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Sharing a mask
If you have a mask on layer 1, is there an easy way to “share” the mask on layer 2 (and possibly invert or adjust) without duplicating the mask?
Here is my setup.
I have the same footage on two layers. I have an animated roto mask running over time on layer 1 and I want to have the inverse of that exact mask on layer 2 but, I don’t want to duplicate the mask. I’d like to use the same mask so that I can continue refining it over time.
Thanks!
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3 Replies
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You can link one mask path to another using an expression.
If the mask that you want to use as the master is on layer 1, then just make a dummy mask on layer 2, add an expression to the dummy mask’s Mask Path property, and then use the expression pick whip for that expression to link it to the Mask Path property of the master mask. (I.e., drag the pick whip from the dummy mask’s Mask Path property to the master mask’s Mask Path property.)
Then you can invert the “copy”, change its mask mode, or otherwise customize properties of the mask.
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Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
putting the ‘T’ back in ‘RTFM’ : After Effects Help on the Web
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Ah. That’s exactly it. Thanks.
Wow, you’d think there would be a way to do this without an expression like a simple share or link button.
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Ahh, that’s genious Todd! I never thought about doing that. What an excellent tip.
When I have had the same situation in the past, my method was to use the masks as a track matte path, which I could then precompose and use… so if I needed to edit the original, it would update. However it didn’t let me have different feathering amounts per instance, which was quite a pain. It got the job done, and is nice in complex roto jobs, where there might be 10 or more masks for one layer. This expression technique would work too but would create a lot of filler.
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