert Vertex tools—are grouped with the Pen tool in the Tools
panel. To reveal these tools in the Tools panel, click and hold the Pen tool in the Tools panel.
In most cases, the appropriate pen tool becomes active when you place the Pen tool pointer in a particular context.
For example, the Delete Vertex tool becomes active when you place the Pen tool pointer over an existing vertex, and
the Add Vertex tool becomes active when you place the Pen tool pointer over a path segment. To manually activate and
cycle through these tools, press G.
When modifying a path, make sure that you click only existing vertices or segments; otherwise, you may create a new
path instead.
Move, add, or delete a vertex
❖
Do one of the following:
• To move a vertex, drag the vertex with the Selection tool .
To temporarily switch from the Pen tool to the Selection tool, press V or 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
Adjust 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.
Dragging a curved segment on a RotoBezier mask also moves the vertices.
Toggle a vertex between a smooth point and a corner point
❖
Click the vertex with the Convert Vertex tool
To activate the Convert Vertex tool when the Pen tool is selected, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS).
Adjust the tension of a RotoBezier mask
If you want to adjust the tension of more than one vertex simultaneously, then select them.
1
2 Using the Convert Vertex tool
to click the segment between two existing vertices.
.
, drag a vertex.
to click the vertex.
AFTER EFFECTS CS3 322
User Guide