Adobe After Effects PDF

Adobe AfterEffects
Lesson 3.
Special Types of Layers and Their Animation. Masks
Advantages of fill and vector layers;
Which auxiliary layers can be used in the project;
How masks are created and their purpose;
How to use animation of vector layers and masks to enhance the expressiveness of the movie
Chapter. Attention!
Lesson 3. Special Types of Layers and Their Animation. Masks
Course. Adobe AfterEffects
Attention! THIS LESSON USES IMAGE SCALING

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clicking on it. If you click again, it will resize to its original size.
This electronic lesson uses advanced capabilities of
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Стр. 2
Chapter. Contents
Contents
Special Types of Layers.............................................................................. 4 Roto Brush Tool: Precise Manual Selection,
Solid Layers (Solids)..............................................................................................4 Refine Mask Edges, Background Replacement...................................... 19
Shape Layers...........................................................................................................5 Roto Brush.............................................................................................................19
Layers of Null Objects........................................................................................13 Refine Edge Tool................................................................................................. 20
Adjustment Layers..............................................................................................14 Working with Roto Brush and Refine Edge Tools................................... 20
Guide Layers ........................................................................................................15 Roto Brush & Refine Edge............................................................................... 22
Vector Masks and Their Animation. Importing Masks.......................... 16 Freezing (Caching, Locking, and Saving) Roto Brush
Segmentation...................................................................................................... 24
Creating Masks.....................................................................................................16
Mask Animation ..................................................................................................17 Practice (Project)......................................................................................26
Moving Mask or Panning a Layer Behind the Mask................................17 Homework (Individual Project)............................................................... 27
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Chapter. Attention!
Attention! THIS LESSON USES IMAGE SCALING

Every time you see an image with a button , you can enlarge the image by
clicking on it. If you click again, it will resize to its original size.
This electronic lesson uses advanced capabilities of
Adobe PDF, which allow to create interactive illustrations,
and to play audio and video files on the lesson’s page.
Many third-party applications for viewing these PDF
files, built-in programs of operating systems, and viewing
programs on the mobile devices may not be able to display
this content.
If you are having trouble with viewing this lesson, or
some of its elements are not working properly or not dis-
played, you can download and install the latest version of
Adobe Reader from this link and use it to view the e-lessons. THIS LESSON USES LINKS TO VIDEO
Every time you see an image with the PLAY button on top of it on the page,
it is a link to a video. Click on it to watch the video.
Стр. 2
Chapter. Special Types of Layers
Image 3. Calling the Solid layer settings window Image 4. Create shape layers
To change layer settings (color, size, pixel aspect ratio),

use Layer> Solid Settings command or Ctrl (Cmd)+Shift+Y
command (img. 3).
SHAPE LAYERS
Create a Shape Layer. Vector Drawing Tools
Layer shapes can contain one or several vector objects
to which you can then apply shape animation. Shape layer
is created with Layer> New> Shape Layer (img. 4).
An empty layer appears, on which you will draw nec-
essary objects using the Pen tool or geometric tools in
Image 5. Create an object on the shape layer and display it in the layer proper-
the Composition window. You can also copy the vector path ties
from the Illustrator file, in this case it will be processed by
the program as if it was created directly in it (img. 5).
If a shape layer is selected at the time of creating a new
object, the object is added to it. If no layers are selected,
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a new shape layer is created. If a layer of any other type is

