User Guide

Using Help | Contents | Index Back 169
Adobe After Effects Help Working with Masks and Transparency
Using Help | Contents | Index Back 169
Creating transparency using keying
You can make parts of a footage file transparent by keying out a color or luminance value.
Keying makes it easy to key objects moving across a consistent background color or
objects too complex to mask easily. When you key out a value, all pixels that have similar
colors or luminance values become transparent. This technique is often called
bluescreening, although you do not have to use blue; you can use any solid color for a
background. For information on using keying effects, see “Using keying effects” on
page 176.
Note: To get more powerful keying capabilities, use the advanced keying effects available
in the Adobe After Effects Production Bundle.