AfterEffects

Create a motion path from a mask, shape, or paint path

You can create a motion path from any of several types of paths:

  • A Mask Path property

  • A shape’s Path property on a shape layer

  • A Path property for a paint stroke

  • A path copied from Illustrator or Photoshop

You can paste any of these paths into the Position or Anchor Point property for a layer, or into an effect control point’s position property. The pasted keyframes are set to rove in time, except for the first and last ones, to create a constant velocity along the path.

By default, the duration of the pasted motion path is 2 seconds. You can adjust the duration by dragging the first or last keyframe in the Timeline panel.

  1. Copy a path to the clipboard:

    • Select a Path property in the Timeline panel, and choose Edit > Copy.

    • Select a path in Illustrator or Photoshop, and choose Edit > Copy.

  2. In the Timeline panel, select the property into which to paste the path. The property must be animated—that is, it must have at least one keyframe or an expression.
  3. Place the current-time indicator at the time for the first keyframe of the motion path.
  4. Choose Edit > Paste.