selected, a mask is created.
After creating one or more forms on the shape layer,
a group of Contents parameters is added to its properties. Each
shape gets its own set of characteristics and can be adjusted/
animated separately from the other elements of the layer.
For each shape in the layer, you define:
■■ Path (a parameter that specifies boundaries of an ob-
ject, and shape animation is applied to it). If the shape
is created by a geometric tool (rectangle, ellipse, etc.), it
is called parametric and its properties display the cor-
responding parameters, which change during anima-
tion. Managing individual points in this case is not Image 6. Properties of the shape layer
available. To create an editable shape of the corre-
sponding shape (for example, an ellipse), keep the Alt Creating Shapes
key pressed while drawing. In this case, or if the shape Draw a Path Using the Shape Tools or the Pen Tool
is created by the Pen tool, the shape changes are speci-
fied using the select and modify tools (additional Pen The Pen tool in After Effects works in virtually the same
tools) directly in the Composition window. way as in other Adobe programs. The main difference is
■■ Fill (you can set the color change, gradient parameters, that when the tool is placed on the reference point, the tool
transparency level, etc.). is automatically converted to an "arrow" and allows you to
■■ Stroke is animated in the same way. edit the path. To delete a point in this case, hold down Ctrl
■■ Transform — to the usual transformation parame- (Cmd). To change the point type (smooth/corner), as usual,
ters, which are familiar to us from layer properties, use the Alt key, and to add a point to the path, just click on
the angle of inclination and its axis are added. This the desired area with the Pen tool.
is an individual transformation of an object, which Geometric tools (parametric shapes — ordinary and
can be combined with the overall transformation of rounded rectangle, ellipse, polygon, star) work in a stan-
the layer (img. 6). dard way with the usual modifiers. When the Alt key is
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pressed, a nonparametric (editable) path of the correspond-

ing shape is created.
Creating a Shape from a Text Layer
The command of creating shapes from text defines
the path of each character, creates shapes from them and
places them on the new shape layer.
A new layer does not contain text information, but con-
forms to all the usual methods of managing a shape layer.
In order to create a shape from text:
1. Select a text to be converted to shapes. If you need
Image 7. Creating shapes from text
shapes for the whole text, select it on the timeline or by
using the arrow on the Composition panel. If you only
need shapes for individual characters, select them with
a text tool in the Composition panel.
2. Layer> Create> Create Shapes from Text. A similar
command can be found in the drop-down menu of
the layer by right-clicking (img. 7).
A new shape layer is created above the text layer which

has visibility turned off at the same time. A new layer con-
tains one group of shapes for each selected character, with
the fill and path obtained from the source text. Characters
with holes or that consisting of several elements, such as i Video 2. Сreating shape layer from text
and e, multiple paths are created which are merged using
the Merge Paths operation.
Effects, masks, layer styles, key frames, etc. will be cop-
ied from the text layer to a new shape layer (Video 2).
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Image 8. Creating shapes from imported vector layer Image 9. The result of the operation
Converting Imported Vector Graphics to Shape Layers
After Effects has a new ability to create shape layer from

imported vector file in addition to its traditional ability to
import vector files (AI, EPS, PDF), including in the form of
compositions. If a layer contains multiple objects (for ex-
ample, a tree with leaves or the Moon with craters), each
object is converted into a separate shape.
To convert layer of imported vector graphics to shape
layer, go to: Layer> Create> Create Shapes from Vector
Layer (img. 8). Video 3. Сonversion of the imported vector layer to shapes
The corresponding shape layer will be displayed above
the original layer, which will have visibility turned off
(img. 9).
There are some limitations:
■■ Gradients can be displayed as shapes with 50% gray fill.
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■■ Files with a large number of paths can be imported very

slowly and block conversion to shapes.
■■ Transformation command works only once on one se-
lected layer (video 3).
Copying a path from Illustrator or Photoshop
Vector path can be directly transferred from Illustra-
tor or Photoshop via the clipboard. There are some require-
ments to the source materials:
1. To create a shape based on the inserted contour, it must
be simple (without holes or separate elements). Com-
posite paths are automatically recognized as masks. Image 10. Replacing the replace shape with import from Illustrator
2. To insert a path into a layer, you must first make sure
that it is a shape layer and select the Path parameter in
the layer's properties. In this case, the selected path will
be replaced with a new one. If initially the shape layer
does not contain any shapes, you must draw a substi-
tute (img. 10).
3. When copying a path from Photoshop, the original file
must have a resolution of 72ppi (video 4).
Creating Shape from Motion Path
To create a shape based on a path, use the Position
property or the Anchor Point property.
1. On the timeline, select the layer whose trajectory is to be Video 4. Paste of the copied object
used as the source of new path and select line of the Po-
sition property. Ctrl/Cmd+C copies all keyframes.
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2. Completely remove selection from all layers (F2 or click

