Masks

A mask shows only part of a clip, letting the tracks below show through the rest.

Create a mask

• Effect Controls ▸ Opacity ▸ Masks: click Ellipse or Rectangle.
• Pen tool (P): with the clip under the playhead, click points around the area in the Program monitor. Click the first point or press Enter to close the shape; Esc cancels.

Edit a mask

Click Edit on the mask in Effect Controls to show its handles in the Program monitor. Drag corners or points to reshape, or drag inside to move it. Masks follow the clip's position, scale and rotation.

Mask settings

• Feather: softens the edge.
• Opacity: strength of the mask.
• Expansion: grows or shrinks the shape.
• Inverted: keeps the outside instead of the inside.

You can add several masks to one clip; they combine. Delete a mask with its trash button.

See Tracking a mask to make a mask follow a moving subject.

Shortcuts show the Mac keys: on Windows and Linux use Ctrl for ⌘ and Alt for ⌥.