After Effects: Obscuring one layer behind another

[gbrucewilson]

jk. i figured it out



[gbrucewilson]

I just got CS adobe after affects 5.5 for Mac and I can't get the track matte box to appear. my solid black is in the right order in the layers, but still is black cause i can't get the damn track matte thing to appear

[moviebuddy14]

could you put up a download for the footage, its a really good shot

[shakya6]

Thanky You For The Tutorial. It Was A Gr8 Help

[redgillfilms]

In following this tutorial to the letter the Alpha Inverted Matte option is only available for "Tracker" not "Black Solid 2" so the mask on Black Solid 2 remains black not transparent. Any ideas?

[simonsaysfx]

@redgillfilms You need to make sure the layer is in the correct position in the stack order. You can't make a top layer a matte. I can't think of anything else that would disable the options.

[SkateArLEXFilms]

@redgillfilms i had the same problem, instead of changing the track matte of the solid, change the track matte of the title

[68jmps]

I am using the AF CS5.5. In 4:37, I can find the track matte and I can change it into "Alfa Inverted Matte". I think this is the only thing that stops me from continuing. Can someone please help me?????

[ConnorWoodman]

Cheers man this tutorial really helped, been looking for a something like this for ages but didn't know what the effect would be called. :) - (Video response).

[garrypig]

you can tell he used a DSLR for this. Correct?

[elementsk8co]

@garrypig no

[KrocketAnimations]

@garrypig Don't think so no.

[simonsaysfx]

@garrypig Nope. It was a Sony Handycam.

[deceivingmage]

Well your after effects seems normal compared to mine, the pen tool always swirls always has done that AE and photoshop, and I don't have the adding, sub tool :P

[OkiH8this]

For those who cant find "Alpha Inverted Matte" go watch this quick vid. watch?v=ilZjUHCjVa0

[tozer41]

i got to 4:41 but then my mask is just black how do i make it the video?

[simonsaysfx]

@tozer41 If you place the mask layer ABOVE the text in the timeline, THEN set the track matte of the text to alp. inv., the mask layer will be automatically switched to invisible. If you do this in the wrong order, the mask will remain visible. You can fix this by shutting off the eyeball switch for the mask layer (google eyeball switch to find it if you're stuck).

[tozer41]

@simonsaysfx i got it working but cheers anyway, check out the vid on my channel its called the wasteland

[hnsmith79]

I have been struggling with making a moving mask to obscure one small portion of a clip with a matte painting from another clip. Your tutorial helped me a bunch. Thank you.

[BikerFail16]

How do i get the trkmat in the bottom options????!!

[simonsaysfx]

@BikerFail16 Hit the F4 button. That toggles you back and forth between the switches and the track matte options.

[BikerFail16]

@simonsaysfx Thanks!

[suschi64]

thanks :D

[mikey123xyz]

when i try to add the black solid layer it covers my text with black. Any suggestions ??? Respondiing to the comment would be awesome, thanks guys

[RandomDom3297]

thanks for much:]

[BrotherBloat]

you rock, dude!! :D

[iGoshiix]

you are literally my saviour.. first i came across your typewriter video and now this.. in the same day!!!!

[koolman280]

tee teeehe tehehe Simon Bonner

[ahmetroxen]

Its a good tutorial but i think you must be a better realistic video. Example: ''The Train'' text can be seen behind the train windows :)

[simonsaysfx]

@ahmetroxen I've shown you how to do the effect in 5:34 - I shouldn't have to muck about making the shot broadcast ready!

[cddmx]

And how do we put a text behind something and then make the text come out?

[simonsaysfx]

@cddmx You just move the mask. In this example I keep the mask extended to the right hand side of the frame. If I had shot until the train passed, I would just make the mask follow the back of the train out of shot, revealing the text again.

[Abnesis]

this is 3 years old its like the ass of my grand mother!

