haha what i meant was, i want the matte applied while i`m editing them or I can`t tell if it`ll look right. If i precompose, i have to guess what it will look like, guess the edges and render, then try masking, rinse repeat for lots of wasted time. I found out i was thinking of premiere. You can select which video layer you want to use as a matte, instead of limiting track mattes to the track right above. I was hoping AE being more for effects and such could also do this.