How to use mask layers in Adobe Animate

Search
  1. Adobe Animate User Guide
  2. Introduction to Animate
    1. What's New in Animate
    2. Visual Glossary
    3. Animate system requirements
    4. Animate keyboard shortcuts
    5. Work with Multiple File Types in Animate
  3. Animation
    1. Animation basics in Animate
    2. How to use frames and keyframes in Animate
    3. Frame-by-frame animation in Animate
    4. How to work with classic tween animation in Animate
    5. Brush Tool
    6. Motion Guide
    7. Motion tween and ActionScript 3.0
    8. About Motion Tween Animation
    9. Motion tween animations
    10. Creating a Motion tween animation
    11. Using property keyframes
    12. Animate position with a tween
    13. How to edit motion tweens using Motion Editor
    14. Editing the motion path of a tween animation
    15. Manipulating motion tweens
    16. Adding custom eases
    17. Creating and applying Motion presets
    18. Setting up animation tween spans
    19. Working with Motion tweens saved as XML files
    20. Motion tweens vs Classic tweens
    21. Shape tweening
    22. Using Bone tool animation in Animate
    23. Work with character rigging in Animate
    24. How to use mask layers in Adobe Animate
    25. How to work with scenes in Animate
  4. Interactivity
    1. How to create buttons with Animate
    2. Convert Animate projects to other document type formats
    3. Create and publish HTML5 Canvas documents in Animate
    4. Add interactivity with code snippets in Animate
    5. Creating custom HTML5 Components
    6. Using Components in HTML5 Canvas
    7. Creating custom Components: Examples
    8. Code Snippets for custom Components
    9. Best practices - Advertising with Animate
    10. Virtual Reality authoring and publishing
  5. Workspace and workflow
    1. Creating and managing Paint brushes
    2. Using Google fonts in HTML5 Canvas documents
    3. Using Creative Cloud Libraries and Adobe Animate
    4. Use the Stage and Tools panel for Animate
    5. Animate workflow and workspace
    6. Using web fonts in HTML5 Canvas documents
    7. Timelines and ActionScript
    8. Working with multiple timelines
    9. Set preferences
    10. Using Animate authoring panels
    11. Create timeline layers with Animate
    12. Export animations for mobile apps and game engines
    13. Moving and copying objects
    14. Templates
    15. Find and Replace in Animate
    16. Undo, redo, and the History panel
    17. Keyboard shortcuts
    18. How to use the timeline in Animate
    19. Creating HTML extensions
    20. Optimization options for Images and Animated GIFs
    21. Export settings for Images and GIFs
    22. Assets Panel in Animate
  6. Multimedia and Video
    1. Transforming and combining graphic objects in Animate
    2. Creating and working with symbol instances in Animate
    3. Image Trace
    4. How to use sound in Adobe Animate
    5. Exporting SVG files
    6. Create video files for use in Animate
    7. How to add a video in Animate
    8. Working with video cue points
    9. Draw and create objects with Animate
    10. Reshape lines and shapes
    11. Strokes, fills, and gradients with Animate CC
    12. Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects
    13. Color Panels in Animate CC
    14. Opening Flash CS6 files with Animate
    15. Work with classic text in Animate
    16. Placing artwork into Animate
    17. Imported bitmaps in Animate
    18. 3D graphics
    19. Working with symbols in Animate
    20. Draw lines & shapes with Adobe Animate
    21. Work with the libraries in Animate
    22. Exporting Sounds
    23. Selecting objects in Animate CC
    24. Working with Illustrator AI files in Animate
    25. Apply patterns with the Spray Brushtool
    26. Applying blend modes
    27. Arranging objects
    28. Automating tasks with the Commands menu
    29. Multilanguage text
    30. Using camera in Animate
    31. Using Animate with Adobe Scout
    32. Working with Fireworks files
    33. Graphic filters
    34. Sound and ActionScript
    35. Drawing preferences
    36. Drawing with the Pen tool
  7. Platforms
    1. Convert Animate projects to other document type formats
    2. Custom Platform Support
    3. Create and publish HTML5 Canvas documents in Animate
    4. Creating and publishing a WebGL document
    5. How to package applications for AIR for iOS
    6. Publishing AIR for Android applications
    7. Publishing for Adobe AIR for desktop
    8. ActionScript publish settings
    9. Best practices - Organizing ActionScript in an application
    10. How to use ActionScript with Animate
    11. Best practices - Accessibility guidelines
    12. Accessibility in the Animate workspace
    13. Writing and managing scripts
    14. Enabling Support for Custom Platforms
    15. Custom Platform Support Overview
    16. Creating accessible content
    17. Working with Custom Platform Support Plug-in
    18. Debugging ActionScript 3.0
    19. Enabling Support for Custom Platforms
  8. Exporting and Publishing
    1. How to export files from Animate CC
    2. OAM publishing
    3. Exporting SVG files
    4. Export graphics and videos with Animate
    5. Publishing AS3 documents
    6. Export animations for mobile apps and game engines
    7. Exporting Sounds
    8. Export QuickTime video files
    9. Controlling external video playback with ActionScript
    10. Best practices - Tips for creating content for mobile devices
    11. Best practices - Video conventions
    12. Best practices - SWF application authoring guidelines
    13. Best practices - Structuring FLA files
    14. Best Practices to optimize FLA files for Animate
    15. ActionScript publish settings
    16. Specify publish settings for Animate
    17. Exporting projector files
    18. Export Images and Animated GIFs
    19. HTML publishing templates
    20. Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects
    21. Quick share and publish your animations

