Creating Shapes And Masks - Adobe 12040118 - After Effects Standard Tutorial

Creating shapes and masks

Creating masks
Create a rectangular or elliptical mask numerically
Create a mask from channel values with Auto-trace
Creating shapes and shape layers
Vector Art Footage-to-Shape Conversion (CS6)
Create a shape or mask by dragging with shape tools
Create a Bezier shape or mask using the Pen tool
Create a shape or mask the size of the layer
Create shapes or masks from text characters
Copy a path from Illustrator, Photoshop, or Fireworks
Create a mask or shape from a motion path
Duplicate a shape group while transforming
Creating masks
You can create one or more masks for each layer in a composition using any of the following methods:
Draw a path using the shape tools or Pen tool. Drawing a mask path is similar to drawing a shape path. (See
dragging with shape tools
Specify the dimensions of the mask path numerically in the Mask Shape dialog box. (See
Convert a shape path to a mask path by copying the shape's path to the Mask Path property.
Convert a motion path to a mask path. (See
Trace color or alpha channel values to create a mask using the Auto-trace command. (See
Paste a path copied from another layer or from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Fireworks. (See
Fireworks.)
Convert a text layer to one or more editable masks on a solid-color layer by using the Create Masks From Text command. (See
shapes or masks from text
When you create masks on a layer, the mask names appear in the Timeline panel outline in the order in which you create the masks. To organize
and keep track of your masks, rename them.
To rename a mask, select it and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS), or right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the mask
name and choose Rename.
When creating additional masks for one layer in the Layer panel, make sure that the Target menu in the Layer panel is set to None; otherwise,
you replace the targeted mask instead of creating a new mask. You can also lock a mask to prevent changes to it.
Menu selections to specify a mask to target in the Layer panel
A. View menu B. Target menu
When creating or editing masks, look in the Info panel for information such as the mask name and the number of vertices in the mask.
To create a mask that you can move independently of the primary layer that it's masking, create the mask on a separate white solid layer, and
use that solid layer as a track matte for the primary layer. Then use parenting to make the solid layer a child of the primary layer, so that the
mask moves with the primary layer as if it were applied directly. Because the solid layer is a child layer, it can also be animated independently
of its parent. You can use motion tracking to make the solid layer (and therefore the mask) follow moving objects in the primary layer. (See
Convert a layer into a track matte and
and Create a Bezier shape or mask using the Pen
Create a mask or shape from a motion
characters.)
Parent and child layers.)
tool.)
Create a rectangular or elliptical mask
path.)
Create a mask from a channel with
Copy a path from Illustrator, Photoshop, or
To the top
Create a shape or mask by
numerically.)
Auto-trace.)
Create