Lottie files and masks. Here's what I did...

[warpig13]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on animating some titles and graphics that required masks in After Effects. To get the masks to work properly, I ended up having to pre-compose every element that used a mask. This led to over 20 pre-compositions, which felt a bit excessive.

I’m wondering if there’s a more efficient way to handle masks? After Effects isn’t part of my usual workflow, but I’m aiming to create some Lottie files for my website.

Here’s what I did: after finishing the animation, I applied the mask to the pre-composed layer. I also tried using an adjustment or shape layer to create the mask, but the results didn’t translate well when I exported to Adobe XD.

Maybe this issue is related to Lottie file specifics, but I’m sure there must be a better approach that doesn’t involve so many pre-comps. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[john_7484 · Accepted solution]

To reduce pre-comps, try using track mattes instead. Place the mask layer above your target layer and set it as an Alpha Matte to keep it simple. For Lottie exports, avoid complex masks—stick to basic shapes or apply masks directly to shape layers for better compatibility.

[warpig13]

This worked!

I had tried this method before but the vector inside the mask would change its color for the adjustment layer and got stuck there. I just noticed you can whip it to the mask and I think that solved it? I mean after a few adjustments like unchecking the halved circle from the top and turning the visibility of the masked layer off, this finally worked haha.

I was previously selecting the layer from the dropdown, but now it works it seems, thanks!