Creating a Bezier mask – Working with Masks

You used the Convert Vertex tool to change a corner vertex to a smooth point with Bezier handles, but you could have created a Bezier mask in the first place. To do so, click in the Composition panel with the Pen tool where you want to place the first vertex. Then click where you want to place the next vertex, and drag in the direction you want to create a curve. When you are satisfied with the curve, release the mouse button. Continue to add points until you’ve created the shape you want. Close the mask by either clicking on the first vertex or double-clicking the last vertex. Then switch to the Selection tool to refine the mask.

Feathering the edges of a mask

The mask looks good, but the edge of the screen looks a little too sharp and unrealistic. To address this, you’ll feather, or soften, the edges.

  1. Select the TabletVideo.mov layer in the Timeline panel, and press the F key to display the Mask Feather property for the mask.
  2. Increase the Mask Feather amount to 3.0, 3.0 pixels.
  1. Hide the properties for the TabletVideo.mov layer, and then choose File > Save to save your work.

Replacing the content of the mask
You are now ready to replace the background with the video of a sea turtle and blend it with the overall shot.
Tip
In effects that reference layers, you can use masks for greater control over the effect’s influence. You can also use expressions to animate mask points.

  1. In the Project panel, select the SeaTurtle.mov file and drag it to the Timeline panel, placing it below the TabletVideo.mov layer.
  1. Choose Fit Up To 100% from the Magnification Ratio pop-up menu at the bottom of the Composition panel so that you can see the whole composition.
    Note
    If you’re using a Mac with Retina display, you’ll see Fit Up To 200%.
  2. Select the Selection tool ( ), and then drag the SeaTurtle.mov layer in the Composition panel slightly to the left, centering it in the tablet screen.
  3. Go to 2:07. In the Timeline panel, drag the entire SeaTurtle.mov layer to the right so that it begins at 2:07 and ends at the same time as the TabletVideo.mov layer.

Zooming and panning by touch

If you’re using a touch-enabled device, such as a Microsoft Surface, Wacom Cintiq Touch, or multi-touch trackpad, you can use your fingers to zoom and pan. Touch gestures let you zoom and pan in the Composition, Layer, Footage, and Timeline panels.

To zoom: Pinch two fingers closer together to zoom in, or move them further apart to zoom out.

To pan: Move two fingers in unison to pan up, down, left, or right in the panel’s current view.

Inverting the mask – Working with Masks

For this project, you need everything inside the mask to be transparent and everything outside the mask to be opaque. You’ll invert the mask now.

  1. Select the TabletVideo.mov layer in the Timeline panel, and press the M key to see the Mask Path property for the mask.

Tip
Pressing the M key twice in quick succession displays all mask properties for the selected layer.
There are two ways to invert this mask: by choosing Subtract from the Mask Mode pop-up menu, or by selecting the Inverted option.

  1. Select the Inverted option for Mask 1.

The mask inverts.

  1. Press F2 or click an empty area of the Timeline panel to deselect the TabletVideo.mov layer.

Creating curved masks
Curved or freeform masks use Bezier curves to define the shape of the mask. Bezier curves give you the greatest control over a mask’s shape. With them, you can create straight lines with sharp angles, perfectly smooth curves, or a combination of the two.
You’ll use Bezier curves to adjust the mask’s edges around the fabric, red ball, and sea urchin shell that obscure part of the screen.

  1. In the Timeline panel, select Mask 1, the mask for the TabletVideo.mov layer. Selecting Mask 1 makes the mask active and also selects all the vertices.
  2. In the Tools panel, select the Add Vertex tool (Add Vertex tool icon), which is hidden behind the Pen tool.
  3. With the Add Vertex tool, click along the bottom edge of the mask to add a vertex.
  4. Drag the new vertex down to the point where the red ball intersects with the screen.
  5. Add another vertex next to the fabric, and drag it down to the point where the fabric and red ball intersect.
  6. Add vertices at the two points where the sea urchin shell intersects the bottom edge of the screen.
  1. In the Tools panel, select the Convert Vertex tool ( ), which is hidden behind the Add Vertex tool.
  2. In the Composition panel, click the vertex where the fabric and red ball intersect. The Convert Vertex tool changes the corner vertex to smooth points.
  3. Adjust the direction handles until the mask follows the contour of the fabric and the red ball.
  1. Deselect the TabletVideo.mov layer in the Timeline panel to check the edge of your mask. If you need to make adjustments, select Mask 1 in the TabletVideo.mov layer, and use the Convert Vertex tool to fine-tune the shape of the mask.
  2. Choose File > Save to save your work.

