Any way to use Refine Matte on a Track Matte?

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

Did you actually try to apply Refine Matte onto your Track Matte Layer???

RoRK

Intensive AE & Mocha Training in Singapore and Malaysia
Adobe ACE/ACI (version 7) & Imagineer Systems Inc Approved Mocha Trainer

[Mike Cantor]

That doesn’t work. Applying Refine Matte on a Track Matter layer looks for a Mask *on the track matte* layer. Since there is no mask it doesn’t do anything.

Applying Refine Matte to the layer that’s being masked also doesn’t do anything — I guess it’s looking for a “Mask” within the layer and doesn’t apply to affect to a matte mask.

-mike

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

Refine Matte doesn’t require a mask. It works with a layer’s Alpha Channel AND all visual layers in AE have an Alpha Channel. Refine Should work on the Track Matte. I suggest that you take a look-see to find out what’s inhibiting Refine Matte from not working.

HTH
RoRK

Intensive AE & Mocha Training in Singapore and Malaysia
Adobe ACE/ACI (version 7) & Imagineer Systems Inc Approved Mocha Trainer

[Mike Cantor]

I think you just answered the question yourself of why it doesn’t work. Neither the layer being used as the matte nor the layer being matted have anything in the alpha channel. They are both completely opaque. That’s why Refine Matte as an Effect applied to either layer individually does nothing.

-mike

[Roland R. kahlenberg]

It’s indeed a strange way for Refine Matte to work. Perhaps selecting both the Fill Layer and the Track Matte layer and then precomping them will help. Then hopefully Refine Matte will work on the resulting nested comp.

FWIW, the old Matte Choker works pretty well as does Channel Blur set to Alpha Mode).

Cheers
RoRK

Intensive AE & Mocha Training in Singapore and Malaysia
Adobe ACE/ACI (version 7) & Imagineer Systems Inc Approved Mocha Trainer

[Mike Cantor]

Ahh – Precomposing and using Refine Matte on the resulting comp that does have alpha info. That should work. Thanks!

-mike