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How to use trim paths on shapes in After Effects

Use Trim Paths to animate strokes with precise control over exactly what part of the stroke appears at any moment.

Steps to use trim paths on shapes

Select your shape layer and go to Add → Trim Paths.

Adding Trim Paths to a shape layer from the Add menu in After Effects

Animate Start and End values to reveal different parts of the stroke over time.

Animating Start and End values of Trim Paths in After Effects timeline

Tweak Offset to move the stroke around the path and change where it starts or ends.

Adjusting the Offset property in Trim Paths to move a stroke around the shape path in After Effects

One more thing

For looping animations, Alt/Option-click the Offset stopwatch and type: time * 100. It creates an endless rotation effect.

Related how-tos

How to animate strokes in After Effects
How to use merge paths in After Effects
How to round corners of shapes in After Effects

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