on the free field in the Composition window).
3. Click the Pen tool to create a new shape layer with a sin-
gle-point shape — this is enough to designate the "re-
place shape".
4. Select the Path parameter in the layer properties and
insert path, as it was done for paths in Photoshop and
Illustrator.
If the motion path is open, the finished shape will be

obtained with fill that connects the start and end points
along a straight line, as in other Adobe software. There- Video 5. Path creation based on path
fore, it is better to give open shape paths stroke only. If it
is necessary to close the path, use the traditional Pen tool
(video 5).
Attributes of a Shape
At the time of creating shape, fill and stroke are al-
ready set in the Paste Attribute Panel of the Controls Panel.
They can be changed at any time after the shape is drawn.
Shapes created from text get fills and strokes assigned to
the source text.
Fills and strokes can get values of one of four types:
1. None — no fill/stroke.
Image 11. Fill type selection: solid color
2. Solid color — after selecting this type of filling by
clicking on the color field, a regular color picker is
called and the desired color is created (img. 11).
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3. Linear gradient — by clicking on the fill field, the win-

dow for creating a gradient is called, similar to the same
window in Photoshop (img. 12).
4. Radial gradient is adjusted similarly to linear gradient,
but the transition will be circular.
For gradient fills, control elements of the gradient (start/

end points of the transition) are added to the regular mark-
ers of the object's control when it is selected with an arrow.
Shape Animation
Image 12. Setting the gradient
Each shape can be individually animated by shape, to
do this, select Content> Shape> Path in the layer properties
and enable animation. Keyframe captures the current state
of the stroke. You can change the shape as needed in a new
keyframe. The software will build a smooth transition be-
tween the initial and final state of the shape (video 6).
An important detail: each vector shape has a so-called
First Vertex. It is highlighted by an additional stroke around
the point. All other vertices of the shape are counted from
it. Sometimes the process of transition between different
shape states is not so smooth and logical as we would like
it to be. This is usually due to the unfortunate arrangement
of the first vertices in the initial and final states. To change Video 6. Video of shape animation
and match the start points in each state, select the desired
point and select Mask and Shape Path > Set First Vertex
from the context menu (right-click) (img. 13).
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By combining starting points of the initial and final

state of the shape, we select the optimal transition pattern
between the states (video 7).
Each shape in the shape layer is animated separately. If
you need a regular transformation of the selected shapes, se-
lect them on the timeline, at that the transformation mode
is activated, and proceed working in a standard way with
the help of containers. Each shape is transformed separately
(similar to the Transform Each command in Illustrator). If
you want to transform multiple shapes, you need to make
a group from them (Ctrl/Cmd+G). Ungrouping occurs tra-
Image 13. Setting the starting point of the stroke
ditionally through Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G. In this case, grouped
transforms are reset (видео 8).
Continuously Rasterize a Layer Containing Vector Graphics
When you import vector graphics into After Effects, it
automatically rasters. When scaling a layer with imported
vector images, it needs to set continuous rasterization to pre-
serve image quality. You can continuously rasterize vector
graphics in layers based on Illustrator, SWF, EPS, PDF files.
Continuous rasterization is set in the layer properties
on the timeline in the column with the "Wind Rose" label
(it sets continuous rasterization for single layer, and col-
lapsing transformations for the composition layer, i.e., pre-
Video 7. The difference between matched and inconsistent starting points
processing of transformations within the composition to
improve the overall quality of rendering).
At continuous rasterization, After Effects rasteriz-
es the file based on the transformations for each frame.
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Continuous rasterization of the layer, as a rule, provides

higher quality, but its rendering can be performed more
slowly.
Shape layers and text layers are always rasterized con-
tinuously.
When applying an effect to a continuously rasterized
layer, the results may differ from the results of applying
an effect to a layer without continuous rasterization. This
difference in results is due to the fact that the order of ren-
dering for the layer changes. Rendering for a layer without
continuous rasterization is performed in the following or-
der by default: masks, effects, transformations; and render- Video 8. Transform separately and in the group
ing for continuously rasterized layer: masks, transforma-

