As you drag the layer, a box appears around the handle you selected, indicating that it is the
snapping feature.
5. Use the Selection tool to adjust the size of the rim or base of the flowerpot if you need to.
6. Press F2 or click an empty area in the Timeline panel to deselect all layers.
7. Choose File > Save to save your work.Animating a shape
You can animate the Position, Opacity, and other Transform properties of shape layers just as
you animate them in other layers. But shape layers provide additional opportunities for
animation, including fills, strokes, paths, and path operations.
You’ll create another star, and then use the Pucker & Bloat path operation to transform it into a
flower as it falls toward the flowerpot and changes color.
Animating a path operation
Path operations are similar to effects. They modify a shape’s path while preserving the original
path. Path operations are live, so you can modify or remove them at any time. You used the
Wiggle Paths path operation earlier. Now you’ll apply a Pucker & Bloat path operation.
Pucker & Bloat pulls the vertices of a path outward while curving the segments inward
(puckering), or pulls the vertices inward while curving the segments outward (bloating). You can
animate the degree of pucker or bloat over time.
1. Press the Home key or move the current-time indicator to the beginning of the time ruler.
2. Select the Star tool ( ), hidden behind the Rounded Rectangle tool ( ) in the Tools panel,
and draw another star in the upper right area of the sky.After Effects adds a Shape Layer 1 layer to the Timeline panel.
3. Click the Fill Color box, and change the fill color to the same bright yellow you used for the
other stars. (We used R=215, G=234, B=23.) Then click OK.
4. Click the Stroke Color box, change the stroke color to a red color (we used R=159, G=38,
B=24), and then click OK.After Effects automatically changes the stroke options from None to Solid Color when you
change the stroke color.