Keep in mind: Editing the Size and Position in these categories edits the Size and Position of the path points, before fill and stroke are added. You can also double-click the Shape tool icon in the Toolbar to drop a shape into your composition that fi lls the view, or do so while holding shift for a perfect square or circle.Ī rectangle can easily become a rounded rectangle, and vice versa. Holding down opt/Alt while creating a layer scales the layer from where you clicked, instead of drawing from one corner to the opposite. While clicking and dragging to create a shape, you can hold down shift to create a shape that’s X and Y proportional, such as a perfect square or circle.

If a shape layer is selected, the Shape tool will add another shape to the same layer. Note: If a non-shape layer is selected, the Shape tool will instead add a mask to the layer. With the Shape tool active and no layer selected, click and drag in the Composition panel to create a new shape layer and draw a shape. Multiple presses of Q cycles through the different shapes. The tool can also be accessed with the hotkey Q.

By default, it looks like a Rectangle, but clicking and holding on the icon reveals presets for Rounded Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, and Star. Creating Shapes with the Shape Toolįind the Shape tool in the Toolbar. There are two ways of creating shape layer paths-either by using preset shapes with the Shape tool, or by drawing your own with the Pen tool. Then, a fill and/or a stroke is added, followed by a Transform control, plus any other effects. Shape layers are first defined by a path-that is, the position of the vectors that make up the shape’s outline. The following is an excerpt from Ben Goldsmith’s Adobe After Effects: A Complete Course and Compendium

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After effects pen tool stroke