Paths as keyframes in AE

[WesCoughlin]

i know you can make paths in photoshop or illustrator, and then copy and past them as key frames for animation. Is there anyway to use the paths/mask in AE to make the points and then copy them into animation keyframes? I would like to use this for write-on effects, without the need to switch programs.

thnx

 

[Matt Grunau]

When you use a path created in Illustrator, Photoshop, or even After Effects itself you can copy that path to things like position and other attributes. The Points that make up the path turn into the keyframes. So, if you have a path made of 5 points, and you place it in 2 second timeline, those 5 points become keyframes that span the length of the timeline. the closer they are to one another in the path, the closer the keframes will be in the timeline.

AE has a bit of a twitch when it comes to using masks as things like positional info for say a lens flare in that you can copy the mask, and when you paste it, nothing happens. Sometimes it pastes, sometimes not. If you close AE and then open it right back up and paste it will paste. That bug's been around for a while, but if you are coming from Illustrator, it may work fine the first time out. I create all my paths in AE, and haven't tried it from Illustrator.

 

[WesCoughlin]

Hay thanks for your help, i figured out what i was doing wrong.

Instead of trying to copy the points directly (as i normaly do in photoshop) i needed to scroll down and copy the "mask shape" part.
Then pasting it into other places worked fine.