Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 335

Adobe After Effects Help
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Eraser tool ( ) Erase areas of the layer, using Brush Type settings defined in the Effect
Controls window. The Eraser pointer appears as a circle with an X through it. If you are
using an installed tablet with stylus eraser support, Vector Paint automatically switches to
eraser mode when you use the stylus eraser.
Clicking the active tool (Selection, Paint, or Brush) deactivates painting and hides the
other buttons on the Vector Paint toolbar. You can then drag and scale the layer. To
return to working with Vector Paint, select one of the three Vector Paint tool buttons
again, and the entire Vector Paint toolbar reappears.
Specifying a Brush type (PB only)
Vector paint includes three Brush types: Paint, Air, and Square. These define the shapes
and performance of both the paintbrush tool and the eraser tool. Of the three, the Air
brush type is unique because you cannot set a Feather setting for this type.
To change brush types:
Do one of the following:
In the Vector Paint toolbar, select the Paint ( ), Air ( ), or Square ( ) button.
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In the Effect Controls window, click the current Brush type setting (Paint, Air, or Square)
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repeatedly to cycle through the three brushes until the brush you want is selected.
With increased Feather and reduced Opacity settings, Paint brushstrokes may resemble
Air brushstrokes. However, when you paint a single stroke that crosses itself, the two brush
types produce different results. Air brushstrokes build up opacity as the stroke crosses
itself. Paint brushstrokes don't build up opacity within the same stroke, whether it crosses
itself or not. To increase opacity with Paint brushstrokes, create multiple strokes over the
area (like multiple coats of paint).
Note: Each Brush Type is also available for the eraser tool. When the eraser tool is selected
in the Paint Toolbar, the name appears with a -E after it in the Effect Controls window.
Also, if a tablet is installed and the stylus has eraser support, Vector Paint automatically
switches to eraser mode when you use the stylus eraser.
Selecting Brush Settings options in Effect Controls (PB only)
The Effect Controls window organizes settings for Vector Paint, beginning with Brush
Settings for painting. Use this window to specify:
Brush shape and quality.
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Paint color and opacity.
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Stylus settings for a Wacom or Creation Station tablet. For more information, see
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"Configuring a stylus for Vector Paint (PB only)" on page 347.
The first three controls on the left column can be changed in two ways. You can click the
underlined value to open a dialog box in which you can type a specific value, or you can
drag across the value to change it, dragging left to decrease it and right to increase it.
Note: If you select strokes with different settings (such as Color, Radius, Brush Type, and so
forth), a question mark [-?-] appears for those option in the Effect Controls window. To
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