Creating a mask with the Pen tool – Working with Masks

The tablet screen is currently blank. To fill it with the video of a sea turtle, you need to mask the screen.

Tip

You can also create a mask using the Mocha effect. To learn more about using the Mocha effect, see After Effects Help.

  1. Go to 2:00, where the video is in full color.
  2. Make sure the TabletVideo.mov layer is selected in the Timeline panel, and then select the Pen tool (Pen tool icon) in the Tools panel.

The Pen tool creates straight lines or curved segments. The tablet screen itself is rectangular, so you’ll try using straight lines first.

  1. Click the lower left corner of the tablet screen to place the first vertex.
  2. Click the upper left corner of the tablet screen to place the second vertex. After Effects connects the two points with a segment.
  3. Click to place a third vertex in the upper right corner of the tablet screen, and then click to place a fourth vertex where the fabric intersects with the right edge of the screen.
  4. Move the Pen tool over the first vertex you created (in the lower left corner). When a circle appears next to the pointer (as in the image on the right below), click to close the mask path.

Tips for creating masks

If you have worked with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, or similar applications, you’re probably familiar with masks and Bezier curves. If not, here are a few additional tips to help you create them effectively:

  • Use as few vertices as possible.
  • You can close a mask by clicking the starting vertex. To open a closed mask, click a mask segment, choose Layer > Mask And Shape Path, and deselect Closed.
  • To add points to an open path, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS), and click the last point on the path with the Pen tool. When the point is selected, you can continue adding points.

About mask modes

Blending modes for masks (mask modes) control how masks within a layer interact with one another. By default, all masks are set to Add, which combines the transparency values of any masks that overlap on the same layer. You can apply one mode to each mask, but you cannot change a mask’s mode over time.

The first mask you create interacts with the layer’s alpha channel. If that channel doesn’t define the entire image as opaque, then the mask interacts with the layer frame. Each additional mask that you create interacts with masks located above it in the Timeline panel. The results of mask modes vary depending on the modes set for the masks higher up in the Timeline panel. You can use mask modes only between masks in the same layer. Using mask modes, you can create complex mask shapes with multiple transparent areas. For example, you can set a mask mode that combines masks and sets the opaque area to the regions where the masks intersect.

Editing a mask

Instead of masking the information inside the tablet, the mask has removed everything outside the tablet. You need to invert the mask. You’ll also use Bezier curves to create a more accurate mask.

Getting started – Working with Masks

In this lesson, you will create a mask for the screen of a tablet and replace the screen’s original content with a movie. Then you’ll adjust the positioning of the new footage so that it fits the perspective of the shot. Finally, you’ll polish the scene by adding a shadow and creating a vignette effect.
Begin by previewing the movie and setting up the project.

  1. Make sure the following files are in the Lessons/Lesson07 folder on your hard disk, or download them from peachpit.com now:
    • In the Assets folder: SeaTurtle.mov, TabletVideo.mov
    • In the Sample_Movie folder: Lesson07.mp4
  2. Open and play the Lesson07.mp4 sample movie in Windows Movies & TV or QuickTime Player to see what you will create in this lesson. When you are done, close Windows Movies & TV or QuickTime Player. You may delete the sample movie from your hard disk if you have limited storage space.
    When you begin the lesson, restore the default application settings for After Effects. See “Restoring default preferences” on page 3.
  3. Start After Effects, and then immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (macOS) to restore default preferences settings. In the Startup Repair Options dialog box, click Reset Preferences. Then, click New Project in the Home window.
    After Effects opens to display a new, untitled project.
  4. Choose File > Save As > Save As, and navigate to the Lessons/Lesson07/Finished_Project folder.
  5. Name the project Lesson07_Finished.aep, and then click Save.

Creating the composition
You’ll import two footage items for this exercise. Then, you’ll create the composition based on the aspect ratio and duration of one of the footage items.

  1. Double-click an empty area of the Project panel to open the Import File dialog box.
  2. Navigate to the Lessons/Lesson07/Assets folder, Shift-click to select the SeaTurtle.mov and TabletVideo.mov files, and then click Import or Open.
  3. Deselect both files in the Project panel. Then select the TabletVideo.mov footage item, and drag it onto the Create A New Composition button ( ) at the bottom of the Project panel.

After Effects creates a composition named TabletVideo and opens it in the Composition and Timeline panels.

