Don't require track mattes to be above the layer it modifies (and also allow re-use)
Requiring a track matte to be right above the layer it modifies seems like an archaic convention at best. Get rid of that requirement and make them like parent layers which can be anywhere and used by many layers.
Micah Haun
shared this idea
27 comments
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Prof. Seb Hirsch
commented
If you select a layer, it would be nice to highlight other layers that a referenced by it. be it by this new track matte idea, that i like, or by any other filter, like displacement map or camera blur.
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Joe Clay
commented
Rfred, it won't solve everything, but if you're just doing simple transforms, you can apply the Transform effect and then force Set Matte—in Take Matte From Layer—to use Effects & Masks instead of Source from the second dropdown menu. That way you can alter things without needing to precomp.
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Rfred
commented
I currently am duplicating the layer to be used for the track matte for each layer that needs it. added 20 layers to my current job when one would do.
Precomp will work but it removes the ability to edit and adjust layers and see the results over the background and under this track matte.
Why not have track mattes work like parenting, simply choose the layer for a track matte.
Done. -
Jakob Thorhallsson commented
Make a new effect called "Track Matte" which can be applied to the layer. Or fix "Set Matte" to have that option!
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Jakob List
commented
The set matte effect is great yes. And may be for visual help in the timeline a lasso could be nice.
And the node based comping for ae would also be awesome in my opinion.
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Anonymouse
commented
Or, give the "Set Matte" effect some love. Generally, some filters feel like they were completely abandoned. Example: Ramp.
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Stoph Demetriou commented
Agreed. Or they could improve the functionality of the set matte, which is absolutely useless if you ever have to precomp. AE really, really should introduce some kind of node-based workflow option. AE is great (for now!) but working exclusively with layers is so old-fashioned for compositing/animation.
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Antoine (Autokroma.com)
commented
Agreed. AE compositions organization should get closer to nodes / graphs
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Nimble Media Solutions
commented
I would love this feature to work how it does in Photoshop. Can make folders (not pre-comps) - and - apply a mask(s) to that folder/group.
For now, we need to create some sort of Master Control Layer that other layers can reference. Could be done with pre-comps or Pick Whipping the properties of your Master Layer.
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Steve Adam
commented
i have just completed a project where it would really have helped to be able to let multiple layers refer to the same track matte. OK it's easy enough to duplicate them during the build but if you ever need to come back and re-edit something for a client, or worse still need to give that job to someone else to do, you really need total recall of what you duplicated and where/why in order to be able to do this... I'm only human!
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Joshua Leckrone
commented
This would be so useful!
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Anonymous
commented
It would be cool to use one matte for multiple layers, I'm not fussed whether they have to stay above as I find that easy to locate them.
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Siamak P
commented
would be great to be able to link layers to track mattes, as they are usually the layer above, so when linked you won't move them separately by mistake and would be a lot easier to manage them.
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Rafael
commented
Or make Set Matte work like just like Track Mattes
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Andreas Urra
commented
Track mattes should work for all layer types, all dimensions and also when they are animated by their transform properties or by parenting. Without the need to precomp. This would speed up work, feel way more fluid and less complicated.
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Nathan
commented
Use Set Matte effect and Transform effect or just precomp the track matte layer.
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David shmanderson
commented
@ Darren Place : Same over here. Agreed!
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Darren Place
commented
This would be game changing!! I often find myself with dozens of duplicates of the same matte precomp in the timeline. To have my mattes sitting on the bottom layers and pickwhip would be huge.
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Matthias Stoll
commented
It could also be an idea to improve the set matte effect to ignore resolutions and basically to the same thing.
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Ryan O'Connell
commented
Agreed, a pick whip, with the option to select 'Source' - 'Masks' - 'Effects & Masks '