Draw mask path at perfect angles

Hey all,
Simply question hopefully.
Is there a way to draw a mask path at a perfect 0, 90, 180, 270 degree angle? The mask functions as a stroke effect with straight lines, but right now they are slightly crooked because there doesn't seem to be a "snap to" perfect degree that I know of.
An alternative is to draw a rectangle mask, and delete some points, but the mask connected between the point that was deleted.
Thanks!
Dan

You could also draw guides... Just make sure to view them at 100% since snapping is based on the comp resolution and at smaller res the points will be quantized to the wrong pixel...
Mylenium

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Convert Mask path to shape path?

Can I convert a Mask path into a shape path in AECS4?
I am running into a problem with resizing my layers - I am animating a signature, and part of it was done as a shape, part of it as a mask that 'reveals' a signature (someone else created the original) when I try to enlarge the whole thing, only the shape portion enlarges without artifacting (vector) the mask portion gets blocky and ugly if enlarged.

The After Effects CC (12.2) update makes creating Bezier paths easier and more obvious.
option for creating shape layers based on Bezier paths:
When a shape tool (Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Polygon, Star, or Ellipse tool) is active, you can use the new Bezier Path option in the Tools panel to create a new shape based on a Bezier path, as opposed to the default of creating a new shape based on a parametric path. Holding the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key while drawing a shape causes the opposite behavior—i.e., if the Bezier Path option is enabled, holding the Alt or Option key causes the shape tool to create a parametric path; if the Bezier Path option is disabled, holding the Alt or Option key causes the shape tool to create a Bezier path.
command for converting a parametric shape layer path to a Bezier path:
You can convert a parametric path to a Bezier path after the parametric path has already been created by context-clicking (right-clicking or Control-clicking on Mac OS) the property group for the parametric path (e.g., Rectangle Path 1) and choosing the Convert To Bezier Path command from the context menu. If the parametric path is animated (keyframed), the converted Bezier path is a static path based on the parametric path at the current time; keyframes are lost.
IMPORTANT: When you use the Convert To Bezier Path command to convert a parametric shape path to a Bezier shape path, the Bezier path that is created does not animate well (i.e., interpolation between paths behaves strangely and unpredictably). This is related to path direction and how transformations are stored. For now, you should not use these converted paths for animated paths (interpolation between paths); but, if you do want to try, you may be able to work around the issues by reversing the path before conversion.

Ae freezes with Mask/path

I have Ae CS6 and am running 11.0.2.11
Mac OSX 10.6.8
I am having an issue when I attempt to take a mask shape and use it as a path for a null object to follow.
The problem is when I try to take the mask path and apply the position of the of the null object to follow the system freezes it hangs with the shape color and I have to force quit Ae.
The shape I am taking is coming from illusrator to create the path and it makes the mask fine but when I try to copy it to the null object it freezes.
I do have an older version of illustrator CS4 for the shape but I do not believe that would be an issue.
Has anyone elso had this issue with this?

I'd clean up the path. It's probably causing the problems. It would be easy enough just to put a black solid above this layer, set the blend mode to screen, (or a white layer set to multiply) then draw a new simple path for your particles to follow. The blend mode lets you see the underlying layer without problems.
Once the path is drawn set a single key frame for the path, copy the path, then create a new light. Open up the light's position property and paste. Use the light as the emitter in Particular. Setting the first vertex at your starting point and leaving the path open will make the path more predictable.
I grabbed your screenshot and in less than two minutes had this:
Just noticed that you just wanted a null. There was a post concerning particular that I was reading earlier. Just replace the light with a null.. EZ as pie.

Copy Mask Path, Paste to Position not working correctly PLEASE HELP!

please help I'm really at the end of my tether with this
When I create or place an object on my AF comp and then draw a mask. I try to paste that path into the position properties the path will be 'offset' and the object will not go to the start of the mask..it moves the mask then starts moving the object. this happens in AF CC, CS6 and CS5. I follow the tutorials to the letter and it off sets the object every time. What am I doing wrong?? I know its something really simple but i cant figure it out
Please help!

I just worked a complete thread on this subject. A quick search of the site with mask path in the query would bring up this thread.
To simplify the explanation you layer must be at 100% scale and at the default position in the composition for this to work. It's as simple as that. If your layer's anchor point of position properties are not at the default position this will not work.
Please check out the thread. There are multiple screen shots and explanations.

Parent Position to a Mask Path?

