How To Create Mask In After Effects
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Learn How to Create and Modify After Effects Mask
At some point in any motion graphic project, you will need to use one or multiple After Effects mask in your composition and I have to say even after 10 years of motion graphic experience I am still learning new tips and tricks to work with masks. I'll show on this tutorial the basic and advanced techniques to use After Effects mask, so by the end of this article you will know how to use and more be comfortable with the AE mask shape and mask layers.
Below a list of mask subjects, so you can jump straight to the section you prefer.
- What is an After Effects mask?
- Type of masks in After Effects?
- How to create a mask in After Effects?
- How to modify a mask in After Effects ?
- How to use the Mask Modes in After Effects?
- How to create a Shape Layer Mask in After Effects?
- Draw with the Shape Tool in After Effects
- Trace Mask with the Pen Tool in After Effects
- How to edit and modify a shape layer mask?
- How to create a custom mask in After Effects?
1. What is an After Effects mask?
Essentially a mask in After Effect is a shape that hide or show a specific area of a layer (or multiple layers) on your composition. Specifically a mask is a path / outline made of vertices that you can adjust or/and animate.
2. Type of masks in After Effects?
There are 2 type of masks you can use in After Effects
– regular mask
– shape layer mask.
TIPS: Something you must know when you create a mask
If your select your layer on your timeline: You will create standard mask
If your don't select your layer on your timeline: You will create a shape layer mask
Regular mask are often used for rotoscoping and morphing because you can quickly mask multiple frame.
3. How to create a mask in After Effects?
– Select your image/video on your timeline
– Top tools bar, click on the shape tool icon
(Shortcut: Press Q)
– In you composition draw your rectangle mask on your image/video
After Effects regular Mask demo example below
TIPS:
If you want to turn ON and OFF the visibility of your mask outline and shape path, you can use the Toggle Mask and Shape Path visibility icon
located on the bottom of your composition.
4. How to modify a mask in after effects ?
There are many ways to modify after effects masks I will go over the essential below
Move one mask point at a time
Select the layer on your timeline
Press V (Selection tool)
Start moving each point
Move Multiple mask points at once
– Select the layer on your timeline
– Press M (Shortcut to access the mask properties)
– Select Mask Path
– Press V (Selection Tool)
– Click on one point/vertex
– you should be able to move all the point together
Resize or Rotate a mask
– Select the layer on your timeline
– Press M (Shortcut to access the mask properties)
– Select Mask Path
– Double click on any point/vertex
– Move your cursor on the corner of the layer you should see the resize cursor which should allow you to scale.
– Press Shift if you want to scale proportionally.
If you move you cursor further more on the corner you should also see the rotate cursor which will allow you to rotate your mask.
5. How to use the Mask Modes in After Effects?
After Effects have 7 mask modes options click on the drop down you will see: None, Add, Subtract, Intersect, Lighten, Darken, Difference
See below what After Effects mask mode options are doing visually
6. How to create a Shape Layer Mask in After Effects?
– Make sure no layer is selected on your timeline
– Top tools bar, click on the shape tool icon (Shortcut: Press Q)
– Draw a rectangle
– Make sure your rectangle shape layer is above the image/video layer.
– Select your image/video and change track matte to Alpha
See example below or Download the After Effects Shape Layer mask project.
Tips: Once you have created you shape layer mask you can quickly change the fill color and stroke color
– Just hold ALT then Click on the fill color or the stroke color, demo below
7. Draw with the Shape Tool in After Effects
The Shape tools (Shortcut:Press Q) allows you to create a mask or shape layer with different path such as
– Rectangle (default shape)
– Rounded Rectangle Tools
– Ellipse Tool
– Polygon Tool
– Star Tools
8. Trace Mask with the Pen Tool in After Effects
If you need to create a custom mask shape the Pen Tool
(shortcut: Press G) will allow you to trace a path with vertex points.
When you choose to trace with the pen tool you also have access to several tools to edit your path such as:
– Pen Tool
– Add vertex Tool
– Delete Vertex Tool
– Convert Vertext Tool
– Mask Feather Tool
Quick demo of the pen tool below
TIPS:
Check mark RotoBezier it will make automatic smooth curved path for you.
Uncheck Rotobezier to have more control on your points vertices with Bezier handles
9. How to edit and modify a shape layer mask ?
When you create default shape layer mask such as rectangle, eclipse, polygon you will quickly see that you can't move the point/vertex.
In order to modify and control the point/vertex you will need to right click on the path and select Convert to Bezier path
To modify or animate your shape layer mask there are handy edit tools (Merge Paths,Offset Paths,Pucker & Bloat,Repeater…), you can find them under theAdd menu(screenshot below), I suggest you test each tool to familiarize yourself, if you need specific detail on each add menu tools you can also visit this page on the adobe website.
10. How to create a custom mask in After Effects?
Create a custom shape in after effects is not very effective and will slow down your workflow for that reason we will use first Illustrator follow the steps below
Please post your questions down below if you need more info on After Effects mask, you can also find more on After Effects masks on the Adobe website here.
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How To Create Mask In After Effects
Source: https://blog.motionisland.com/after-effects-mask/
Posted by: mendenhallfleavermak.blogspot.com
3 Comments
Mmmmm….good but if I would like to order the shape layers (or mask layers) how do that?
Suppose you wish the face of the cat as is and the outside in flames, so I may want to apply fire particles effect in the outside layer only
Thanks for your feedback Pablo, Not sure what you mean, would you be able to send me an example on info@motionisland.com
I am a beginner with AE, i would like to know how i can add a border on a movie! a border on a square movie, with 2 rounded corners and 2 square corners! And i would like to know, if is possible, to know how i can add a particle border that follows that special shape with 2 rounded and 2 square corners! In Photoshop is easy to create that special shape, but in AE, no! Or, i don't know how to do that!
Many thanks in advance!