[Mike Clasby]

Ooops…

Using Stroke, with “Reveal Original Image” as above, you’d also need to adjust the “Brush Size” upwards until you get the reveal you want, otherwise it just looks like outlines.

[Mike Clasby]

If you want to write it on like a signature, see Aharon’s tut, here:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/animating_signature.php

Aharon’s tut is probably close to what you want if you take that layer that was produced by Create outlines, change the solid’s color to the color of the writing you want, the add Stroke, All Masks, and change that last parameter, “Paint Style” from the default “On Original Image to “Reveal Original Image”. But… it probably won’t look like you want because the Create Outlines command generates masks in a different order than what you need to make the animation flow like it was written naturally. Those masks are probably out of order.

Andrew does a similar thing, here:

https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials.html?id=25

And Jayse does the Mother-Of-All_Write-Ons, here:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/hansen_jaysen/growing.php

There are no quick ways I know of, and I’m sure such a plugin would sell like hotcakes.

Alternatively, I suppose you could just take that layer that was produced by Create outlines, change the solid’s color to the color of the writing you want, then reveal it with a black solid above. Of course this doesn’t look like the tuts, but if you mask the solid with a wedge mask to match the slant of Porcelain, then it’s not as awkward a cheat.

[Mike Clasby]

I really like Dan’s Universal Counter, very flexible.

https://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/up-down-clock.html

His expression, modified for your needs (as I read them) would be this (on Source Text):

rate = -1;
clockStart =30;

function padZero(n){
if (n < 10) return "0" + n else return "" + n } clockTime = clockStart + rate*(time - inPoint); if (clockTime < 0){ sign = "-"; clockTime = -clockTime; }else{ sign = ""; } t = Math.floor(clockTime); hr = Math.floor(t/3600); min = Math.floor((t%3600)/60); sec = Math.floor(t%60); ms = clockTime.toFixed(3).substr(-3); sign + padZero(sec) Lines 1, 2 and 22 are different. See the page for extensive explanation. Dan's page is a great place, especially the section "Mastering Expressions" for begiining. https://www.motionscript.com/

And this is a very good introduction:

https://www.jjgifford.com/expressions/

[Mike Clasby]

OK, I was assuming you wanted to sequentially wipe the 12 layers top to bottom in a time delayed manner.

But after reading your post again I dunno, if you want to wipe all 12 layers at the same time, I assuming they’re stacked on top of each other, just use Linear Wipe (or whatever transition) on an Adjustment Layer above all 12.

If they’re not stacked but spread out, and you want them to all wipe at one, but individually and simultaneously (no delay), use that same Preset, but before you make it change the first lie to:

delay = 0;

Then they’ll wipe individually but at the same time.

[Mike Clasby]

Those 12 layers need to be at the top of the stack, the timing goes off that, get back if that a major problem.

[Mike Clasby]

When you say “Wipe Alpha” do you mean something like Transition>Linear Wipe?

If so keyframe the first (top) layer with Linear wipe, setting Transition Completion keyframes.

Then add Linear Wipe to the other 11 layers and this expression on “Transition Completion” (Copy the expression, Alt-click the Transition Completion Stopwatch, then Paste):

delay = 60; //number of frames to delay
d = delay*thisComp.frameDuration*(index – 1);
thisComp.layer(1).effect(“Linear Wipe”)(“Transition Completion”).valueAtTime(time – d)

Now each layer down in the stack will be delayed by 60 frames (2 sec) in it’s linear wipe.

To make this easy, set up one layer with Linear Wipe and the expression and then Save it as an Animation Preset by, Selecting the expression and Linear Wipe, the Animation>Save>Animation Preset. And then you can apply it to as many layers as you want, by selecting them, and Animation>Apply Animation Preset (or Recent).

If you don’t mean the transition Linear Wipe you can modify the expression pretty easily to do the other transitions.

[Mike Clasby]

How about this…

Can you make each variable an Expression Control. I mean tie it to an Expression Control, like a Slider, name the slider what you want and then reference that slider in the other layer. You could then use that as a “variable”, or at least the result of the slider as a variable.

There are several expressing controls, a list follows and what they do, from the Help files.

Angle Control

This control contains a dial that rotates from 0 to 360 and adds rotations. You can adjust the angle control by dragging the dial or dragging the underlined values.

Checkbox Control

This control contains a single checkbox that you can click. You can animate this control to start and stop animation at specific intervals.

Color Control

This control contains a color swatch and an eyedropper. You can use this effect to control the gradual or sporadic change of colors on one layer or among several layers.

Layer Control

This control contains a layer menu that lists all of the layers in the active composition. You cannot add keyframes to this effect.

Point Control

This control contains an effect point control. You can use this to perform as a master control for animation in a series of layers.

Slider Control

This control contains a slider with a default value range of 0 to 100. To use values that exceed this limit, drag the underlined value above the slider instead. To change the slider range, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the underlined slider value and choose Edit Value from the menu that appears. Type the new values in the Slider Range text box.

[Mike Clasby]

There is another way, always in AAE.

You can put custom particles in Foam.

Foam
View: Rendered
Rendering:
Bubble Texture: User Defined
Bubble Texture Layer: Choose your layer

Then Drop the Produucer:Production Rate: to something like .001 to get jsut one bubble.

[Mike Clasby]

You can just set position keyframes for the overall movement (say a rising), then add a wiggle expression to Position:

wiggle (.3,30)

Change the .3 (Frequency) or 30 (Amplitude) as needed. The wiggle will add a random movement ontop of the keyframed movement.

[Mike Clasby]

Click on the “Sticky Posts” above:

COMMON AFTER EFFECTS QUESTIONS !!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE LOOK HERE FIRST by Joel Hooton on Oct 10, 2006 at 3:20:09 pm

and scroll down to:
Rotoscoping / Masking / Greenscreen

There are several threads with the complete low down, great stuff.

There is also a few Scripts that will match AE’s tracking to masks for roto work. They work well in certain situations, and are as good a the track you get. Here’s THREAD FOR THE SCRIPTS:

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/2/916507

Of all the suggestions above I think t’s importants to use multiple masks, one for each part that moves as a unit, like torso, arm, leg, etc.