I'm trying to have a layer follow a mask path. Right now, to do that, I create the mask, and then copy the mask data to the "Position" property of the layer and that make it appear that the layer is moving along the same path as the mask.
The problem comes when I need to tweak the original mask.
Is there a way to parent the Position property to the Mask property of another layer?

Sorry, I forgot to mention one thing: it's dead simple to make a perfectly-shaped straight line and circular curve by turning on the Snap To Grid command when you use the pen tool, adjust the mask vertex positions and adjust the bezier handles on the mask vertices. You can even keep tweaking the vertx positions and the bezier handles after applying the stroke effect until it looks just right.

Transparency with Mask path... see pic please

Hi All,
I am stuck here, for some reason I think this is not going to happen. Although I do not know why? CS6 ??
I want a mask to cover my actor until revealed via a mask path. But here is the 'kicker' I want to do it on a transparent background. Where ( I think) I want my mask to Subtract (subtract to nothing or transparent BG) until path is KF'd.
A pic is worth a 1000

Thanks Dave how I did I forget the most powerful tool in the drawer....

Linking position to mask path?

I know I can copy and paste a Mask Path to a layer's Position and vice versa.
But is there a way to link them live with an expression? I think I'm running into a problem with too many dimensions in an array -- I'm trying to link a Light's 3D position into a 2D Mask Shape (for Particular). I can copy and paste the motion path & mask shape between them just fine, but pickwhipping gives me an error.

Not directly, but there may be a work-around, depending on what you're trying to do. If you paste the path into the position property of a null, AE creates a smooth 2-second animation. You can like to the null's position and use a positon expression with the light (using valueAtTime()) to traverse the path on any timescale you want - stop, back up, etc. If what you're looking for is a live link between the path and the light though, then this doesn't help.
A script has access to all the mask stuff, so depending on exactly what you're trying to do, you could use a little helper script to update your light position keyframes after you edit the path.
Dan

Editing mask path transparency throws one out of mask mode

While creating various circular masks with a radial gradient from white to black, whenever I change the blending mode of the mask path Ai will throw me out of mask mode into layer editing mode. Since this is on a large document of ~2Gb file with multiple artbords for large poster & UI refresh speed is slow, this has become quite frustrating.
Is this normal Ai behaviour?

An opacity mask uses just the greyscale information taken from the an object or image as a mask. Just like layer masks in Photoshop.
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/illustrator/cs/using/WS714a382cdf7d304e7e07d0100196cbc5f-64eba .html#WS2D8B6C1E-A2C8-4902-89C8-E5D04A6B314Ba
This stuff cannot at the same time multiply. If you want to also multiply it, you need a second object (a copy of the paths you used as mask).

Adaptive Resolution while adjusting mask path

This is something that has been driving me crazy for a while. Whenever I adjust a mask path, the resolution of the preview window drops to 1/2 and displays the words "Adaptive Resolution (1/2)" appear in the top right corner of the preview window.
This make it really difficult to make precise adjustments. Is there a way to prevent resolution loss when adjusting mask paths? I've tried, to no avail, changing the Adaptive Resolution settings in the Preferences panel.
Much thanks,
Daniel

In the Composition Panel select OFF (final quality) under the fast preview options.

Question(s) about Mask Paths-Instructing a mask to follow an open mask path

Is it possible to instruct a closed mask to follow another open mask's path automatically?
IF so how please? See Pic.
I want Mask 2 the circle to follow mask 1 the "open path" from one end to the other over time. Without Manually KFraming each position. I'd rather do like 'text on a path' except using a mask shape instead of text. Animating via First or last Margin. Is that possible?
The other ?
How come my Mask shape moves from it's centered position (where I placed it) and then when I use my Pan Behind Anchor Point tool to animate the layer's Anchor point below it, the mask then moves off the screen to accomidate the pan?
Instead of having the Layer underneath panning as desired while leaving my mask centered in my comp? I want the appearance that the picture is moving/tracking within the shape, while the shape stays put in the middle where I parked it.
I even tried doing at as an anchor point pan, K Burns style. The Mask shape still animates instead of staying "put" in the center of the Layer? See Pics please Start/End
Thanks for any direction on this one or two...

Dave your instructions or work around are not clear to me.
"Make an elliptical mask on a solid, OK
then double-click on the mask to enable the Free Transform tool. <-- D.click the Mask in the comp, or the name in the TL?
Put the center of the mask at the solid's anchor point. <--the center of the eliptical on it's anchor point? The eliptical mask? Unclear.
Now highlight the open mask path, copy it and paste it into the solid's POSITION property. <--Unclear. There is only one mask path in your scenario where I have two in my question.
Adjust the resulting position keyframes to taste; they default to a 2-second move.
I think in other words it cannot be done having a shape mask follow an open mask path, that or you don't know, as I did not. I can use a solid and keyframe it manually. However I asked that in my opening statement.

