Occasionally in these forums I'll see references to the pen tool, commonly found in better graphics programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and PaintShop Pro, not to mention AE (I think). A lot of times people express frustration with it or do not seem to be using it correctly. Right now I'm in the middle of creating a pen tool tutorial for one of my design classes, and I'm wondering if this is the kind of thing people would like to see in the a-m-v.org tutorial section.
The tutorial focuses on the use of the pen tool for creating quick and accurated selections, alpha channel transparencies, masks, etc., all of which are common components of AMVs. It will offer instruction in the pen tool's capabilities, its pros and cons and tips for achieving the best results. The tutorial will not cover in detail how to export masks for use in your video editing program of choice, since a tutorial on that is already here. A section on using workpaths created by the pen tool in AE also may be included if it seems appropriate - although maybe I could do that as a separate tutorial.
Anyways, let me know. The pen tool can be incredibly frustrating until you learn its ins and outs - but then it becomes your best friend. While there are other tutorials on the Web for using the pen tool, I know I personally would have liked to see one here as it applies to AMVing - something a lot of editors may never have thought of or, if they did, felt it would be too difficult to handle.








