ALAR 5403 · Fall 2026

After Effects

Text, counters, masks, and vector linework from iPhone footage

Tuesdays 9:00–11:30 AM · Campbell Hall 405 · Bradley Cantrell, Commonwealth Professor of Landscape Architecture

What you will learn

Open After Effects. Choose File > New > New Project.
Import your iPhone clip. Choose File > Import > File (Cmd/Ctrl+I), or drag the clip into the Project panel.
Make a composition that matches the footage. Drag the clip onto the New Composition button at the bottom of the Project panel, or right-click the clip and choose New Comp from Selection.
Check the settings. Choose Composition > Composition Settings (Cmd/Ctrl+K). Portrait clips are usually 1080 by 1920; landscape clips are 1920 by 1080. Match the frame rate to the footage (30 or 60 fps).

Select the Type tool (Cmd/Ctrl+T) and click in the Composition panel. Type your label.
Set the typeface and size in the Character panel (Window > Character, or Cmd/Ctrl+6).
Position the text with the Selection tool (V).
To fade text in, twirl open the text layer, reveal Opacity (T), set a keyframe at 0 percent, move the playhead, then set 100 percent.
To animate position, reveal Position (P) and keyframe it.

Useful shortcuts: P = position, T = opacity, S = scale, R = rotation, U = show keyframed properties.

Two reliable methods.

Create a text layer (Cmd/Ctrl+T).
Apply Effect > Text > Numbers.
In the Effect Controls panel, set Type to Number and set Decimal Places as needed.
Keyframe the Value property. Set the start number, move the playhead, set the end number. The counter animates between them.

Math.round(effect("Slider Control")("Slider"))

Method B is more flexible. You can add a prefix, suffix, or decimals inside the expression. Method A is faster when you only need a plain number.

Select the layer you want to reveal (a footage layer or a solid).
Pick the Rectangle tool (Q) or the Pen tool (G). With a layer selected, drawing with these tools creates a mask on that layer.
Draw the mask over the region to isolate.
To animate the mask shape, twirl open the layer > Masks > Mask 1, reveal Mask Path (M), and keyframe it. Move the playhead, reshape the mask with the Pen tool, and set another keyframe.
Soften the edge with Mask Feather (F). Adjust the mask size with Mask Expansion.
Change how the mask behaves with the mask mode menu next to the mask name: Add shows the inside, Subtract hides the inside, Intersect keeps only the overlap, None turns the mask off.
Combine several masks on one layer to build a complex reveal.

Tip: use a track matte when you want one layer to reveal another along an animated shape.

Prepare the linework in Illustrator and save it as a .ai file.
In After Effects, choose File > Import > File. Select the .ai file.
Set Import As to Composition - Retain Layer Sizes. This keeps each Illustrator layer as its own After Effects layer.
Select the imported layers you want to animate and choose Layer > Create > Create Shapes from Vector Layer. This turns the Illustrator paths into native shape layers you can edit.
To make the linework draw itself on:

To stagger multiple strokes, offset the Trim Paths keyframes on each shape group, or repeat the technique per path.

Trim Paths is the core technique for animated line drawing. It works on any shape path, including imported Illustrator linework converted to shapes.

Choose File > Export > Add to Render Queue (Cmd/Ctrl+M).
Set the output module to H.264 (MP4) and choose a destination.
Render, or send it to Adobe Media Encoder with File > Export > Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue.