Pre-composing (precomping) & nesting:
- Nesting—putting a composition inside another composition
- Precomping—selecting a layer or multiple layers inside an existing composition that you want to contain in another composition (for organizational or complex animation use)
- To Precomp, go to Layer > Precompose (Command+Shift+c)
- When precomping a single layer, you will have two options
- "Leave all Attributes in current comp": if the layer has any keyframes/effects, they will remain attached to the newly created composition and not be encompassed inside this composition as part of the precomped layer
- "Move all attributes into the new composition": all keyframes and effects will move into the newly created comp and remain attached to the precomped layer
Collapse transformations:
Use the "continuously rasterize" symbol (*) to insure that After Effects continues to display vector layers inside nested comps as continuously rasterized when scaled beyond 100% (if you don't turn this option on, AE will treat a precomped vector layer as a bitmap and pixelate the edges)
Keeping comps organized:
Always name your comps and put them in appropriate folders inside your project window! ALWAYS
Masks:
- To create a mask, make sure you have a layer selected (otherwise you will create a Shape layer)
- Use the geometric tools (rectangle, circle, star, etc) or your pen tool in the tool window to apply the mask shape. Note: When using the pen tool, you must make sure to close the path in order for the mask to work.
- Keep your masks organized by naming them (select mask, hit Return and type) and changing the mask color (click in the color box and choose from the color wheel)
- Use mask modes to hide/reveal different areas of the mask (add, subtract, intersect, etc)
- Use the "Inverted" option when combining multiple masks and mask modes
- To change the shape of your mask, you can:
- Use the selection tool to click on individual vector points. Once the vector point is selected, you can click and drag.
- Shift-click on vector points for a multiple-point selection
- Double-click on any vector point to create a transform box around the entire shape
- Select multiple vector points and press Command+t to create a bounding box around your selection
- Note: When adjusting your mask shape, make sure you have at least one point selected before dragging. If you simply click and drag, you might be moving the layer itself, not the mask.
- Keyable mask properties (click on the "stop watch" symbol next to each property to begin setting keys):
- Mask Path: adjusts the shape of your mask (this is how you can create "morphing shapes" animation)
- Mask Feather: adjusts the feathering (blurring) of the mask edges
- Mask Opacity: control the opacity of an individual mask area (rather than the opacity of the entire layer)
- Mask Expansion: expand/contract the borders of your mask without changing the Mask Path