[simonsaysfx]

@Abnesis Not really a simile I would have chosen... Anyway, this video may be old now, but you would achieve the effect exactly the same way in CS5.5

[Abnesis]

@simonsaysfx thanks for uploading!!! i wonder if you can update the tutorial :D

[dididihahaha]

help me...

when I do "Alpha inverted matte" it can't works.

and it didn't show "Alpha inverted matte [black Solid 2]" but it shows "Alpha Inverted Matte [Tracker]"

help me please?

[JLeeZ844]

@dididihahaha Alpha invert the text layer not the black solid layer

[stevo4443able]

can anyone tell me how to do this but with an explosion behind someones back i need HELP !! i always wanted to do that m like in the movies

[simonsaysfx]

@stevo4443able It's the same thing. You just draw a mask around your actor (or better still, film them in front of a greenscreen and key out the background), then add an explosion element behind them (i.e. on a layer beneath the actor). You can even add an adjustment layer on the top with a Glow effect on it: that will make the explosion appear to "wrap around" the actor's body.

[tmshl11]

you've just saved my life - thanks a million.

[TheJokeMonster]

When I change the mode to Alpha Inverted, the area just gets filled with blackness.

Using CS4. Please, help, really need this for tonight.

[Meddes]

Nice work, but i cant do it without having a black solid in this "zone" , can anybody help me?

[Sigy08]

Great Tutorial! You could also use the Motion Track feature to animate the mask too.

[holyonfire]

Is there other software that can be used to do this effectively?

[holyonfire]

Thank you! I'd wanted to know how to make these effects for a long time.

[jcox77]

Thanks for the vid. I followed your instructions to a T, but when I go to render, the text is still in front of the object. However, when I scrub across the timeline, it shows up how I want it to, which is the subject in front of the text. Any ideas why??

[Rswipeable]

Are you from Liverpool too? :D

[vowciks1]

Hello You scool learning very help me! Thankyou Very much!

[TheYoyodude101]

how would you do it say if a human was running by how would you do it?

[tropicalcatdetective]

@TheYoyodude101 Same method but you would have to painstakingly create a path around the human and then keyframe the path around the human frame by frame, very time-consuming.

[TheYoyodude101]

@tropicalcatdetective thanks I have been getting a lot better at after effects and get that stuff now

[lazicful]

That's darn good! Thanks alot!

[ArcanePath360]

Thanks! I've been searching for an hour now, this isn't quite what I needed, but I adapted some of what you said and now I know how to do foreground middleground and background

[3DotEntertainment]

IDK if this question was asked but: Can you do a tutorial with a person walking in front of the text? Or just moving in front of the text? PLEASE?!

[CspaceVideo]

To be honest, I don't really like the way the text is masked...You can clearly see the text isn't visible through the train windows.

[FinnishGaming]

@CspaceVideo Maybe the train crashed to the text so it got "inside" the train? :3

[COOKIEHOOKIE]

BADLY NEED HELP.

When I drag the Black Solid layer on top, the part that is tracked turned black.

BTW, it is the 4:30 second part.

Please reply ASAP. Thanks!

[lloydw1567]

@COOKIEHOOKIE

it's actually supposed to be the text layer that goes inverted not the black....

i had the same problem until i saw that he clicked the wrong box in his excellent tutorial (no sarcasm)

[FUTURI5M]

@lloydw1567 ah thankyou ! if i could thumbs up your comment i would but it won't let me :( ?

[itgamer100]

great, il use this for my train vids lol, BTW thats a class 150..lol

[andybean94]

hey i tried this a few times and every time at the end it all works but i get the area i pen tooled around turns to black any help man??

[Squantra]

im having trouble with my mask interpolating the object thats coming in front of my text. whenever I move up or down the frames, the mask stays where it is unlike yours where its interpolating the position of the train. what am I doing wrong?

[CornwallSport]

hey :) How do I change the mask shape, giving it more vertices?

[rightttt]

Im working with snowboarding footage and i would like to have snow boarders infront of some logos, is there a way to do this, and im working in an older version i think cs3, thanks

[DllusionDevin]

his last name is bonner haha

[pips71717]

do this with a human when the train comes he's gone and everyone is like were'd he go lol

[oregonhockyfan]

Thanks for this. It was very clear and simple. And very helpful.

