Anicsi wrote:Well, I haven't found a solution for my other problem yet but there's something more important right now xD
Some questions on masking in AE:
1. When I mask in AE everything works quite smoothly. Only that when I mask in a path and jump back to correct a keypoint when I haven't closed the mask yet, once I want to go on with my mask, AE creates a new mask instead of adding a new keypoint to my first mask/path.
What can I do to avoid that? How can I force AE to go back where I was before I interrupted to correct the mask?
When a mask is not yet "closed", (i.e. all points connected), and the current frame is changed, to correctly add a new vertice instead of creating a new separate mask,
select the layer with this unfinished mask, then select the mask from the timeline, click somewhere on the comp, but not on the mask, then use the mask tool and hit control ?? Sorry, its a strange combination here, my advice is to remember to finish your mask before you change your current frame, but a little fudging around works.
Anicsi wrote:2. Once I have closed my mask it seems that I can't change the path/keypoints, f.e. when jumping to a new frame and the image changed a bit. I only can move the mask as a WHOLE. The only way to edit the mask seems to be adding a new keypoint. After that it works just was always.
Is there a key I need to press or something? I tried the 'Apple', Alt, ctrl and shift. Nothing works.
To add new vertices to an existing closed mask, select the layer (from the timeline window), then select the mask (again from the timeline window), then using the select tool, click anywhere outside the mask to make sure you unselect all points, then you can use control to alter the mask tool to add vertice mode.
The main mechanic is this: whenever all points are selected, you have to click outside the mask to unselect everything. You can even click drag to select a group of vertices, to adjust a mask.
All masking mechanics are basically a combination of knowing when to use the select tool to select/unselect vertice(s), the mask tool to adjust node types (bezier/linear), and the mask tool to add or delete vertices, and how selecting a layer in the timeline tells After effects to basically reset what the select tool is grabbing.
Anicsi wrote:3. In the case as I explained above, when I add or remove a keyframe, let's say in frame 3 of my mask. What effect does it have on the mask of the previous frames 1 and 2? Do the keyframes appear/disappear? I wondered cause one time my mask was all messed up because I added/removed some keyframes somewhere in the end of my mask and I had to start all over again.
What would be the best solution for this problem? Cutting the clip?
I would be very grateful for a fast answer. I need to finish a MEP part and there's still this masking scene.??
Suppose you have a mask at frame 100. Now, you turn on mask shape keyframes, and move forward 3 frames and edit your mask. A new mask keyframe will appear.
If both keyframes (one at 100, and one at 103) are linear keyframes, then the mask will change shape at frames 101, and 102 to morph into the new shape.
What I do is make all my keyframes for masking, hold keyframes, so whenever i create a new keyframe, it abrutply moves to my new keyframe with no interpolation in between. You do not want interpolation for your mask when masking characters, in general. You can make hold keyframes out of linear ones by control clicking the keyframe to make it go from diamond to square/halfdiamond-halfsquare.