A question about masking

[Danny Princz]

easisest thing is to make the mask on a solid above your layer and set it as a track matte

who is that masked man…
https://www.exposedideas.com/

[Anders Lilkaer]

[rendernyc] “easisest thing is to make the mask on a solid above your layer and set it as a track matte”

Thanks for the great reply ! It helped me a little… BuT!, the track matte also affects the layers below the layer right under, right? With a normal mask, I could mask my solid 1, and then layers below, in the masked area, would still be visible.. hope it makes sense..

Thanks again !

[Anders Lilkaer]

What I need to do is quite simple… VERY simple I think.

I have a chart…, a diagram, with uprights.

I have the upright, with a shadow|reflection – 2 different layers.

I need them to emerge from “nothing” the upright goes op, and it’s shadow|reflection, goes downward… see image.,

https://shooter.dk/lilkaer/chart.png

[Jacob Wessler]

Few quick things…

A track matte will only affect the layer beneath it. If you use the transfer mode “Stencil,” THAT will affect ALL layers beneath it. Track mattes are only for one layer.

To set up a track matte – place a white solid above the layer you need to mask, animate its size and/or position to taste, then set the Track Matte pulldown on the layer that needs to be masked (not the white solid). Use Luma matte in this case. Once you set the track matte, the eye icon for your white solid layer will disappear. LEAVE IT OFF! (turning it on will make your white solid visible and mess up the entire animation)

You can set another white mask above your reflection layer and animate in the opposite direction for the reflection. Layers should look similar to this:

1. White solid (track matte for rising bars)
2. Rising bars (set track matte to Luma Matte 1. White solid)
3. White solid (track matte for reflection)
4. Reflecting bars (set track matte to Luma Matte 3. White solid)
5. Background

Of course, to get the nice little rounded tops to your bars, you may want to have a stationary white solid as the matte (to mask off at the level of the “floor”) and then animate the position of the bars so that they “appear” out of the floor. But that’s just me.

Hope that helps a little bit…

Jacob

[Anders Lilkaer]

Thank you so much Jacob !

Now I can track matte 100% ! I really relly appreciate your respons!

Omg this is the best forum i’ve ever come across!, (and I know of a few…)