Pen Tool Shape Layer Shortcut in After Effects

Creating a shape layer with the Pen tool in Adobe After Effects relies on a combination of a keyboard shortcut and a specific timeline state. The shortcut to activate the Pen tool is G, but to ensure it generates a new shape layer rather than a mask, all existing layers must be deselected first. This guide explains how to quickly use this shortcut, the essential difference between masks and shapes, and additional modifier keys to speed up your workflow.

How to Create a Shape Layer Using the Pen Tool

  1. Deselect All Layers Before drawing, press F2 or Ctrl + Shift + A (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + A (Mac). If any layer is selected in your timeline, the Pen tool will automatically create a mask on that selected layer instead of generating a new shape layer.

  2. Activate the Pen Tool Press G on your keyboard to switch to the Pen tool.

  3. Draw Your Shape Click anywhere in the Composition panel to place your first anchor point, then continue clicking (or click and drag for bezier curves) to define your path. As soon as you place the first point with no layers selected, After Effects instantly creates a new layer named "Shape Layer" in your timeline.

Essential Pen Tool Modifiers

  • Cycle Pen Tools: Press G repeatedly to cycle through the Pen tool variations (Add Vertex Tool, Delete Vertex Tool, and Convert Vertex Tool).
  • Constrain Angles: Hold Shift while clicking to draw straight horizontal, vertical, or 45-degree diagonal lines.
  • Convert Vertices: Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while hovering over an anchor point to temporarily switch to the Convert Vertex tool, allowing you to convert hard corners into smooth bezier handles or vice versa.
  • Close the Path: Hover over the very first vertex until a small circle appears next to the pen cursor, then click to close the shape.