本教程是由Lynda.com 出品的时长1小时49分钟的After Effects系列学习第14部：形状图层视频教程。由Chris Meyer演示在Adobe After Effects里如何创建和动画矢量图形。内容包括绘制图形轨径，转换形状效果，编辑形状图形，以及动画矢量图形元素等。本教程附带练习文件。

After Effects是Adobe公司推出的一款图形视频处理软件，适用于从事设计和视频特技的机构，包括电视台、动画制作公司、个人后期制作工作室以及多媒体工作室。而在新兴的用户群，如网页设计师和图形设计师中，也开始有越来越多的人在使用After Effects。属于层类型后期软件。

After Effects Apprentice 14: Shape Layers - In this course, author Chris Meyer shows how to create and animate vector-based artwork directly inside Adobe After Effects. The course covers the ins and outs of working with shape layers, including creating shape paths, applying shape effects, and reordering shape operators. The course also contains a series of exercises on creating common motion graphics elements using shape layers. Exercise files accompany the course.

The After Effects Apprentice video lessons were created by Trish and Chris Meyer and are designed to be used on their own or as a companion to their acclaimed book, After Effects Apprentice >>

Topics include:

- Drawing parametric shapes and pen paths

- Creating multiple shape groups

- Exploring Wiggle Paths and the Wiggle Transform effect

- Defining gradient fills

- Creating a swarm

- Blending multiple shapes into a texture

- Crafting and animating dotted and dashed lines

- Combining effects, layer styles, expressions, and Brainstorm with shape layers

- Showing tips for stylizing sidebars