Parenting layers
You’ll parent the leaves to the stem so they’ll emerge with it.
1. Move the Stem, Leaf 1, and Leaf 2 layers beneath the Base of Flowerpot layer in the
Timeline panel so that the stem and leaves will be behind the flowerpot as they rise.
2. Hide all layer properties, and deselect all layers.
3. Drag the pick whip ( ) from the Leaf 1 layer to the Stem layer, and then drag the pick whip
from the Leaf 2 layer to the Stem layer.The Leaf 1 and Leaf 2 layers will move in relationship to the Stem layer.
The layers aren’t needed until the stem begins to emerge at 3:00, so you’ll set their In point to
match the stem’s.
4. Go to 3:00. Select the Leaf 1 layer and Shift-select the Leaf 2 layer. Then press Alt+[
(Windows) or Option+[ (macOS) to set the In point for both of the layers.Using nulls to connect points
There are three options in the Create Nulls From Paths panel: Points Follow Nulls creates nulls
that control the position of the path points; Nulls Follow Points creates nulls that are controlled
by the positions of the path points; and Trace Path creates a single null with its position linked to
the coordinates of the path.
You’ll create a null for the point at the top of the stem, and then you’ll parent that null to the
flower so the two remain connected even as the flower moves.
1. Go to 4:20 so you can see the stem and leaves well.