Animate Shape Layers in After Effects - AE Fundamentals

In this video of the After Effects Fundamentals series, you'll learn how to create, manipulate, and animate shape layers (including lines).
In this video:
0:31 Create and Color Shapes
2:09 Adjust the Anchor Point
3:29 Shape Properties
5:01 Stroke & Fill Properties
6:15 Transform Properties
6:59 Types of Shapes
8:22 Pen Tool
11:57 Animate Lines
➡️ Check out the visual notes that accompany this video to help you quickly remember how to do something in After Effects: www.meganfriesth.com/aefundam...
My website: www.animationexplained.com
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Pinterest: / explanimated
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[@TRK-up2zw]

Thanks, this is very useful. I use shape layers as track mattes, so all the animations in this video apply to my track mattes (paths).

[@zoned3mon838]

Thank you Megan ,This was Awesome ,The best After effects course on YT🙏🙏🙏

[@KingsleyMusicLessons]

Thank you so much, I have been searching for months and could not find lessons so detailed and simple.I must say your are an excellent teacher ,the way your lessons are structured even a baby would be able to sit and learn from you. A million thanks as of today i am your number one supporter.

[@animation-explained]

I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!

[@silviasanchez7495]

Thnak you so much for taking things step by step and showing how to work After Effects with visuals. This program is a different beast and there is so much to digest from this program and beginners like myself can be very overwehlmed when you don't know what to do first. Watching this video literally saved me when trying to do a project for school so thank you so much and keep doing what you are doing!

[@animation-explained]

That's so great to hear! Thanks Silvia :)

[@FoulOleRonThe3rd]

Thank you! I've been searching all morning for a proper tutorial on how to change the shape of a path over time in Ae and it was surprisingly hard to find one! This was very clear and well explained

[@animation-explained]

Glad this was helpful!

[@joannelediger7781]

You are an excellent teacher!!! I love that you have the quick reference guide. NOBODY on youtube does that from what I can see, and it is absolutely necessary in ny opinion. Othewise, you have to comb through things just to reference as to what you had forgotten. THANK YOU!!!

[@animation-explained]

That’s exactly what I was thinking and why I made the quick reference guides. Glad it was helpful! 😊

[@pereerecodes]

Very clear and straight to the point.

[@animation-explained]

Thanks!

[@luenicluke]

thank you so much, i have learned so much in just under 16mins and now i can finally add the finish touches to my projects. thank you very much

[@animation-explained]

I’m so glad this helped!

[@winnclehighsss1606]

Tbh that thing that your teaching at 11:05 theres no video I found in the whole youtube...I really appreciate you for that and thank you so much for teaching this 💯 I subscribing you right now and looking forward for more similar content on your channel ❤

[@animation-explained]

Thanks! 😀 That’s so nice to hear!

[@AlexLupoz]

Thanks for your time, This help me a lot, ma'am 🙌
(PS: your hair is so beautiful).

[@BeaviMonart]

You are such a wonderful teacher. Thank you so much. You should have way more than 6 thousand subscribers. I wish you luck in gaining more. ;-)

[@animation-explained]

Thank you!

[@AnimeEye1]

The best UA-cam channel on the entire UA-cam

[@animation-explained]

Wow! Thank you!

[@mansoormvk1]

Liked it. You deserve more views and subscriptions.

[@animation-explained]

Thank you!

[@yatinsinha6796]

Thank you Thank you, so much!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@monicaquinn9672]

This is great, you're very thorough. I do wish that in this series you made it clear if it was possible to animate shapes coming from illustrator. For example if you create a speech bubble in illustrator and you want it to increase in length once you bring the ai file into After Effects. From my own trial in error it doesn't seem you can, this I discover after realizing you don't exactly cover how you animated each element in the file you use for the theme artwork throughout the series.

[@animation-explained]

Thanks and yes, it's possible to animate shapes from Illustrator. I have a video in this series all about that: ua-cam.com/video/qV3KXRrGm-A/v-deo.htmlsi=wRCZ13s4ls17oAwk
To do what you want to do, it sounds like you might want to convert the Illustrator layer into shape layers and animate the Path property. I talk about that at 21:24 in the video linked above. Hope that helps!

[@mdshibli1009]

brilliant girl brilliant tutorial

[@leanghongmeas4574]

Thank you so much! 🤩

[@animation-explained]

You're welcome!

[@Rajamani-ez3lj]

yes Thank you mam!

[@simoharjane7823]

Thank you

[@animation-explained]

You're welcome!

[@hirenprabtani8796]

Nice

[@wasimsuperb]

Please shape layer especially abstract shape layer animation as a zoom in and out without null objects.. Thanks

[@animation-explained]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll try to incorporate that into a future tutorial.

[@miauproduction9097]

what if i have multiple shapes in one layer but i just need one solid stroke from that shape? is it possible?

[@animation-explained]

There are two ways to add a stroke to all the shapes in one shape layer. On the shape layer in the timeline, toggle it open to find the Add button. Click that and choose Stroke. Then make sure this stroke is below all the shapes within the layer that you want to apply the stroke to. The other way to do this is to right click on the layer, go to Layer Styles, then choose Stroke.