Adobe After Effects CC Classroom in a Book (2019 Release), First Edition

(Barré) #1

You’ll draw a stem and leaves that emerge from the flowerpot to meet the falling star. You can
simply parent the layers to each other to move the stem and leaves in unison, but to attach the
stem to the flower, you’ll need to create a null.


Drawing curved shapes with the Pen tool


First you’ll draw the stem. It will have a slightly thicker stroke than the flower, but no fill, and it
will rise to meet the flower. The leaves will have a fill but no stroke.


1. Go to 4:20, when the flower is in its final position.
2. Select the Pen tool in the Tools panel.
3. Click the word Fill to open the Fill Options dialog box, and then select the None option, and
click OK.
4. Click the Stroke Color box in the Tools panel, change the stroke color to green (we used
R=44, G=73, B=62), and then click OK. Change the Stroke Width to 3 px.
5. Click just below the rim of the flowerpot to create an initial vertex, and then click at the
center of the flower. Before releasing the mouse, drag the Bezier handle to create a subtle
curve in the stem.

6. Select the Shape Layer 1 layer, press Enter or Return, change its name to Stem, and press
Enter or Return again.
7. With the Stem layer selected, press P to reveal its Position property. Then click the
stopwatch icon ( ) to create an initial keyframe at its final position.
8. Go to 3:00, and press Alt+[ (Windows) or Option+[ (macOS) to set the In point of the layer
to the current time.

9. Select the Selection tool ( ) in the Tools panel, and drag the stem down so that it is
completely below the top of the flowerpot. Press Shift as you drag to move it straight down.
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