Layers - Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual

Adobe After Effects Help
Using Help | Contents
To lock or unlock a mask:
1 In the Timeline window, expand the Mask property.
2 In the Switches column, click the box underneath the lock icon ( ) next to the mask you
want to lock or unlock. A layer is locked when the lock icon appears in the box.
Reusing a mask
You can reuse masks in other layers and compositions. It is particularly useful to store
Bezier masks you've spent a long time perfecting. You can even create a project with
compositions that exist just to store complex layer masks. Mask shapes are stored inside a
composition, not as an external file on your hard disk. When you want to use a mask from
another project, import that project into your current project.
To save a mask:
1 In the Timeline window for the composition containing the layer and mask you want to
save, expand the layer and its mask properties.
2 Do one of the following:
To save an animated mask, select the mask keyframes you want to save. For more infor-
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mation, see "Setting keyframes" on page 98.
To save a nonanimated mask, select the I-beam for the mask.
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3 Copy the mask or keyframes and paste to a new layer (this can be a simple solid).
To reuse a mask:
1 Open the composition containing the mask you want to reuse. If you saved the mask in
another project, import the project and then open the mask's composition.
2 In the Timeline window, expand the saved mask's layer and mask properties.
3 Select the mask path or keyframes.
4 Copy the mask or keyframes and paste to the new layer.
Creating track mattes and traveling mattes
When you want one layer to show through a hole in another layer, set up a track matte.
You'll need two layers—one to act as a matte, and another to fill the hole in the matte.
You can animate either the track matte layer or the fill layer. When you animate the track
matte layer, you create a traveling matte. If you want to animate the track matte and fill
layers using identical settings, consider precomposing them (see "Understanding precom-
posing" on page 270).
Using Help | Contents
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Working with Masks and Transparency
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