Home > Masking, Effects & Shapes

Kyle Hamrick

Motion | Creative & Technical Direction

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Masking, Effects & Shapes

Use masking, blending modes and effects to stylize existing elements or create new ones from scratch. Learn to leverage shape layers, similar to working in Illustrator, to create animations with flexible and versatile shapes.

This summary is AI generated

Learning Outcomes:

  • Explore After Effects as a design tool
  • Utilize compositing options for complex looks
  • Animate layers and effects non-destructively

Level: Beginner

Skills you'll gain:

After Effects, Animation, Compositing, Design

Key Insights

  • Import artwork from Photoshop and Illustrator for animation.
  • Use masks to control visibility and shape of layers.
  • Effects order impacts the final visual outcome.
  • Adjustment layers apply effects to all layers below.
  • Track mats allow for creative visibility control.
  • Shape layers enable procedural and flexible design.
  • Text layers can be animated similarly to shape layers.
  • Explore various effects to enhance creativity.
  • Utilize the pen tool for custom shapes.
  • Experiment with text animators for dynamic typography.