[Arjun007ize]

Subscribed.

[REIDOGD]

The alpha matte does nothing once it is applied. I wish you would elaborate and show more of your screen to show us what your doing...

[war3editor]

how to do if you whold make the windows in the train to so you can see the text throw

[wjm911]

thank you very much for this. I will need to try some of these steps this week. very informative

[DeZerga]

really great job, took me a little while but i got it

[MoviesAndTuts]

lol the second method isnt that long. thnx for the tut it helped

[imwithes05]

hey using this method is there a way i can make it so when im panning away fromsay a wall i can make the text look like its on the wall...but eventually the tracking markers i use will be unvisible......but at that point i will not need the text to be there anymore...

[hikingbike]

Hi! Thank you for this tutorial! I used your method of "Obscuring one layer behind another" in my recent teaser video. Used it twice, hope you find where ;)

Thanks again

[TheAndyGerm]

how do you make a alpha :/ sorry for my nooby q.

[simonsaysfx]

@TheAndyGerm Do you mean, how do you make a layer into the alpha matte for another layer? If so, put the layer you want to be the alpha matte on top of the other layer, then use the drop down menu in the timeline panel to make it an alpha matte. You may have to hit F4 to show the dropdown menu.

[xtomargot]

@simonsaysfx : thanks for the turorial, what about the doors of the train, can you add to the layer an inside off zone as we can do in photoshop, for the text to appear while the train goes?

cheers,

[PetrovichStefan]

Can I make a loop of the motion tracking, so that it repeats itself when the video goes on?

[simonsaysfx]

@PetrovichStefan I think you are asking if it is possible to make an object parented to a null that holds the tracking data carry on moving after the track data ends. If so, you need to use a loopOut expression on the position property of the parented object (the one that you want to move). Look up loopOut on YT and see what you find (you want the continue option). Good luck.

[ChannelKKS]

HELLP , I DONT HAVE the TrkMat/ Track Matte

[simonsaysfx]

@ChannelKKS Hit F4. That will toggle between the two different types of button display in the timeline panel. Yes, I know - this is very confusing...

[igor33]

i dont have the track mate

[simonsaysfx]

@igor33 Hit F4. That will toggle between the two different types of button display in the timeline panel. Yes, I know - this is very confusing...

[ToomasKedrov]

GOD YESSS~~!! XD

Thank You so MUCH!! it helped a lot =)

[skarph8]

what's the move at 1:56 please? English is not my first language.

this tutorial looks great, I'll really appreciate if someone can help me!

[TheClydeSkate]

dindt work to me idk why :( when i press the alpha inverted its do enything....

[E64R]

COOL man tnx !!!!

[banchik]

does your technique only apply to black colored titles or it can be use too if the titles is in other colors? Because you use the alpha thingy, i thought that thing can only apply to black and white color only. please explain. TQ. anyway its a great tuts.

[simonsaysfx]

@banchik You can use any titles you want. The solid you draw masks on (the matte layer) can be any colour too. Track mattes based on alpha 'look' like they are based on black and white, but those are just the colours that are used to give you a visual representation of transparent and opaque. The alpha channel doesn't have any colour properties at all.

[CraigGordonSpace]

thanks you good at tutorials

[xxXRISTARASxx]

thnx simonsaysfx for your great tutorial.

[vlad1972]

VERY clear tutorial. Thanks!

[stylishvampire]

You are the best tutor ever... Thanks a lot

[deadfingers1]

why is the mask i made with my pen tool black?

[simonsaysfx]

@deadfingers1 The mask might have a black stroke or fill if you didn't have any layers selected in the timeline panel - when you draw with the pen tool with no layers selected you actually make a shape layer (in CS3 and above). If you draw a mask on a solid layer, the mask itself should have no colour - it's just an instruction to the programme to make parts inside (or outside) of the mask transparent.