How to retrieve "KeyValue" from multiple Shape paths then "SetValue" to Mask path Keyframes?

Hello AEScriptsComm.,..
i have one question (hopefully the tutorer will answer soon), which is the goal and reason i'm learning ExtendScripts:
I have a few dozen Adobe Illustrator, imported Shape Layers with paths "Created..from Vector Layers" in AEffects.
In order to use a .jsxbin script to change every path to the same number of verticies for animating, i must 1st convert them to Keyframes on the same Mask Path property.
1) i hoped to please be shown\sent an example showing how to,..
a) Get\Retrieve "KeyValue" from multiple, single (Shape Layers):Outlines > Contents > Group > Path > Path as shown in screenshot "4-CreateShapeFromVecLyr2Outlines.JPG",
and then,..
b) "SetValue" from those paths into Mask > Mask Path keyframes also in screenshot "1-ExtendScript_ShapePathsTOMaskPathKeyframes.JPG"?
Really appreciate any help soon as time allows,
Jeff

Hello Xavier,
esp. with my limited experience i can't determine how your concise script works.
Because it 1st errors esp. with undefines i'm thinking at best its incomplete (or algorithm) to give me the gist and i'm to fill in the blanks, which i am doing with the sort of working code example pasted below.
Its written with every definition, declaration and initialization completed, so a novice like me can read the manuals, rev. eng. pertinant script(s), then with fragmented code and understanding quickly connecting to form a complete custom script, as we've all done.
like this:
var comp = app.project.activeItem:
var layer = comp.layers.addSolid([1,1,1,], layerName, comp.width, comp.height, 1.0, comp,duration);
therefore,..
var CompLayerSolid = app.project.activeItem.layers.addSolid([1,1,1,], layerName, comp.width, comp.height, 1.0, comp,duration);
..then with such direct access in other essentials, i can substitute compatible properties, methods, parameters etc. and remaining code that affect the layer objects i need to control simultaneously. Also thereby learning more complex code quickly enough to use.
Only, i hoped to save time here by those already familiar.
But by comparison your script without declarations or many references in AE's CS6 Scripting Guide and online, i can't decipher or understand,
although you wrote this more complete segment at CCow:
"shapeLayer.content.addProperty("ADBE Vector Graphic - Fill");",
..in which is the addProperty i 1st looked for in your script after erroring with "ShapeLayer is undefined"
But i could'nt find a ref. to either .content or content. anywhere in ExtendScript, nor "targetLayer.mask", and "targetLayer" i found once in ref. to ExtendScript as an AE layer name. So perhaps their your variables?, you see i can't determine or use.
i don't know that was'nt meant, maybe a bit to tell me do my own research?, no offence, can't confirm that without reply, hope you will, but my research is why i'm here and your probably advanced script could only help with your assistance.
Thanks anyway,
Cheers.
function()
var comp = app.project.activeItem;
var masksLayer = comp.selectedLayers[0];
var masksGroup = masksLayer.property("ADBE Mask Parade");
app.beginUndoGroup(rd_MasksToShapesData.scriptName);
// Create an empty shape lay
// Get the mask layer's pixel aspect; if layer has no source, use comp's pixel aspect
var pixelAspect = (masksLayer.source != null) ? masksLayer.source.pixelAspect : 1.0; //copixelAspect;
// Iterate over the masks layer's masks, converting their paths to shape paths
var mask, maskPath, vertices;
for (var m=1; m<=masksGroup.numProperties; m++)
var suffix = " Shapes";
var shapeLayer = comp.layers.addShape();
shapeLayer.name = masksLayer.name.substr(0,31-suffix.length) + suffix;
shapeLayer.moveBefore(masksLayer);
var shapeLayerContents = shapeLayer.property("ADBE Root Vectors Group");
var shapeGroup = shapeLayerContents; //.addProperty("ADBE Vector Group");
//shapeGroup.name = "Masks";
var shapePathGroup, shapePath, shapePathData;
// Get mask info
mask = masksGroup.property(m);
maskPath = mask.property("ADBE Mask Shape");
// Create new shape path using mask info
shapePathGroup = shapeGroup.addProperty("ADBE Vector Shape - Group");
shapePathGroup.name = mask.name;
shapePath = shapePathGroup.property("ADBE Vector Shape");
shapePathData = new Shape();
// ...adjust mask vertices (x axis) by pixel aspect
vertices = new Array();
for (var v=0; v<maskPath.value.vertices.length; v++){
vertices[vertices.length] = [maskPath.value.vertices[v][0] * pixelAspect, maskPath.value.vertices[v][1]];
shapePathData.vertices = vertices;
shapePathData.inTangents = maskPath.value.inTangents;
shapePathData.outTangents = maskPath.value.outTangents;
shapePathData.closed = maskPath.value.closed;
shapePath.setValue(shapePathData);
shapeLayer.transform.anchorPoint.setValue(masksLayer.transform.anchorPoint.value);
shapeLayer.transform.position.setValue(masksLayer.transform.position.value);
shapeLayer.transform.scale.setValue(masksLayer.transform.scale.value);
if (masksLayer.threeDLayer)
shapeLayer.threeDLayer = true;
shapeLayer.transform.xRotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.xRotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.yRotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.yRotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.zRotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.zRotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.orientation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.orientation.value);
else
shapeLayer.transform.rotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.rotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.opacity.setValue(masksLayer.transform.opacity.value);
// Match the mask layer's transfor
// Mute the mask layer
masksLayer.enabled = false;
app.endUndoGroup();

