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How to retain stroke properties/attribues for new strokes, specifically Line Cap
Please help.
I am a video editor and am new to after effects.
I’m working in CS6 version 11.0.2.11 On Mac OSx v 10.8.5.
This should be so simple, but I’ve googled and googled and forum-ed to no avail.
I am drawing some lines with the pen tool.* I want the next line that I draw to have the same attributes as the previous line I drew. It does not. I have to go in and change the Line Cap with each stroke I draw. I can’t figure out how to set default line caps in properties. When I had this problem on the previous shape layer in which I drew about 30 lines that I’m doing a simple Trim Edit with, I figured I’d just go back and change all of the attributes for all of those shapes at once.
So please, I need to know how to edit attributes (specifically Line Cap in this case) for multiple strokes that I’ve already created on a shape layer, or how to set a default so that the pen tool will do what I want it to do, or set it so that if I draw a stroke, the next stroke I draw will have the same attributes as the previous.
Thanks so much, I appreciate any insight you can provide.
Cheers!
Patrick
PS, I really appreciate these forums, and the hundreds of video tutorials that are online, and I’ve learned a ton. But sometimes I just want to talk to a person, and sometimes I’d even be willing to pay for it. Does anyone know of a decent live support service? I didn’t see anything on Adobe’s website…
*because I have no idea how to use the brush tool. If you click on the brush tool and try to do anything with it, a whole lot of nothing happens. Googling “how to use brush tool” didn’t help musch either
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3 Replies
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There is no way to set the default Line Cap/Join attributes of a Shape Layer.
You can however copy attributes from one Shape onto other shapes. You can do this productively by –
(1) selecting the source attribute(s) and copying
(2) select target attributes and then pasteTo speed up (2), use the Timeline’s Search box to type in your keyword – Line for your specific case. Select the layers you want to be part of the search (not necessary if you want to search across all layers in the Timeline) and then type your keyword. Then manually select the attributes and paste.
All of AE’s Brush Tools are applied in the Layer Panel; not the Composition Panel. You can read the documentation for all the effects under the Help Menu in AE – select Effect Reference.
RoRK
AE MoGraph Intensity Workshop – Promo Video
Intensive mocha & AE Training in Singapore and Other Dangerous Locations
Imagineer Systems (mocha) Certified Instructor
& Adobe After Effects CS6 ACE/ACI -
Hi Roland,
Thanks so much! That worked out pretty well. Also that search function is going to be a huge time save, I wasn’t aware of it before.
However, now when I draw a new line the color reverts to white. So there’s no setting that retains the settings of the previous stroke? That just seems like a huge oversight on Adobe’s part. Is there something I’m missing? Because it seems to me that having to go back and change the attributes for each and every stroke is not something that most animators would want to have to do.
Thanks for your help!
Patrick
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[Patrick Mustain] “However, now when I draw a new line the color reverts to white”
This is expected behavior. While Line Cap/Join have defaults that do not remember their last used attributes, newly created Stroke/Fill Width, Color etc are based on their most recent use.
BTW, you can select Shape Layer(s) and change Stroke/Fill Attributes by clicking on the appropriate hotlink at the top of the Comp Panel – to the right of the Toolbox.
HTH
RoRK
AE MoGraph Intensity Workshop – Promo VideoIntensive mocha & AE Training in Singapore and Other Dangerous Locations
Imagineer Systems (mocha) Certified Instructor
& Adobe After Effects CS6 ACE/ACI
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