• Adobe After Effects

  Masking letters or similar shapes

  Posted by Adrian Le roux on January 17, 2010 at 9:53 pm

  Hi.

  When trying to make a script typeface or ‘a spiral’ let’s say animate as if it is being drawn, is there a better way that having really complicated masking shapes animate?

  Is there a way where I can just use my wacom tablet as such and animate as an eraser or something?

  Basically what is the best way to animate say a sqwiggly line that already exists from Illustrator?

  Wieger De leur replied 16 years, 4 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Wieger De leur

  January 18, 2010 at 8:11 am

  Hi Ady,

  For revealing text or shapes as if they are drawn, I use Paint (the effect in AE, not the amazing MS app).
  Select your text layer and open it in the layer viewer by double clicking it.
  Select the eraser tool and use your wacom to trace the shape.
  Now the whole shape is erased.
  When you open the effect in the timeline (twirl down paint; twirl ‘eraser 1’; twirl stroke options) you see the start and end.
  At the beginning of the animation put a keyframe for ‘start’ at 0%;
  At the end of the animation, put a keyframe for ‘start’ at 100%

  If you use an illustrator shape, with a little tweaking you can even copy the shape directly from illustrator and use it as the shape for the eraser.

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