Draw a path and straighten layer beneath?

I'm sure this has been asked before but is there a quick fix to this.
I have a panoramic where the horizon is a little wobbly. I can then draw a path along this path. Can I then straighten this line out?

You could do this with Puppet Warp. It's far from automatic, but I'd call that horizon more than "a little wobbly", so it will take a lot of time and patience to get it right.
Here is the 5-minute version:

Pasting the position points of a mask path to a write-on brush position

Hi there,
So after effects is doing something VERY strange - I create a pen path by tracing a electrical signature in after effects (see pink path in the attached screen shot) , then I click 'm' short cut to bring up the mask path. I make sure the mask path is selected, then I copy it. I add the Write-on effect, and into the brush position, I paste the mask path points. I've done this exactly this way in the past but either I've lost my marbles or some weird preference is set to make the pasted path points both smaller and nowhere near the same position as what I have taken so much time to trace! Why??? How can it paste smaller and somewhere else? (green dots are going to be the brush points of the write on effect) Please help - I can't figure out what's the problem here - tried for the last 6 hours :O
I need to reveal the original image with the write on effect I don't understand why it's not working this one time.
Thanks SO SO MUCH!

I assume this comp will be used as a nested comp, inside a comp of other dimensions.
Make sure that this comp's dimensions and pixel aspect ratio match those of the layer. The Write-On effect should then work properly.
If you wish to use the Write-On effect on another layer -- a solid, perhaps -- make sure to use the comp size for the solid.

Drawing help: paths and fills

Hi there, i'm looking for help with this. When I draw a path with the pen tool, and fill it, it seems as if the shape now has two parts. If i drag the filled area around, it's breaking apart from the path (or border). this is kind of annoying for me, so how can i make this one entity?

thank you. i still find this behaviour a little cumbersome though. for example, on a rectangle shape it's a few clicks to select all the areas of the border, and the fill.

Keep a mask path static while it's parented by something animated?

Hi, is there any way to have a layers mask stay static in the scene even when its parented by something thats animated?
Such as maybe putting an expression in its mask path settings?
Thanks,
Mike

I posted this question on two different forums, unrelated to eachother, so I could get more, and different feedback from different groups of people.
Read that old blog entry! Really do! You know, that thing about potentially getting more confused, the community being small and such.... Don't take this as arrogance or snobism: When it comes to basic techniques, the answers will usually be the same, regardless of which forum. Within a reasonable timeframe (which for forums is something like 24 hours to allow for people living in different time zones; longer on holidays and weekends), there will always be someone to help you on a halfway frequented forum such as VC or this one here. If you have serious technical questions, opt for the forum that would provide the best insights, which usually is that of the vendor. When it comes to creative matters, that's a whole different story. In that case of course it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion from a different set of people, but even then it would be nice if you took a structured approach and would only post on other forums, if the answers you get in one location do not satisfy you. Plus you should always tell people when you have posted on other forums to keep the spirit of the discussion. Who knows? - Even an old slacker like me might still learn a thing or or catch some good creative ideas peeking in on other forums...
Mylenium

Draw mask path at perfect angles

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