  1. Choose File > Save to save your work so far.

About masks – Working with Masks

Lesson overview

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:

  • Create a mask using the Pen tool.
  • Change a mask’s mode.
  • Edit a mask shape by controlling vertices and direction handles.
  • Feather a mask edge.
  • Replace the contents of a mask shape.
  • Adjust the position of a layer in 3D space to blend it with the rest of a shot.
  • Create a shadow effect.
  • Create a vignette.

This lesson will take about an hour to complete. If you haven’t already done so, download the project files for this lesson from peachpit.com/AfterEffectsCIB2024, following the instructions in the Getting Started section under “Accessing the lesson files and Web Edition.”

PROJECT: SEQUENCE FROM A COMMERCIAL

There will be times when you won’t need (or want) everything in a shot to be included in the final composite. Use masks to control what appears.

About masks

A mask in Adobe After Effects is a path, or outline, that is used to modify layer effects and properties. The most common use of masks is to modify a layer’s alpha channel. A mask consists of segments and vertices: Segments are the lines or curves that connect vertices. Vertices define where each segment of a path starts and ends.

A mask can be either an open or a closed path. An open path has a beginning point that is not the same as its end point; for example, a straight line is an open path. A closed path is continuous and has no beginning or end, such as a circle. Closed-path masks can create transparent areas for a layer. Open paths cannot create transparent areas for a layer, but are useful as parameters for an effect. For example, you can use an effect to generate a running light around a mask.

A mask belongs to a specific layer. Each layer can contain multiple masks.

You can draw masks in common geometric shapes—including polygons, ellipses, and stars—with the shape tools, or you can use the Pen tool to draw an arbitrary path. If you draw a shape when a layer is selected, the shape becomes a mask for that layer; the cursor displays a masked box (Cursor with masked box icon) as you start to draw. If you draw a shape when no layer is selected, After Effects creates a shape layer; the cursor displays a star (Cursor with star icon) as you start to draw.

Remapping time – Animating Layers

You’re ready to manipulate the speed and direction of time in your project.

  1. With the Pre-comp 1 layer selected in the Timeline panel, choose Layer > Time > Enable Time Remapping.

After Effects adds two keyframes, at the first and last frames of the layer, visible in the time ruler. A Time Remap property also appears under the layer name in the Timeline panel; this property lets you control which frame is displayed at a given point in time.

  1. With the Pre-comp 1 layer active, choose Layer > Open Layer to open it in the Layer panel.

The Layer panel provides a visual reference of the frames you change when you remap time. It displays two time rulers: The time ruler at the bottom of the panel displays the current time. The Source Time ruler, just above the time ruler, has a remap-time marker that indicates which frame is playing at the current time.

  1. Press the spacebar to preview the layer, and notice that the source-time and current-time markers in the two Layer panel rulers are synchronized. That will change as you remap time.
    Over the first four seconds, the lights come on slowly. You’ll speed that section up so that the lights come on twice as fast.
  2. Go to 2:00, and change the Time Remap value to 4:00.
    This remaps time so that frame 4:00 plays at 2:00. In other words, the clip now plays back at twice the speed for the first two seconds of the composition.
  1. Press the spacebar to preview the animation. The composition now runs at double-speed until 2:00, and at a slower speed thereafter. Press the spacebar again when you have finished previewing the animation.

Viewing time remapping in the Graph Editor
Using the Graph Editor, you can view and manipulate all aspects of effects and animations, including effect property values, keyframes, and interpolation. The Graph Editor displays changes in effects and animations as a two-dimensional graph, with playback time represented horizontally (from left to right). In layer bar mode, in contrast, the time ruler represents only the horizontal time element, without a graphical display of changing values.

  1. Make sure the Time Remap property is selected for the Pre-comp 1 layer in the Timeline panel.
  2. Click the Graph Editor button ( ) to display the Graph Editor.

The Graph Editor displays a time-remap graph that shows a white line connecting the keyframes at 0:00, 2:00, and 10:00. The angle of the line is steep up to 2:00, and then becomes shallower. The steeper the line, the faster the playback time.

Simulating a darkening sky – Animating Layers

The lights come on, but the sky and building remain in daylight. The background should darken as the marquee lights up, showing off the marquee contents and creating a sense of excitement. You’ll use a mask, a solid layer, and a blending mode to provide the contrast.

Creating a mask
You want darkness to fall on the building and sky behind the theater sign. You’ll duplicate the layer, and then create a mask to isolate the area you want to darken.

