Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by firtich on Jan 13, 2006 at 4:59:31 am
Sweet tutorial, I have a question on the same theme. Is there a way to convert illustrator file that is exported into after effects into a mask shape w/o first opening it in illustrator getting your preferences right and copy, pasting it.
Thanks in advance, great job with tutorials, the z scale one was pretty sweet too :)
Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by markval on Jan 13, 2006 at 3:47:28 pm
yes you can.
1. In Adobe Illustrator, create your path, select all of the points along the path, and then choose Edit > Copy.
2. In After Effects, open the Layer window for the layer into which you want to import the path.
3. Choose Edit > Paste.
Important: You must select the AICB option in the Files & Clipboard section of the Adobe Illustrator Preferences dialog box for this method to work.
Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by Aharon Rabinowitz on Jan 13, 2006 at 3:51:12 pm
for the record I've already submited a 4 minute tutorial on using illsutrator and photoshop to create motion paths and masks in AE, along with some of the issues that pop up when doing it.
However, once again, it requires that you open the programs.
----------------------------------------
Aharon Rabinowitz
aharon(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
www.allbetsareoff.com
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Creative Cow Master Series DVD
particleIllusion Fusion Volume 1
available @ www.pIllusionFusion.com
Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by Aharon Rabinowitz on Jan 17, 2006 at 1:21:32 am
that would also scale the layer. Of course you could also inversely scale the layer to counter it - But only if if the scale atribute wasn't already animated, and if only if you could figure out the exact amount to inversely effect the scale, so that it doesn't change. Seems a lot easier to me this way.
----------------------------------------
Aharon Rabinowitz
aharon(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
www.allbetsareoff.com
----------------------------------------
Creative Cow Master Series DVD
particleIllusion Fusion Volume 1
available @ www.pIllusionFusion.com
Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by quique on Jan 18, 2006 at 12:33:20 am
How about this (much simpler than what I said before):
Go to first scale keyframe (or first frame if there are none). Note value of scale.
Parent to null.
Scale null.
Unparent from null.
Select all scale keyframes.
Drag scale value back to original (scrub, using command or alt to fine-tune).
All scale keyframes should scale proportionally, leaving you with just a scaled motion path.
Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by Aharon Rabinowitz on Jan 18, 2006 at 7:58:14 pm
"Drag scale value back to original (scrub, using command or alt to fine-tune)."
Did you try this? It falls apart at this step. You would think that you could alter many keyframes for the scale on the same layer at once but you can't.
I think you can only do it for multiple layers, and only on that frame.
Please prove me wrong. This would be a better if more involved way to do it.
----------------------------------------
Aharon Rabinowitz
aharon(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
www.allbetsareoff.com
----------------------------------------
Creative Cow Master Series DVD
particleIllusion Fusion Volume 1
available @ www.pIllusionFusion.com
Re: COW Tutorials: After Effects Scaling a Motion Path in After Effects by quique on Jan 18, 2006 at 8:23:02 pm
You're right, it falls apart. You can alter multiple scale key frames, but they scale absolutely, not proportionally. I should have checked my test comp better. Could still be done by duplicating the layer and parenting it to itself, etc., but that's not exactly a simple solution. I guess if you had a really complicated motion path with a heavily tweaked acceleration graph, my method might be quicker (since you wouldn't have to rebuild all of that pesky graph info), but yours is certainly better for most stuff. Wonder if AE7 will solve the problem by letting you scale values in the new graph editor.
