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Participant
May 7, 2023
Answered

After Effects rectangle tool not showing fill or stroke.

  • May 7, 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 9471 views

I'm trying to draw a rectangle and it kept showing me the outlines instead of the shape, I just got after effects I don't know why it's not showing the shape there was a black background but once I drew a shape it disappeared. 

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Correct answer Rick Gerard

The first screenshot shows that there is a problem with the Composition Panel. In the bottom Left Corner, you see a dialogue box that says 50%. Try setting that to Fit. If you don't see an empty black frame, then you probably have a problem with your GPU drivers or your system. 

 

Another troubleshooting option would be to go to Window/Workspace/Learn and see if the Learn workspace opens up with a project. 

 

You should also select the Shape layer in the timeline and spin down the properties. You should see Contents/Rectangle 1, and there should be fill and stroke properties. If they are there and turned on, then it is also very likely that you have some kind of system compatibility problem.

 

 

5 replies

cassreese11
Participant
September 28, 2023

This is happening for me too. Compositions are black (despite having different color) and shapes won't show up with a fill or stroke. Completely uninstalled and reinstalled without luck. The background color temporarily showed up but not the shapes. When I restarted, the background showed up black (the preview in the project panel shows the color).

cassreese11
Participant
September 28, 2023

Solved: I also needed to restart my computer.

Rick GerardCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
May 8, 2023

The first screenshot shows that there is a problem with the Composition Panel. In the bottom Left Corner, you see a dialogue box that says 50%. Try setting that to Fit. If you don't see an empty black frame, then you probably have a problem with your GPU drivers or your system. 

 

Another troubleshooting option would be to go to Window/Workspace/Learn and see if the Learn workspace opens up with a project. 

 

You should also select the Shape layer in the timeline and spin down the properties. You should see Contents/Rectangle 1, and there should be fill and stroke properties. If they are there and turned on, then it is also very likely that you have some kind of system compatibility problem.

 

 

try67
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 8, 2023

[Question moved to relevant forum]

Bernd Alheit
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 8, 2023

Try the forum for After Effects.

Participant
May 7, 2023

AA image is what i see, AAB a video I'm trying to follow along