[unthinkable81]

Thanks nice vid

[RejectsofHollywood]

how to u do that when u want the text to move but still be behind the objects (in ur case a train)? plzz help

[CPcast]

u hit what to get over the bounding box?

[simonsaysfx]

@CPcast Double click on the mask itself. I think you can also hit ctrl+t, but I always d'click.

[ItzH3YuMZz]

Can you do this with multiple text layers at the same time?

[simonsaysfx]

@ItzH3YuMZz Yes, but you have to make duplicate copies of the matte layer (the solid with the mask on it) and place a duplicate above every text layer. There are other ways of doing it that don't require duplication, but you need to use precomposition which can be a pain.

[Queequel]

Thanks so much!

[djnykk]

thank you a lot!!!

[collegeactu]

Hi, I followed every step but at the end , when we need to change it to alpha inverted matte, I don't have this feature, I only have "alpha inverted ' tracker" "and when I use this my mask becomes black.

What can I do?

PS: I have after effects CS4 French version

Thnak you

[DeltaOneAirsoft]

You could also make the text visible through the train windows. now THAT would be awesome :) (but would take some time making multiple masks :P)

[zeroplot1138]

I had a issue with the masking layer still showing up as a black object.

If you did to here's the fix...

instead of changing the track mat on the mask layer you need to change it on the text layer to alpha inverted and then turn the mask layer off via the eye toggle on the left

[hannahrhcp]

@zeroplot1138 i love you!!, i was like an hour trying to fix it thx!

[fleur076]

@zeroplot1138

thank you so much, that fixed my problem!! Do you know why it doesn't work the way he did?

[zeroplot1138]

@fleur076

not sure really, it was seven months ago. I was using CS5 so they may have changed it from 4 to 5

[MrJlebron]

@zeroplot1138 i friggin love you !! thanks for the fix ive been trying to figure this out for 3 hours straight

[andremp03]

This video is what I needed to know, thanks!

[pepexe1O]

how do you make the letters remain behind the train so they can be seen by the train windows when it passes?

[dxrks]

thank you very much...

d.

[appler95]

i dont get the subtraction or add thing when i go to mask it

[simonsaysfx]

Select the layer in the timeline panel and hit M. You should see the different options.

[jerel011]

@appler95 right click on the comp1 menu, and select at columns "modes", then it will change to what he haves

[AdstockFilms]

That looked great, but it would have been way bether if we could see the text behing the windows of the train ;) But thanks for the tutorial, awesome ;) !

[helishorn]

Really nice tutorial Simon. Would have liked..or rather..would like to see the next step though of having the title appear through the train windows so it seems the train is passing in front of a sign.

[arturopotter]

thank you very much for this tutorials

[IucasRichards]

how do u add keyframes

[IucasRichards]

hey i moved the pen tool thing now i cant find anything can u tell me how to reset the Look of after effects

[simonsaysfx]

Window > Workspace > Reset

[goranification]

ah ok, no problem 8^)

[tedchirvasiu]

@goranification Haha,found you here :D

[tyler2hottie]

im having the same problem i jus get a black box going acros the screen

[simonsaysfx]

Sounds like you haven't set the track matte of the title to Alpha Inverted - 4:30. If you can't see the track matte options, hit F4. Does this fix it?

[TheRobertEdgeNetwork]

I've followed your directions perfectly, although I'm trying to mask a composition not any Text. Can you help me? I'm trying to mask an animation behind a person in the video and I'm having some problems! It continues to make whatever I mask around black! I need it to be transparent!

[simonsaysfx]

Sounds like you haven't set the track matte of the title to Alpha Inverted - 4:30. If you can't see the track matte options, hit F4.

Or, if you're using CS3 or above, you may have drawn the mask without selecting the solid layer first (thereby creating a shape layer)

Does this fix it?

[AngelsWithSpears]

Spent ages following this, and yeh it helped to some extent but even after about an hour it just didnt do anything but give me black blocks and stuff but thanks i spose?