About mask layers

For spotlight effects and transitions, use a mask layer to create a hole through which underlying layers are visible. A mask item can be a filled shape, a type object, an instance of a graphic symbol, or a movie clip. Group multiple layers under a single mask layer to create sophisticated effects.

To create dynamic effects, animate a mask layer. For a filled shape used as a mask, use shape tweening; for a type object, graphic instance, or movie clip, use motion tweening. When using a movie clip instance as a mask, animate the mask along a motion path.

To create a mask layer, place a mask item on the layer to use as a mask. Instead of having a fill or stroke, the mask item acts as a window that reveals the area of linked layers beneath it. The rest of the mask layer conceals everything except what shows through the mask item. A mask layer can contain only one mask item. A mask layer cannot be inside a button, and you cannot apply a mask to another mask.

To create a mask layer from a movie clip, use ActionScript. A mask layer created with ActionScript can be applied only to another movie clip.

Note:

The 3D tools cannot be used on objects on mask layers and layers containing 3D objects cannot be used as mask layers. For more information about the 3D tools, see 3D graphics.

Work with mask layers

You can use mask layers to reveal portions of a picture or graphic in the layer below. To create a mask, you specify that a layer is a mask layer, and either draw or place a filled shape on that layer. You can use any filled shape, including groups, text, and symbols, as a mask. The mask layer reveals the area of linked layers beneath the filled shape.

Create a mask layer

  1. Select or create a layer containing the objects to appear inside the mask.
  2. Select Insert > Timeline > Layer to create a new layer above it. A mask layer always masks the layer immediately below it; create the mask layer in the proper place.

  3. Place a filled shape, text, or an instance of a symbol on the mask layer. Animate ignores bitmaps, gradients, transparency, colors, and line styles in a mask layer. Any filled area is completely transparent in the mask; any non-filled area is opaque.

  4. Right-click (Windows) or Control‑click (Macintosh) the mask layer’s name in the Timeline, and select Mask. A mask layer icon indicates the mask layer. The layer immediately below it is linked to the mask layer, and its contents show through the filled area on the mask. The masked layer name is indented, and its icon changes to a masked layer icon.

  5. To display the mask effect in Animate, lock the mask layer and the masked layer.

Mask additional layers after creating a mask layer

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Drag an existing layer directly below the mask layer.

    • Create a new layer anywhere below the mask layer.

    • Select Modify > Timeline > Layer Properties, and select Masked.

  1. Select the layer to unlink and do one of the following:

    • Drag the layer above the mask layer.

    • Select Modify > Timeline > Layer Properties, and select Normal.

Animate a filled shape, type object, or graphic symbol instance on a mask layer

  1. Select the mask layer in the Timeline.
  2. To unlock the mask layer, click in the Lock column.
  3. Do one of the following:

    • If the mask object is a filled shape, apply shape tweening to the object.

    • If the mask object is a type object or graphic symbol instance, apply motion tweening to the object.

  4. When the animation operation is complete, click in the Lock column for the mask layer to re-lock the layer.

Animate a movie clip on a mask layer

  1. Select the mask layer in the Timeline.
  2. To edit the movie clip in place and to display the movie clip’s Timeline, double-click the movie clip on the Stage.
  3. Apply motion tweening to the movie clip.
  4. When the animation procedure is complete, click the Back button to return to document-editing mode.
  5. To lock the layer again, click in the Lock column for the mask layer.

More like this

Adobe logo

Sign in to your account

Quick links

View all your plans Manage your plans

Legal Notices    |    Online Privacy Policy