STEP 05 adjusting the GRID

As it currently exists, the grid symbol is just a grouped set of black lines, invisible on the stagewe want to make sure these lines are hairline in width and white in color . Here's how:

1. Double-click the grid symbol in the Library to enter into editing mode.

2. Choose Edit > Select All.

3. Select Modify > Break Apart, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-B / Cmd-B, twice.

   Breaking apart ensures that the grid is in line formyou need to do it twice.

4. Select the Ink Bottle tool and choose white from the Color pop-up.

5. Change the Line Thickness to hairline by choosing that value from the drop-down list.

6. Click on the selected lines with the Ink Bottle. The grid should resemble figure 03:13.

   
   

   Figure 03:13.

   

   
   

Next, adjust the grid's Alpha in your Movie Editor. This will blend the grid back a bit so it's not so obvious, instead becoming a subtle background element that adds to the depth of the spot but won't distract from the foreground elements.

7. Return to the Movie Editor by selecting Edit > Edit Movie.

8. Select the grid by clicking on its keyframe in the grid layer.

9. Choose Modify > Instance or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-I / Cmd-I and in the resulting Instance Properties pop-up, select the Color Effect tab.

10. Select Alpha from the drop-down menu and lower the Alpha to 20.

At this point you can check how the grid will look when masked. Simply click on the Lock/Unlock All layers icon at the top of the layer window to lock all layers .