[simonsaysfx]

Sounds like you haven't set the track matte of the title to Alpha Inverted - 4:30. If you can't see the track matte options, hit F4.

Or, if you're using CS3 or above, you may have drawn the mask without selecting the solid layer first (thereby creating a shape layer)

Does this fix it?

[gambrillsskate]

sucks nut sacks...what if people dont know how to animate or mask then what there just get frusterated

[Scottish15]

@Philipse1985

Similar problem....tips? great tutorial btw.

[goranification]

can you give me the train video?? to practise :)

[simonsaysfx]

Sorry, I don't have it any more. Thanks for watching, though.

[Morshidul]

Nice Tutorial,, Thanks a lot !

[Phlipse1985]

Nice tutorial man!

I was trying it, but with a white ping file as text, I can only get a black box which nicely follows the mask animation and not transparant...

Where did I go wrong? I also tried the same with a white solid... again only a white mask form...

[simonsaysfx]

Sounds like you haven't set the track matte of the title to Alpha Inverted - 4:30. If you can't see the track matte options, hit F4.

Or, if you're using CS3 or above, you may have drawn the mask without selecting the solid layer first (thereby creating a shape layer)

Does this fix it?

[HiramVazquezStudio]

nice NOW I LEARNED ONE MORE FEATURE :D

tysm ;)

[keepingthefaith72]

top tutorial .. been looking for a way to do this ...

[diskomport]

thank you Simon, most helpful tutorial :)

[ummbasso]

Great tutorial thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

[dondeyoutu]

awesome vid, thank you for doing such a good job

[simonsaysfx]

Thanks!

[silencerrh]

I can't help but thinking that keying out the sky and putting a fake sky + the text in the background, tied to the null object - would automatically allow the text to be seen behind the train

[simonsaysfx]

Yes, this would 'theoretically' work. But keying out the sky is basically impossible. No sky is uniformly one colour, unless it is blown out and completely white. So it would be more work that way.

[Davron914]

Great tutorial, this can be used for so many other things.

[EvilFlo]

Very very well done! thanks a lot.

[lfctomo123]

Merseyrail FTW!

[simonsaysfx]

You know it.

[aftrFX]

i think if you make some more masks that follow the windows on the train and set them to subtract you will be able to see the text behind them

[aftrFX]

ok you already said that nevermind

[CHAUNBEYEL]

Thank u

I'm looking for this all day

[samb14]

Haha bonner... good vid

[HSVHamburgHandball14]

thanks alot, i was always wondering how to do this :)

[simonsaysfx]

No probs. Thanks for watching!

[MIAskater94]

is it possible to have the letters erased as the object passes over it?

to be more specific im making a skate video and want a kids name erased as he skates by...please any help=????

[simonsaysfx]

Yes, you can use the same method I use here. I only used a train because it is easier to draw a square mask that fits around a train than a curvy mask that fits around a person. But it's the same idea. To make a mask point 'curvy', click where you want the point to appear and drag before releasing the mouse. It will become a 'bezier' point. You can then drag the handles to get the curve you want.

[MIAskater94]

Thanks for such a quick response!!!=)

But one more thing,,,,does the text erase in this video? i cant tell if the text stays after the train leaves or if it erases but the clip replays..=?

[simonsaysfx]

The text is covered by the mask and will stay invisible as long as the mask covers it. So, yes.

[slaves2sin]

hell yess very useful

[LynxMK1]

thanks, this helped!

[JackoABCDEFG]

i need help, when you "invert the track matte," i dont have have track matte option, its just not there. :\

do you know whats wrong or how i could get it to show up?

[simonsaysfx]

Hey Jacko,

You may not have the Pro version of AE. You can only track with the Pro version.

[JackoABCDEFG]

:\

i have adobe after effects cs3 and adobe premier pro. is it possible to do it without track matte, or to do it on premiere pro?

thanks for responding

[MIAskater94]

hey jacko,

I have cs4 and I dont see the track matte option either. Hopefully I can find something and ill try to help you out.