Selecting Composite Paint options (PB only)

Various options control the way Vector Paint composites strokes on a layer. Select the option you want in the Effect Controls window for a layer, in the Composite Paint pop-up menu under Vector Paint. These options control two things: what you see in the Composition window as you work and what aspects of the layer the strokes affect, including what happens when you preview and render the composition.

As you paint and erase, you can either hide or display the footage image. You have similar viewing options when you paint using matte and alpha-channel options.

As you work, painting and erasing can block pixels in an original image, such as a footage file or solid. You can also paint on a virtual layer above or below that image (although this does not appear as a separate layer in the Timeline window). You can paint and erase to adjust mattes and alpha channels for the original image. You can restrict Vector Paint strokes to the areas inside or outside the original alpha channel.

Each Composite Paint option specifies a unique combination of work view, layer type (image, matte, or alpha channel), and placement of strokes relative to the original image. You can select strokes later and change the Composite Paint option, but it is a good idea to understand what results each option produces before you start painting.

The following illustrations use the same basic example of an imported image. A straight paint stroke has been applied, followed by a curving erasure stroke. The original image is a textured fill and mask that reveals only a circular area of the fill. For these examples, Checkerboard Background is selected (in the Composition window menu, click the right arrow above the vertical stroll bar to open that menu).



A. In Original (default setting), before painting

The imported image is visible.

B. In Original, with paint stroke

The paint strokes appear above the original image.

C. In Original, with paint stroke and erasure stroke

An erasure stroke removes underlying portions of both the paint stroke and the original image.

D. Only

The original image on the layer does not appear in the working view; only paint strokes are shown. Erasures remove only paint, not the original image.

E. Over Original

The original image is visible in the working view, similar to the In Original option. Painting and erasing occur as with the Only option: Erasing removes pixels from underlying paint strokes but does not alter the original image.

F. Under Original

The layer image is visible in the working view. Painting does not alter the original image; it affects only areas of the layer that are outside the original image. Erasures remove only paint pixels, not the original image.

G. Track Original Matte

The original image is not visible in the working view. Paint strokes are visible. Painting affects only the area within the original image alpha channel (that is, paint applied within the original circle area). Erasures remove only existing paint pixels.

H. Track Original Matte Visible

The original image is visible in the working view. Otherwise, Vector Paint strokes behave exactly as with Track Original Matte, so erasures do not affect the original image.

I. As Matte

Before you paint, nothing is visible in working view. Paint strokes affect only the matte, revealing the underlying original image. Erasures add back areas of opacity, so that they appear to erase the underlying image again. Both types of strokes are restricted to the area of the original alpha channel.

J. As Inverse Matte

Before you paint, the original image is visible in the working view. Painting affects only areas within the original image alpha channel. Paint strokes block (rather than reveal) the original image, appearing to erase the original image. Erasures remove only painting strokes, (that is, they re-reveal the underlying image within the alpha channel).

K. In Original Alpha Only

The original image appears within its alpha channel in working view. Strokes affect the alpha channel itself. Painting adds areas of opacity. Erasures add areas of transparency.

Note: You do not need to switch colors when you paint in the alpha channel, even if you paint with gray. The changes to the opacity of the painted area are determined by the values shown for Opacity and Feather under Brush Settings in the Effect Controls window, not by the color of paint.

L. Under Original Alpha Only

The original image appears within its alpha channel in working view. Strokes do not affect the original image alpha channel, only areas outside of it. Painting adds areas of opacity; erasing restores transparency to painted areas only.

Note: The difference between using Under Original and Under Original Alpha Only is that in the latter, strokes affect only the alpha channel; RGB is unchanged.