  1. Press the Home key or move the current-time indicator to the beginning of the time ruler.
  2. In the Timeline panel, select the Lit marquee layer.
  3. Choose Edit > Duplicate. After Effects adds a Lit marquee 2 layer to the layer stack, immediately above the Lit marquee layer.
  4. Select the Pen tool ( ) in the Tools panel.
  5. With the Lit marquee 2 layer selected in the Timeline panel, click the upper left corner of the marquee to start drawing.
  1. Click additional points to continue the mask around the left edge of the marquee, the left and upper edge of the background, and the theatre sign, as in the image below. You’ll need to create some points of the mask on the pasteboard outside the image.
  1. Continue around the theatre sign, and then click your starting point again to close the mask.

Adding a solid layer

Now that you’ve masked the background, you’ll add the layer that will affect it, and then animate the opacity of that layer.

  1. Select the Lit marquee layer in the Timeline panel.
  2. Choose Layer > New > Solid.
  3. In the Solid Settings dialog box, make sure a dark gray color is selected, click Make Comp Size, and then click OK. After Effects adds a layer named Dark Gray Solid 1 between the Lit marquee and Lit marquee 2 layers.

With the current-time indicator at the beginning of the time ruler, most of the image will darken, because neither the Lit marquee layer nor the Lit marquee 2 layer (with its mask) are visible yet. Don’t worry; you’ll animate the solid layer’s opacity to account for that.

  1. Select the Lit marquee 2 layer, and press M if the Mask property isn’t already displayed.
  2. Choose Darken from the Mask Mode menu, and select Inverted.
    You drew around the background, but that’s the area you want to remain unmasked. When you invert the mask, the unselected area becomes masked instead.
  1. Select the Dark Gray Solid layer. Make sure the current-time indicator is at the beginning of the time ruler (0:00). Then, change the Opacity value to 0% in the Properties panel, and click the stopwatch icon ( ) to create an initial keyframe.
  1. Go to 1:23, and change the Opacity to 5%.
  2. Go to 4:09, and click the Add Or Remove Keyframe button to create an additional keyframe with Opacity at 5%.

9. Go to 7:00, and change the Opacity to 75%.

  1. Press the Home key or move the current-time indicator to the beginning of the time ruler. Press the spacebar to preview the animation. When you’re done, press the spacebar again.

As the lights brighten and the text begins to move, the surrounding building and sky gradually darken. Your scene is complete.

  1. Hide the properties for all layers, and save your work.

Creating the track matte – Animating Layers

The text scrolls well, but it overlaps the rest of the marquee, and even the lights on the left side. You’ll use a track matte to confine the text to the black ticker field. You’ll use the alpha channel of the Scroll area layer for the track matte.

  1. Click Toggle Switches/Modes at the bottom of the Timeline panel to display the Track Matte column, so you can apply the track matte.
  2. Select the Scroll text layer, and choose “3. Scroll area” from the Track Matte pop-up menu.

The alpha channel of the layer you selected (Scroll area) is used to set transparency for the Scroll text layer, so the contents of that layer appear only within the matte defined by the Scroll area layer. The video switch is automatically deselected for the Scroll area layer when you apply the track matte.
With the Scroll area layer deselected there are light artifacts at the top of the text area. You’ll make the layer visible to hide those lights without compromising the track matte.

  1. Click the eye icon ( ) for the Scroll area layer in the Timeline panel.
  2. Deselect all layers, and hide all layer properties.
  3. Press the Home key or move the current-time indicator to the beginning of the time ruler, and then press the spacebar to preview the animation. Press the spacebar again when you’re done.
  1. Choose File > Save to save your project.

About 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, the other 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, you can precompose them.


You define transparency in a track matte using values from either its alpha channel or the luminance of its pixels. Using luminance is handy when you want to create a track matte from a layer without an alpha channel, or a layer imported from a program that can’t create an alpha channel. In both alpha-channel mattes and luminance mattes, pixels with higher values are more transparent. In most cases, you use a high-contrast matte so that areas are either completely transparent or completely opaque. Intermediate shades should appear only where you want partial or gradual transparency, such as along a soft edge.
By default, After Effects uses alpha channel values to create a track matte. To use the luminance values instead, click the circle icon ( ) next to the Track Matte column to change it to the sun icon ( ). To invert the matte, click the empty square so that it displays the inverted icon ( ).

Anatomy of a traveling matte

A. Track matte layer: A solid with a rectangular mask, set to Luma Matte. The mask is animated to travel across the screen.

B. Fill layer: A solid with a pattern effect.

C. Result: The pattern is seen in the track matte’s shape and added to the image layer, which is below the track matte layer.

