Rounded corners

[Tim Kurkoski]

The easiest way is to copy/paste a rounded rectangle shape from Illustrator. Like this:

1. Draw a rounded rectangle in Illustrator (or Photoshop with the vector drawing option for the tool).
2. Copy the rectangle shape.
3. In AE, draw a closed mask shape. Quicktip: double-click on the rectangular mask tool in the toolbar.
4. Open the Mask properties for the layer and select the Mask Shape property.
5. Choose Edit > Paste.

To do it manually in AE, you’ll need to set the mask points manually. 8 points are required- the hard part is getting the corners a perfect 90 degrees. There are probably other ways involving using four circles over a rectangle shape, but it sounds like a lot of work to me.

[Alexxx]

Here’s a bit of a dodgy trick that might help you. Create a square mask with the….umm…square mask tool 😉 Then twirl down the mask controls and push up the mask expansion value. If your mask is smaller than the layer that it is on, it will round off the corners. Mind you, you got no control over how the rounding is done. But hey, it’s quick and dirty.

Alex

http://www.lightdrop.com.au

[Rocco Rocco]

I hate to say it, but the dirty way worked perfectly for what I’m doing. Thanks for the tips!