Drawing rectangular and elliptical masks

Use the rectangle and ellipse tools to create mask shapes, or specify a mask shape numerically.

To create a rectangular or elliptical mask by dragging:

1. Select a layer in the Composition window or display a layer in the Layer window.
2. Select the rectangle tool  or the ellipse tool  in the Tools palette.
3. Position the cursor in the Composition or Layer window at one corner of the mask you want to draw and drag to the opposite corner.
4. Use either of the following techniques to alter the mask as you draw:
• Hold down Shift as you drag to create a square with the rectangle tool or a circle with the ellipse tool.
• Begin dragging, and then hold down Control (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to create a mask that extends from its center.

For more information about moving, scaling, and rotating masks, see Scaling and rotating selected masks or vertices.

To create a rectangular or elliptical mask the size of the layer:

1. Select a layer in the Composition window or display a layer in the Layer window.
2. In the Tools palette, double-click either the rectangle tool or the ellipse tool.

To create a rectangular or elliptical mask by specifying a mask shape numerically:

1. Select a layer in the Composition window or display a layer in the Layer window.
2. Choose Layer > Mask > New Mask. A new mask appears in the Composition or Layer window with its handles at the outer edges of the frame.
3. Choose Layer > Mask > Mask Shape.
4. Select Rectangle or Ellipse.
5. If you want, specify the size and location of the mask's bounding box.
6. Click OK.

To learn more about bounding boxes, see Using the Info palette.