tions, effects. property of the null layer. After that, you can animate
the "Viewpoint" property by simply moving the null ob-
LAYERS OF NULL OBJECTS ject. This is often easier than finding a camera viewpoint
among other labels and managing it directly. In this case,
To assign a parent layer, but to disable its visibility in the null object cannot be an adjustment layer because in or-
the project, a null object is used. A null object is an invisi- der for the adjustment layer to work, it is necessary for it to
ble layer that has all the regular properties and can serve as have a partially or completely opaque filling.
a parent for any layer in the composition. Null object is set Composition can contain any number of null objects.
up and animated in the same as any other layer. To change Null object is displayed only in the Composition panel and
parameters of the null object, use the same commands as in the Layer panel, in the Composition panel it is represent-
for the solid layer: Layer > Solid Settings. ed as a small rectangle with layer labels. Effects on null ob-
Null object can also be used as a control layer for anima- jects are not visible.
tion in other layers. For example, when working with a cam- To create a null object, select Layer > New > Null Ob-
era layer, you can create a null object layer and link either ject. The reference point of the null object layer is displayed
the Point of Interest property of the camera or the Position in the upper-left corner of the layer (the labeling rectangle).
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The reference point is in the center with respect to the com-

position. Accordingly, the layer is slightly shifted relative to
the center of the composition. You can change the reference
point in the same way as any other layer (img. 14).
ADJUSTMENT LAYERS
When working with effects, an effect is usually applied
only to the selected layer. To expand the area of the effect,
an Adjustment layer is used. All the effects applied to
the adjustment layer affect all the layers behind it.
Image 14. Null object
Since effects in the adjustment layers are applied to
all layers behind them, they are useful for applying effects
to multiple layers simultaneously. Otherwise, the adjust-
ment layer works in the same way as the other layers; for
example, you can animate any property of the adjustment
layer or the effect applied to it.
For the adjustment layer, all the layers behind it are
a kind of composition to which the selected effect is ap-
plied. As a result of applying the effect to the adjustment
layer, rendering is faster than when applying an effect to
each layer separately.
It is important to remember that a layer with variable
transparency will affect the lower layers to the extent that Image 15. Adjustment layer
it is opaque itself. That is, the transparent areas of the ad-
justment layer work like a mask, and there are no chang-
es behind them. Translucent areas create a partial effect.
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At that the layer content becomes invisible. In connec-

tion with this feature, it is convenient to use Solid as ad-
justment layers (to make the effect fully overlap the whole
frame) or Shape (for partial overlapping). For the same rea-
son, layers like Null Object are not suitable for use as ad-
justment layers.
Layer is declared to be adjustment by checking the Ad-
justment layer checkbox in the corresponding column on
the timeline (img. 15) (video 9).
GUIDE LAYERS
Guide layers are created from the existing layers for con- Video 9. Example of the adjustment layer
venient arrangement of other elements in the frame. This
can be any layer containing necessary images for visually
binding of other elements.
Layer is converted into a guide layer by selecting
the Guide Layer option in the context menu of the layer
(right-click) (img. 16).
)
)When creating the final output, rendering of guide
layers is not performed by default.
Label of the guide layer is displayed next to the name of
the guide layer on the timeline.
The guide layer performs the same functions (visual
Image 16. Declaring a layer to be a guide layer
binding) as guides in the Composition window, and, just
like them, it is not output to the finished product.
The guide layer can be converted to a regular layer at
any time by disabling the Guide Layer parameter.
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Chapter. Vector Masks and Their Animation. Importing Masks
Vector Masks and Their Animation.

