Create Mask from Illustrator File with Scripting

Report · Nov 03, 2019

I know that it's possible to copy a path from Adobe Illustrator and paste it onto a layer in After Effects so that it is treated like a mask. However, suppose I want to do this using scripting so that it is automated (as in, I don't want to manually copy and paste hundreds of different illustrator file paths onto different layers in After Effects). How can I achieve this using scripting?

Keep in mind, that I'm wansng the actual path itself to be treated as a mask on a given layer; I am NOT trying to simply import the illustrator file and then have the layer beneath have its track matte set to use the illustrator vector layer as a track matte mask.

Report · Nov 04, 2019

You still have to import the AI file, convert it to outlines and then apply the copy&paste. There is no way around that. Well, at least in a simple world. AE and AI don't talk to each other and everything beyond this basic approach would require a convoluted script based on a virtual socket connection across panels in both programs so they communicate via a shared memory with the obvious added difficulty being that you'd need to find someone versed in both AE and AI scripting. The other stuff should be easy enough to figure out and there are already tons of mask utility scripts on AEScripts.com, so maybe one of them can be of use or one of the developers might care to expand the functionality as you need it.

Mylenium