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3 Select the control point you want to designate as the first vertex. (See "Selecting masks
and control points" on page 153 for information on selecting a control point.)
4 Choose Layer > Mask > Set First Vertex.
Note: The control point designated as the first vertex appears slightly larger than the other
control points in the Composition window.
Importing masks from Adobe Illustrator and Adobe
Photoshop
You can import paths from Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop and use them in After
Effects layers. Using the special path-editing tools available in these applications, you can
create a wider variety of shapes for your After Effects masks.
Path in Adobe Illustrator (left), and that same path imported into an After Effects Layer window as a
mask (right)
To import a path from Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop:
1 Open Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop and create a path. For more information
about creating a path in Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop, see the user guide for the
application.
2 Select all of the control points on the path that you want to copy to After Effects.
3 Choose Edit > Copy.
4 Open After Effects.
5 Open the Layer or Composition window into which you want to paste the path, and
choose Edit > Paste.
Note: Each path from Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop is imported into After Effects
as one mask.
Applying effects to a mask
You can apply the following standard After Effects effects to a mask shape: Path Text,
Audio Waveform, Audio Spectrum, Stroke, Fill (closed paths only), and Smear (closed paths
only). You can apply the following After Effects Production Bundle effects to a mask shape:
Reshape (closed paths only), Vegas, and the Inner Outer Key (closed paths only). The
Production Bundle effect Particle Playground can also use a mask shape to define effect
boundaries.
You may also be able to use masks with effects from other manufacturers. To find out
where to get more information on the effects listed, see the index.
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Working with Masks and Transparency
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