Importing Masks
CREATING MASKS
In addition to the actual stroke, the mask has addi-
Layer mask is created using the same tools and meth- tional properties which also can be animated:
ods as the vector shape. All layers, except for the Shape ■■ Mask Opacity. The higher the Opacity, the more
Layer, automatically define the created shape as mask. If reliably the mask hides everything that needs to be
you want to create a mask on a shape layer, you need to hidden.
switch to mask mode before your start drawing ("chess" ■■ Mask Feather is blurring borders. You can soften
next to the "asterisk" in the Controls panel). the edges of the mask to any desired degree.
Multiple masks can be applied to a single layer, their ■■ Mask Expansion is expansion of the visible area be-
interaction is determined by the choice of the combination yond the vector mask shape (img. 18).
parameters.
The selected option determines interaction of the se- If shape for a mask is added by inserting an Illustrator
lected mask and the overlying masks (img. 17). object, each stroke (for example, the outer shape and hole in
Image 17. The use of mask combining modes Image 18. Additional mask properties
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the letter O) will be treated as a separate mask, and the vis-

ible image is the result of combining these masks.
MASK ANIMATION
Each mask can be animated as a shape with the same
attention to the starting points.
Double-clicking on a separate mask will call the trans-
formation mode which allows you to work with a container.
If you want to transform multiple masks at the same time,
you can simply select them on the timeline and double-click
on one of the selected masks to call the container (img. 19) Image 19. Joint transformation of multiple masks
(video 10).
In parallel, you can animate the rest of the mask's prop-
erties and transform the whole layer, masks act as child ob-
jects in relation to the layer and are subject to its transfor-
mation.
MOVING MASK OR PANNING

A LAYER BEHIND THE MASK
Mask animation allows you to see different parts of
the masked layer. To do this, you can move the mask itself in
the frame (in the Composition window) or pan the layer be-
hind the mask. In the first case, the layer remains motionless, Video 10. Animation of multiple masks
and the mask moves. In the second case, on the contrary.

Accordingly, if it is required, for example, to "flash a light"
some content (say, separate parts of the interior of a room
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in the video), it is better to use the movement of the mask. If

you want to move content "in the window" (be it a window
or an enlarged chart element), it's better to use panning.
The mask is moved in the Composition window:
the mask is highlighted on the timeline or in the window,
the outer container is called with double-click and the nec-
essary animation of the position and size of the mask is
adjusted.
To pan the layer behind the mask, select the tool An-
chor Point/Pan Behind, grab the layer inside the mask
(not the anchor point!) and move it in the desired direction
(video 11).
Video 11. Mask moving and panning
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a new shape layer is created. If a layer of any other type is

selected, a mask is created.
After creating one or more forms on the shape layer,
a group of Contents parameters is added to its properties. Each
shape gets its own set of characteristics and can be adjusted/
animated separately from the other elements of the layer.
For each shape in the layer, you define:
■■ Path (a parameter that specifies boundaries of an ob-
ject, and shape animation is applied to it). If the shape
is created by a geometric tool (rectangle, ellipse, etc.), it
is called parametric and its properties display the cor-
responding parameters, which change during anima-
tion. Managing individual points in this case is not Image 6. Properties of the shape layer
available. To create an editable shape of the corre-
sponding shape (for example, an ellipse), keep the Alt Creating Shapes
key pressed while drawing. In this case, or if the shape Draw a Path Using the Shape Tools or the Pen Tool
is created by the Pen tool, the shape changes are speci-
fied using the select and modify tools (additional Pen The Pen tool in After Effects works in virtually the same
tools) directly in the Composition window. way as in other Adobe programs. The main difference is
■■ Fill (you can set the color change, gradient parameters, that when the tool is placed on the reference point, the tool
transparency level, etc.). is automatically converted to an "arrow" and allows you to
■■ Stroke is animated in the same way. edit the path. To delete a point in this case, hold down Ctrl
■■ Transform — to the usual transformation parame- (Cmd). To change the point type (smooth/corner), as usual,
ters, which are familiar to us from layer properties, use the Alt key, and to add a point to the path, just click on
the angle of inclination and its axis are added. This the desired area with the Pen tool.
is an individual transformation of an object, which Geometric tools (parametric shapes — ordinary and
can be combined with the overall transformation of rounded rectangle, ellipse, polygon, star) work in a stan-
the layer (img. 6). dard way with the usual modifiers. When the Alt key is
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Chapter. Roto Brush Tool: Precise Manual Selection, Refine Mask Edges, Background Replacement
corrective strokes — both expanding the area of the ob- ■■ Watch the video sequence to select the frame with
ject, and narrowing it. Corrective strokes are required in the most complete display of the selected object (for ex-
the second or third frame of the original one depending on ample, the character is in full length) and its clearest
the dynamics of the video sequence. For example, if a char- separation from the background. This frame will be-
acter walks along a wall of solid color or against the sky, come the base frame. Information about segmentation
then the adjustment may not be necessary throughout of the selected object and the background in the frame
the entire background. If we observe a fast and complex is propagated 20 frames forward and 20 frames back-
movement on a mottled low-contrast background, ad- ward through time. The range of frames affected by
justment may be required in almost every frame. Because this base frame is called the Roto Brush & Refine Edge
each stroke is a vector shape, we will see the correspond- span. Little arrows in the span bar in the timecode line
ing number of elements on the timeline, and their combi- of the Layer panel show the direction of information
nation will create the final mask. propagation (img. 20).
■■ When correcting mask anywhere (frame) where
REFINE EDGE TOOL the arrows point to the right, information about it is
propagated forward. When correcting in anywhere
Refine Edge tool is similar to the Smart Radius op- where the arrows point to the left, information is
tion of the Refine Edges module in Photoshop. It creates
a soft translucent area along the border of the mask, al-
lowing the most natural selection of small details, such as
hair or fur.
WORKING WITH ROTO BRUSH

