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Shapes to Masks – pulling my hair out
Hello,
Sorry I know this is probably a very simple question, but I’ve been trying all morning to do a simple thing. I’m simply trying to copy a shape path (elipse) to a mask, to then animate some text along.
– Create Shape Layer, create Elipse. Under my Shape layer I have “Elipse 1 -> Elipse Path 1”. All is going well
– Create a new Solid and a new Mask. All is well
– Select ‘Elipse Path 1’ press Copy and then select Mask 1 -> Mask Path. Paste. Nothing happens.I’ve read pretty much everywhere that you can copy the Shape param of a shape layer into the mask path param of a mask layer. What am I doing wrong?
Any help would be great.
Regards,
Aidan -
6 Replies
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You’re not going to be able to copy the mask from the shape layer unless you create the shape while holding down the ALT/OPT key in the shape layer. To get to the proper item to copy for the mask, twirl down the triangles to the Path property (the one with the stop watch next to it), and then select it before copying it. You’ll then be able to paste this mask shape into your mask on the other layer.
More info here: https://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS8C347564-DB73-4e8f-8559-4B47ABBDE4D5a.html#WSC5A27A1E-8E29-458d-AC19-39270E02AB20a
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To understand Kevin’s advice, you’ll need to understand the difference between the two kinds of shapes:
– parametric shapes
– Bezier path shapesAny time that you create a shape with the Pen tool, it’s a Bezier path shape.
By default, when you create a shape using the shape tools (like the Ellipse tool), it creates a parametric shape. You can create a Bezier path shape instead by holding the Alt or Option key.
The important point is that only Bezier paths can be copied to and from masks, because all mask paths are Bezier paths.
See “About shapes and shape layers”
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Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
Technical Support for professional video software
After Effects Help & Support
Premiere Pro Help & Support
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To copy a shape layers path into a mask,
1. duplicate the shape layer
2. select the duplicated shape layer then Layer-Autotrace
3. go to the Autotraced layer in the top of the Comp, Copy its mask & paste it onto the shape layer you want it to work on.
4. turn off the Autotrace layer & the duplicate layer if not required.You Can Do It! -Rob Schnieder
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The After Effects CC (12.2) update makes creating a Bezier path for a shape easier and more obvious, as well as adding the ability to convert from parametric paths to Bezier paths.
option for creating shape layers based on Bezier paths:
When a shape tool (Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Polygon, Star, or Ellipse tool) is active, you can use the new Bezier Path option in the Tools panel to create a new shape based on a Bezier path, as opposed to the default of creating a new shape based on a parametric path. Holding the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key while drawing a shape causes the opposite behavior—i.e., if the Bezier Path option is enabled, holding the Alt or Option key causes the shape tool to create a parametric path; if the Bezier Path option is disabled, holding the Alt or Option key causes the shape tool to create a Bezier path.
command for converting a parametric shape layer path to a Bezier path:
You can convert a parametric path to a Bezier path after the parametric path has already been created by context-clicking (right-clicking or Control-clicking on Mac OS) the property group for the parametric path (e.g., Rectangle Path 1) and choosing the Convert To Bezier Path command from the context menu. If the parametric path is animated (keyframed), the converted Bezier path is a static path based on the parametric path at the current time; keyframes are lost.
IMPORTANT: When you use the Convert To Bezier Path command to convert a parametric shape path to a Bezier shape path, the Bezier path that is created does not animate well (i.e., interpolation between paths behaves strangely and unpredictably). This is related to path direction and how transformations are stored. For now, you should not use these converted paths for animated paths (interpolation between paths); but, if you do want to try, you may be able to work around the issues by reversing the path before conversion.
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Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
After Effects quality engineering
After Effects team blog
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OMG! I seriously just created an account just to say THANK YOU for this tip…. I cringe at the amount of time I’ve spent manually copying individual keyframes for every mask when I could’ve been doing this 12 YEARS AGO?? You, random internet person, are no stranger danger! You are a HERO in my book! Thank you for one of the best tips I’ve ever gotten…. Remember the day, 4/23/25 as the day Sands Butterworth WON the internet! Well, at least in my book you did….
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Thanks for solving this, Sands!
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