How-tos for After Effects
Apply an effect and transform what your layer looks like — effects are the core of After Effects.
Use Merge Paths to combine shapes for more complex designs — it gives you control over how multiple shapes interact with each other.
Trim Paths let you animate strokes with precise control over exactly what part of the stroke appears at any moment.
Animate strokes to outline drawings, reveal logos, or create any effect where you want something to draw on screen over time.
Round corners give shapes a softer, more modern look — they feel friendlier than sharp edges.
A solid fill turns outlines into bold, clean shapes that stand out on your canvas.
Add stroke to a shape and make it stand out — it's what separates a shape from the background.
Shape layers are vector-based graphics you can animate endlessly without losing quality — they scale perfectly at any size.
Luma mattes reveal content based on brightness values — light areas show more, dark areas show less. It creates smooth, natural-looking reveals.
Alpha mattes use transparency to reveal layers — the transparent parts of your matte layer show the layer beneath it.
Track mattes let one layer reveal another — perfect for text reveals, transitions, and creative masking effects without drawing paths.
Rectangle masks are great for wipes, reveals, or simple cutouts that need clean, straight edges.
Circle masks are great for profile cutouts, spotlight reveals, or simple vignettes that need a soft, rounded edge.
The Pen Tool (G) gives you precise control for creating custom mask shapes with straight lines and smooth curves exactly where you need them.
Mask Expansion grows or shrinks the mask without moving individual points — perfect for tightening edges quickly without rebuilding the shape.
Multiple masks can work together on the same layer — Add reveals more area, Subtract cuts holes out of what's already visible.
Inverting a mask flips what's visible — it's handy when you want to hide the center and keep everything else showing.
Feather softens the edges of a mask, making blends look natural instead of hard-edged and cut out.
Animating a mask path lets you create reveals, transitions, and morphing cutouts that transform over time.
Masks let you hide or reveal parts of a layer — perfect for cutouts, reveals, or creative effects that need precision.
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