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Changing a custom shape path to a perfect circle
Hi all,
I’ve created some custom shape layers with the pen tool and want to keyframe their path to turn it into a perfect circle. I feel there has to be a better way than manually moving each point and playing with the bezier handles.
I’ve tried creating both ellipse shapes and masks and tried to extract their points and paste them in to the shape layer. No dice.
Any simple way to do this?
Thanks,
George
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4 Replies
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Yes, shape layers are essential. I’m using trim paths, pucker and bloat, and host of other effectors. I also just generally prefer shape layers to solids. I feel I personally tend to have a bit more control without running into oddities when manipulating them.
Maybe there isn’t an easy way to do this? Even when I create a circle shape layer, I can’t seem to add pen points to it, so that would eliminate working backwards from there, right?
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You know, I suppose I actually could use a solid and work backwards for this. I think it would solve this individual problem, but I’m just curious if there would be another way for future reference.
Thanks
Why RTFM? Someone already answered it in more detail on the web.
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Parametric Shapes are drawn when you use any of the Quick Mask Tools. To draw path-based shapes, you depress the ALT/Option key as you draw with one of the QMTs.
For specifics on your issue, you already have a path property. You will need to drawn an Ellipse with the appropriate QMT, with the ALT/Option key depressed. Voila! You now have two SHapes within the COntent prop.
Create a keyframe for the custom path and then move the Timeline Indicator to where the Ellipse should come into play. Copy the Path property of the Ellipse shape then select the custom path property and paste. You should now have two keyframes for the custom path with an ellipse path as the second keyframe. Switch off the visibility of the ellipse shape so that you have no redundancies.
It’s sort of a long way to get things done but it works and I don’t know of a faster way. FWIW, with masks on solids, one could use the Layer Panel to add (via pasting or drawing) additional mask paths to create shape morphs – off course the Mask Target menu had to be set appropriately. This procedures obviously saves a few steps but Shape Layers are Continuously Rasterized and that precludes opening them in a Layer Panel.
HTH
RoRKIntensive mocha & AE Training in Singapore and Other Dangerous Locations
Imagineer Systems (mocha) Certified Instructor
& Adobe After Effects CS6 ACE/ACI -
Yep, that was just what I was looking for.
Thanks!
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