AND REFINE EDGE TOOLS
■■ Select the tool on the Control Panel or use the Alt/
Option+W keys. In the future, this combination will
allow you to switch between tools.
■■ Go to the layer window in any convenient way. Image 20. Span and parameters of the Roto Brush & Refine Edge
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propagated backward. If you draw in a frame that is ■■ By pressing the Page Down or 2 key, move to the next
outside the span, then a new base frame and span are frame and check the accuracy of the borders. If nec-
created. So, having worked your way forward a frame essary, add corrective strokes by adding or remov-
within the span from the base frame, you can correct ing fragments to the selected area. Since each stroke is
the mask without fearing to ruin the mask that has al- a separate vector shape, adding it and affecting the sur-
ready been created in the previous frames. Likewise, rounding frames takes some time to process. Therefore,
having gone backward from a base frame, you can edit do not be surprised at some "delayed" display of the re-
the mask without being afraid to ruin something for- sult in the Layer panel.
ward. Each mask correction spreads the brush span ■■ Repeat the mask check and correction in all the frames
until it touches another span. where it is supposed to be.
■■ Draw on the selected object with the brush (draw not ■■ As soon as we started drawing, settings for the roto-
along the edges but right through the object, approxi- scope effect appeared on the Effects panel. Here you can
mately in the middle, if the base frame is chosen effec- set parameters, such as:
tively, the border is recognized automatically and with ▷▷Search Radius
decent accuracy). The addition mode is indicated with ▷▷Motion Threshold / Damping
green stroke and the plus sign inside the brush shape. ▷▷Edge Detection
■■ Refine path: by analogy with the Quick Selection ▷▷Settings of the mask edges (Feather, Contrast, Shift
tool, add fragments to the selected area in the regular Edge, Reduce Chatter are similar to the correspond-
mode and delete the unnecessary ones with the Alt/ ing Refine Edges settings in Photoshop)
Option button pressed (red hyphen and the minus ▷▷Motion Blur.
sign). The working boundary of the mask is indicat- ■■ If you need to process the edge of fluffy/fuzzy objects,
ed by purple color. Buttons in the bottom left part go to the Refine Edge tool (Alt/Option+W). It works
of the layer window allow you to choose the only similarly to the Smart Radius brush of the Refine Edg-
way of viewing: mask only, border only, highlight es module in Photoshop. Once this tool is activated,
of the masked area. Here, the color and density of the corresponding settings for the rotoscope effect are
the additional illumination are selected. The larger activated. As usual, all effect parameters can be ani-
the scale, the more convenient to draw and the more mated for best image processing depending on the con-
accurate the result. tents of the frame.
Стр. 21
■■ Now go to the composition window and check the re-

sult. Add a layer with a new background. If necessary,
return to the rotoscope layer and correct the mask wher-
ever it is required (video 12).
ROTO BRUSH & REFINE EDGE

