Adobe 65008009 - After Effects CS4 Using Manual page 320

Last updated 12/21/2009
Specifies the smallest feature in the original image that will be traced. For example, a value of 4 removes
Minimum Area
features smaller than 2 pixels wide by 2 pixels high from the tracing result.
Specifies the roundness of the mask curve at vertices. Enter a higher value for smoother curves.
Corner Roundness
Applies the mask to a new solid the same size as the selected layer. This control is automatically
Apply To New Layer
selected for layers that have Collapse Transformations enabled—it creates a new layer the same size as the composition
that contains the layer.
Select to preview the mask results and the results of the various options of the Auto-trace command.
Preview
More Help topics
"Keying introduction and
"Work area" on page 201
Creating shapes and shape layers
You create a shape layer by drawing in the Composition panel with a shape tool or the Pen tool. You can then add
shape attributes to existing shapes or create new shapes within that shape layer. By default, if you draw in the
Composition panel when a shape layer is selected, you create a new shape within that shape layer, above the selected
shapes or group of shapes. If you draw in the Composition panel using a shape tool or Pen tool when an image layer
other than a shape layer is selected, you create a mask.
Press F2 to deselect all layers before drawing in the Composition panel to create a new shape layer.
You can create shapes and shape layers 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
a shape or mask by dragging with shape
on page 316.)
• Convert a text layer to shapes on a shape layer by using the Create Shapes From Text command. (See
or masks from text characters" on page 319.)
• Convert a mask path to a shape path.
• Convert a motion path to a shape path. (See
• Paste a path copied from another layer or from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Fireworks. (See
Illustrator, Photoshop, or
• Create a new, empty shape layer by choosing Layer > New > Shape Layer.
In most cases, a new shape has a fill and a stroke that correspond to the Fill and Stroke settings in the Tools panel at
the time that the shape is drawn. You can use the same controls in the Tools panel to change these attributes for a
selected shape after it has been drawn. Shapes created from text are created with fills and strokes that match the fills
and strokes of the original text.
Note: To draw a mask on a shape layer, click the Tool Creates Mask
Pen tool active. For more information about creating masks, see
Aharon Rabinowitz provides a video tutorial on the
into a single compound shape using the Merge Paths path operation.
resources" on page 383
tools" on page 315 and
"Create a mask or shape from a motion
Fireworks" on page 320.)
Creative COW website
"Create a Bezier shape or mask using the Pen
path" on page 321.)
button in the Tools panel with a shape tool or
"Creating masks" on page 312.
that shows how to combine multiple paths
USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Drawing, painting, and paths
"Create
tool"
"Create shapes
"Copy a path from
314