Duplicating an animation using the pick whip – Animating Layers

The Starburst layer includes the Bevel And Emboss layer style from Photoshop. You’ll animate the bevel, which makes the starburst appear backlit, so that it lights up as the marquee does.

To do this, you’ll use the pick whip to duplicate the animation you just created. You can use the pick whip to create expressions that link the values of one property or effect to another. In this case, you’ll link the opacity of the Lit marquee layer to the Depth property of the Bevel And Emboss effect in the Starburst layer.

  1. Press the Home key or move the current-time indicator to the beginning of the time ruler.
  2. Expand the Starburst layer, and then expand its Layer Styles > Bevel And Emboss properties.
  1. If necessary, enlarge the Timeline panel so that you can see both the Lit marquee and Starburst properties.
  2. Make sure the Opacity property is still visible for the Lit marquee layer.
  3. Click the pick whip icon ( ) for the Depth property in the Starburst layer, and drag it to the Opacity property name for the Lit marquee layer. When you release the mouse, the pick whip snaps, and the Depth property value is red.
  1. Expand the Depth property for the Starburst layer. An expression in the Starburst layer time ruler now reads “thisComp.layer(“Lit marquee”).transform.opacity.” This means that the Opacity value for the Lit marquee layer replaces the previous Depth value (105%) for the Starburst layer.
  1. Drag the current-time indicator from 0:00 to 4:00. Notice that the Opacity value for the Lit marquee layer and the Depth property for the Starburst layer increase simultaneously. The area around the starburst and the marquee light bulbs brighten in sync.
  1. Hide the properties for all layers to keep the Timeline panel tidy. If you enlarged the Timeline panel, return it to its original size.
  2. Choose File > Save to save your project.

About Photoshop layer styles

Adobe Photoshop provides a variety of layer styles—such as shadows, glows, and bevels—that change the appearance of a layer. After Effects can preserve these layer styles when you import Photoshop layers. You can also apply layer styles in After Effects.

Though layer styles are referred to as effects in Photoshop, they behave more like blending modes in After Effects. Layer styles follow transformations in the standard render order, whereas effects precede transformations. Another difference is that each layer style blends directly with the underlying layers in the composition, whereas an effect is rendered on the layer to which it’s applied, the result of which then interacts with the underlying layers as a whole.

The layer style properties are available for the layer in the Timeline panel.

To learn more about working with layer styles in After Effects, see After Effects Help.

Getting started – Animating Layers

Lesson overview
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Animate a layered Adobe Photoshop file.
• Create an expression using the pick whip.
• Work with imported Photoshop layer styles.
• Apply a track matte to control the visibility of layers.
• Animate a layer using the Corner Pin effect.
• View layer render times using the Composition Profiler.
• Use time remapping and the Layer panel to dynamically retime footage.
• Edit Time Remap keyframes in the Graph Editor.

This lesson will take about an hour to complete. If you haven’t already done so, download the project files for this lesson from peachpit.com/AfterEffectsCIB2024, following the instructions in the Getting Started section under “Accessing the lesson files and Web Edition.”

PROJECT: THEATER MARQUEE IN A FILM SHORT
Animation is all about making changes over time—changes to an object or image’s position, opacity, scale, and other properties. This lesson provides more practice animating the layers of a Photoshop file, including dynamically remapping time.

Getting started
Adobe After Effects provides several tools and effects that let you simulate motion video using a layered Photoshop file. In this lesson, you will import a layered Photoshop file of a theater marquee, and then animate it to simulate the marquee lighting up and text scrolling across its screen. This is a stylized animation in which the motion is first accelerated, and then reverses and moves forward again.
First, you’ll preview the final movie and set up the project.

  1. Make sure the following files are in the Lessons/Lesson06 folder on your hard disk, or download them from peachpit.com now:
    • In the Assets folder: marquee.psd
    • In the Sample_Movie folder: Lesson06.mp4
  2. Open and play the Lesson06.mp4 in Windows Movies & TV or QuickTime Player to see the final animation you will create in this lesson.
  3. When you’re done, quit Windows Movies & TV or QuickTime Player. You may delete the sample movie from your hard disk if you have limited storage space.
    When you begin the lesson, restore the default application settings for After Effects. See “Restoring default preferences” on page 3.
  4. Start After Effects, and then immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (macOS) to restore default preferences settings. In the Startup Repair Options dialog box, click Reset Preferences.
  5. Click New Project in the Home window.
    After Effects opens to display an empty, untitled project.
  6. Choose File > Save As > Save As.
  7. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the Lessons/Lesson06/Finished_Project folder.
  8. Name the project Lesson06_Finished.aep, and then click Save.