Roto Brush Propagation
Properties in the Propagation group affect all calculations
of the effect. Any changes to these properties require recalcula-
tion and repropagation of the mask information from the base
frame. Changes to these properties do not affect the results for Video 12. Rotoscoping
the most basic frame. Therefore, it is best to change these prop-
erties, being in one or two frames from the base frame — this determines level of motion below which the motion is con-
allows you to see the result of the changes. sidered to be absent, and the search region is compressed to
zero. Motion Damping affects the remaining areas that are
Search Radius considered to be in motion. As the value increases, the search
Radius of the area within which After Effects searches region shrinks while the slowly moving areas are compressed
for matching pixels in adjacent frames. The way to adapt faster than the fast moving areas. Limiting the search region
the search radius to areas with greater or lesser motion can in areas with lesser motion allows you to reduce chatter of
be changed using the Motion Threshold / Damping prop- the edges in these areas. Too much reduction of the search
erties. If the search radius is too small, a part of the motion region will lead to the impossibility of detecting edge of
may be skipped. If the search radius is too large, you may the object using automatic boundary detection.
find excess motion.
View Search Region
Motion Threshold / Damping In this mode, the search region is shown in yellow, and
These two properties determine how the search region the selected object and background are displayed in gray
is limited depending on the motion. Motion Threshold scale (background is darker than the object). Its main task
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is to help choose optimal values of the parameters Search Shift Edge

Radius, Motion Threshold and Motion Damping. Shifts the mask border inwards or outwards from
the specified selection boundary.
Edge Detection
Allows you to select whether to use the mask bound- Reduce Chatter
ary calculated separately for the current frame or based on Determines how much influence the current frame
the previous frame. The Balanced parameter considers cur- should have when performing a weighted average across ad-
rent and surrounding frames equally. For objects that are jacent frames to make the matte edges not move erratically
close in color to the background, it is usually best to choose from one frame to the next. If the Reduce Chatter value is
Favor Predicated Edges. high, the chatter reduction strong, and the current frame is
considered less. If the Reduce Chatter value is low, the chat-
Use Alternate Color ter reduction is weak, and the current frame is considered
Slightly changes the process of recognizing object and more. If the Reduce Chatter value is 0, only the current
background. The mode can be useful but not always, it frame is considered.
makes sense to experiment.
Use Motion Blur
Invert Foreground/Background Creates a blur effect in motion. When choosing a high
Reverses mask and masked area of the frame. quality, processing is slower, but a cleaner edge is generated.
You can also control the number of samples and the shutter
Fine-Tune Rotobrush Matte angle. These parameters have the same meaning as they do
Smoothes selection edge along the border (similar to in the context of motion blur in the composition parameters.
the Smooth parameter in Photoshop). As the value increas-
es, the mask edge becomes smoother, without sharp bends. Decontaminate Edge Colors
When the value decreases, accuracy of fine details increases. Deletes (cleans) the color of edge pixels of the object
thus fixing halos and motion-blurred foreground objects.
Feather When this option is enabled, the Decontamination amount
Blurs the mask border. Does not work if path smooth- is activated. The higher the value, the cleaner. Additional
ing = 0. decontamination parameters:
Стр. 23
■■ Extend where smoothed Only functional when Reduce

Chatter is greater than 0 and Decontaminate Edge Col-
ors is selected. Edges that are moved in order to reduce
chatter are cleaned.
■■ Increase Decontamination Radius Amount (in pixels)
by which to increase the radius value for the cleaning of
edge colors, in addition to any cleaning that covers feath-
er, motion blur, and extended decontamination.
■■ View Decontamination Map Shows which pixels will be
cleaned by decontamination of edge colors (white pixels
in the map).
Image 21. Freeze of a rotoscope
FREEZING (CACHING, LOCKING,

