how to make a stroke around a masked object in after effects

There is a base image at the bottom of the stack, and a single layer of teal over it. The process for adding them is simple.įor this example I will use a simple image with only two layers, as shown above. Layer masks need to be added to a layer before they can be used. This flexibility to define the opacity of different areas of a layer is the basis for more interesting image manipulation techniques such as selective coloring and luminosity masking. This modification of a layer’s transparency through a mask is non-destructive to the layer itself. This differs from the use of the layer Opacity slider as a mask has the ability to selectively modify the opacity of different areas across a single layer. They allow you to selectively modify the opacity (transparency) of the layer they belong to. To follow along with me, you can open any image.Layer masks are a fundamental tool in image manipulations. To really make sense of clipping masks, we first need to understand the difference between content and transparency on a layer. Let's create a clipping mask ourselves so we can better understand how they work.ĭownload this tutorial as a print-ready PDF! How A Clipping Mask Works That may sound more confusing than how a layer mask works, but clipping masks are just as easy to use. But if any part of the layer on the bottom is transparent, then that same area on the layer above it will be hidden. Where the bottom layer contains actual content (pixels, shapes, or type), the content on the layer above it is visible. In other words, the bottom layer is the mask, and the layer above it is the layer that's clipped to the mask.

The layer on the bottom controls the visibility of the layer above it. To create a clipping mask, we need two layers. But a clipping mask uses the content and transparency of one layer to control the visibility of another. A layer mask uses black and white to show and hide different parts of the layer. But while the end result may look the same, clipping masks and layer masks are very different. In that sense, clipping masks are similar to layer masks. What Are Clipping Masks?Ĭlipping masks in Photoshop are a powerful way to control the visibility of a layer. You can get the latest Photoshop version here. I'm using Photoshop CC but clipping masks work the same way in all recent versions. In this tutorial, I show you how to use clipping masks in Photoshop to show and hide different parts of a layer and fit images into shapes! We'll learn the basics of how to create a clipping mask, and we'll explore the idea behind them in more detail so that by the end of this lesson, you'll have a solid grasp on how clipping masks work.

How to make a stroke around a masked object in after effects