[Mike Clasby]

OK, I see what you’re doing. I was making mine on the default flat line that audiowaveform uses.

Audio Waveform on an Oval Mask, got it.

I think the main problem is when it jumps outside the frame or screen, then you don’t get a big closed mask to fill, but many masks, still closed but only as wide as the line (4 pixels for you).

Also, with audiowaveform, with Maximum Height cranked up, a waveform from the inside of the oval can jump up and over the other side of the oval, then when you auto trace you get a ga-zillion masks. So try to take it easy on Maximum Height.

If you really like the look where it jumps offscreen and expands beyond the edge of the screen, then do the oval mask in a larger comp, large enough so the waveform never jumps outside the frame, then import that into your finished-sized comp. It will look like it jumps outside the screen in the finished comp.

Also I noticed Audio Waveform really encourages that jumping over the opposite-side thing I mentioned before, but Audio Spectrum lets you limit the waveform to only expand outward, by choosing Display Options: Analog Lines, Side Options: Side B. So there is no cross over, no production of that multiple mask when auto trace is run.

So try that, Audio Spectrum in a larger comp, Auto Trace, choose Mask 1 (the outside Mask), then Copy that mask and Paste into another Solid, or just do Fill on the Auto Trace layer and delete all but the outside mask.

The main problem is when your waveform jumps outside the frame, use a big enough precomp and it will fill properly.

[Mike Clasby]

You need to do Auto-Trace, but with a little prep work first.

On the layer with AudioWaveform (a solid?) with the Pen Tool, draw a little bucket shaped mask, 4 point and open, not closed. This should look like the cross section of a bucket (or box), with the waveform ad water that’s bouncing in the bucket, so you just want the sides and bottom, no top. The tops of each side need to stick up above the ends of the AudioWaveform a bit as the end jump up and down a bit.

Add stroke (or another Audio Waveform, no Audio referenced) to give the shape a visible line.

Now run Auto-trace (threshold and Tolerance at 1).

There should be two masks on the new Auto-traced layer, copy either (I usually use the inner 1, mask 2)and paste into a new solid. Apply Fill.

If you don’t like the looks on each end you can mask off a bit on each side.

[Mike Clasby]

Copy the Mask Shape, and Paste that into a Position Keyframe. Sometimes you need to set a position keyframe first. You get roving keyframes on the position/path, so you can pull either end keyframes out and all will distribute proportionally.

[Mike Clasby]

Here, here, Steve, long live “grow bounds”, just be sure and put it above the Shine, so it grows the bounds first,

[Mike Clasby]

Warp is the newest version of what you want, but I don’t know if it interacts well with other 3D layers, download the demo.

https://www.zaxwerks.com/3dwarps/index.shtml

Or try CC Sphere…

Or better yet do it with a real 3D program.

[Mike Clasby]

If you want to cut an open mask in two, the only way I know is to duplicate the mask, then lock one, on the unlocked one, select and delete the vertices you don’t want, then switch the locks (unlock if locked, lock if unlocked) and delete the other masks vertices you don’t ant..

[Mike Clasby]

This works for me.

Select, click on, the mask between two mask points, Right Click and uncheck “Closed”. You should now have an open mask with a gap where the line was you selected.

[Mike Clasby]

This linear interpolation on Opacity, does the same thing:

op = thisComp.layer(“2s”).opacity;
linear(op, 0, 100, 100, 0)

Well, it’s not really the same thing, it gives you the inverse opacity of layer 2s. It just says as the opacity of 2s (op) changes from 0 to 100, change the opacity of this layer from 100 to 0.

[Mike Clasby]

This If statement seems to do what you want, on the other layer’s Opacity:

op = thisComp.layer(“2s”).opacity;
if (op < 100) 100 else 0 Assuming the contolling layer is named "2s". Dan explains if statements here: https://www.motionscript.com/mastering-expressions/language-beginning-4.html

So anytime layer 2s’s opacity drops below 100, the layer with the expression’s opacity will be 100. If layer 2s is at 100, the other layer will be at 0.

[Mike Clasby]

Oh, you said a person lying in bed.. trickier to displace the Shadow, but try this.

On the Solid with the Venetian Blinds, try adding Distort>Bulge (can be oval shaped by having a much larger Horizontal or Vertical Radius). Or a few instances of Spherize (with different Centers) to get the warping of the Venetian Blinds over the body.

So you could have Bulge for the Torso and Spherize for the head.

You can rotate Bulge with this nifty solution from Dan:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/2/890103

Or without the expression (perish the thought!), just set on Distort>Transform>Rotation to -30 and the Transform below to -30 (30 as an example, use your own number as needed). Remember Bulge is sandwiched in between the Transforms.

For the displacement you can also use Mesh Warp or Displacement Map (but that’s a whole new Ball Game, Click on Aharon”s head at the top of the main page and scroll down for 3 tuts on Displacement Mapping). You might also try Liquify.

With a little clever use of Bulge and Spherize you should get what you want and not have to get into the bizarre (but fun) world of Displacement Mapping.