AND SAVING) ROTO BRUSH SEGMENTATION
When working with Roto Brush tools, the Freeze but-
ton appears in the lower right corner of the Layer panel. It
allows you to cache and lock a mask for all Roto Brush spans
for layer within the composition work area. This allows you
to save the mask and the project and get it preserved (taking
into account the influence of corrective strokes in the corre-
sponding direction) when the project is reopened (img. 21).
If the mask is already calculated for the frame, the re-
sult is cached when the Freeze button is clicked. Otherwise Image 22. Indication of rotoscope freeze
the calculation occurs first, then fixation.
After calculating the mask, a blue bar appears in
the area of the Roto Brush span showing the frames,
for which the calculation was made, and message about
Стр. 24
the freeze appears at the bottom of the frame. Shape of

the Roto Brush tool in the frame is replaced by a prohibi-
tion symbol. No changes in the Layer panel are possible in
this mode (img. 22).
To unfreeze, press the Freeze button again.
When you hover over the Freeze button, a help with
time of freezing and caching appears (img. 23).
Image 23. Help on freezing parameters
Стр. 25
■■ Files with a large number of paths can be imported very

slowly and block conversion to shapes.
■■ Transformation command works only once on one se-
lected layer (video 3).
Copying a path from Illustrator or Photoshop
Vector path can be directly transferred from Illustra-
tor or Photoshop via the clipboard. There are some require-
ments to the source materials:
1. To create a shape based on the inserted contour, it must
be simple (without holes or separate elements). Com-
posite paths are automatically recognized as masks. Image 10. Replacing the replace shape with import from Illustrator
2. To insert a path into a layer, you must first make sure
that it is a shape layer and select the Path parameter in
the layer's properties. In this case, the selected path will
be replaced with a new one. If initially the shape layer
does not contain any shapes, you must draw a substi-
tute (img. 10).
3. When copying a path from Photoshop, the original file
must have a resolution of 72ppi (video 4).
Creating Shape from Motion Path
To create a shape based on a path, use the Position
property or the Anchor Point property.
1. On the timeline, select the layer whose trajectory is to be Video 4. Paste of the copied object
used as the source of new path and select line of the Po-
sition property. Ctrl/Cmd+C copies all keyframes.
Стр. 9
Chapter. Homework (Individual Project)
Homework (Individual Project)

Create your own movie 5 to 20 seconds long using ■■ View through a window or through binoculars on
masking and the studied animation tools. something that happens "outside"
Possible topics: ■■ "Thief in someone else's house" — "flashlight" of inte-
■■ Animated infographic rior details.
■■ Character who loses or gains weight Etc.
Стр. 27
© Аnnа Lander
© STEP IT Academy, www.itstep.org
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and Articles 21 and 23 of the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights”. The extent and method of cited works are
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Adobe AfterEffects

Attention! THIS LESSON USES IMAGE SCALING

Attention! THIS LESSON USES IMAGE SCALING

To change layer settings (color, size, pixel aspect ratio),

a new shape layer is created. If a layer of any other type is

pressed, a nonparametric (editable) path of the correspond-

A new shape layer is created above the text layer which

Converting Imported Vector Graphics to Shape Layers

After Effects has a new ability to create shape layer from

■■ Files with a large number of paths can be imported very

2. Completely remove selection from all layers (F2 or click

If the motion path is open, the finished shape will be

3. Linear gradient — by clicking on the fill field, the win-

For gradient fills, control elements of the gradient (start/

By combining starting points of the initial and final

Continuous rasterization of the layer, as a rule, provides

ing for continuously rasterized layer: masks, transforma-

The reference point is in the center with respect to the com-

At that the layer content becomes invisible. In connec-

Vector Masks and Their Animation.

the letter O) will be treated as a separate mask, and the vis-

MOVING MASK OR PANNING

and the mask moves. In the second case, on the contrary.

in the video), it is better to use the movement of the mask. If

a new shape layer is created. If a layer of any other type is

WORKING WITH ROTO BRUSH

■■ Now go to the composition window and check the re-

ROTO BRUSH & REFINE EDGE

is to help choose optimal values of the parameters Search Shift Edge

■■ Extend where smoothed Only functional when Reduce

FREEZING (CACHING, LOCKING,

the freeze appears at the bottom of the frame. Shape of

Image 23. Help on freezing parameters

■■ Files with a large number of paths can be imported very

Homework (Individual Project)

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