-
Keeping my cat sat on the matte
Hi,
I haven’t posted on the Cow for years – glad to see it’s still here!
I’ve been using Set Matte to use a single shape layer as a non-moving mask for several other layers.
It works like a dream on shape layers and text layers, but if I import .pngs or Illustrator files as layers and try to do the same thing, those layers move and scale the mask as they move (but it continues to work OK on the shape and text layers) 🙁
Is there any way to stop those layers adjusting the mask? I tried turning my imports into compositions first, but they still move the mask around.
(the cat bit is because I’m masking cat paws grabbing data out of a smartphone!)
I’m hoping there’s a thing I can turn on or off that will enable me to do the same for my pngs as I can for the text and shape layers. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
-
2 Replies
-
Partly answering my own question – if I put my PNG or .AI file into a new composition, and do all the movement/scaling/etc in there before importing it into my comp that has the Set Matte in, then the mask stays put while the imported comp goes through its merry motions. BUT if I try to move the imported comp, the matte moves as before.
So is the only solution to turn a moving PNG or .AI layer into a comp, re-import it, then apply the Set Matte?
-
Yes. Following cat logic, if I fits on it, I sits on it.
If your source and your matte don’t fit, then it won’t sit.
For Set Matte to work the way you want it to, both the layer it’s applied to and the layer it’s referencing have to be the same size and the same position. This always works with text and shape layers, because they are continuously rasterized to the size of the comp. When you precomp your footage and animate inside the precomp, it also stays at the size/center of the comp.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up