BAO Mask Avenger on your Mac — 2.7.5

BAO Mask Avenger runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs (version 2.7.5 fixed the M1 compatibility issue). It works with After Effects from CS6 through 2024. The plugin gives you per-vertex and per-tangent control over mask paths, which After Effects normally treats as a single curve.

Which After Effects versions does it support?

It supports After Effects CS6, CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2015.3, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, and versions 2020 through 2024.

Can I link mask vertices to tracker data?

Yes. You can use a pick-whip expression to link any vertex to a tracker point. The plugin also includes integrated scripts for linking masks to null layers.

Apply Mask Avenger masks to shape layers with keyframes and 3D support

Yes. You can apply a Mask Avenger mask to shape layers. It supports keyframes, easing, expressions, and 3D space, plus an intelligent interpolation mode based on center of gravity or an independent key anchor point.

First settings to adjust in the dockable panel

When you first open BAO Mask Avenger inside After Effects, a few settings will save you from fighting default behavior. The plugin works as a dockable panel and a set of menu commands, so the first thing is to find the panel under the Window menu and keep it open while you work.

The interpolation mode defaults to center of gravity, which works well for organic shapes but can shift a mask unexpectedly if the shape is asymmetrical. If you are animating a logo or a geometric path, switch to the independent key anchor point mode instead. That keeps one vertex fixed while the others move, which makes rotation and scaling feel predictable.

Freeze mode is worth turning on before you send a project to a collaborator who does not have the plugin. It bakes the current mask state into standard After Effects keyframes so the animation survives without Mask Avenger installed. I usually apply freeze only after I have finished all vertex adjustments, not earlier, because once frozen the plugin controls are no longer editable.

A workflow for linking a mask to a moving object

Say you have a shot of a person walking across frame and you want a mask to follow their hand. Here is one way to do it with BAO Mask Avenger, from start to finish.

1. Track the hand. Use After Effects’ built-in tracker on the hand region. This produces a set of tracker points that move with the hand.
2. Create a mask. Draw a rough mask around the hand on the first frame. It does not need to be perfect because you will adjust vertices per frame.
3. Open the Mask Avenger panel. Select your mask layer and click the plugin panel. You will see each vertex listed individually.
4. Pick-whip a vertex to a tracker point. Click the expression pick-whip icon next to a vertex in the panel, then drag it to the tracker point in the composition. The vertex is now linked. Repeat for the vertices that need to follow the motion.
5. Fine-tune tangents. With the motion path set, switch to tangent control in the panel. Adjust the direction and curve of each tangent on a few keyframes so the mask edge matches the hand’s shape as it moves.
6. Apply easing. If the tracker point stutters, select the linked vertices and apply a light easing curve from the plugin’s easing options. That smooths the movement without breaking the link.
7. Check in 3D space. Rotate the composition or preview from a different angle. Because Mask Avenger supports 3D space, the mask should hold its shape. If it does not, revisit the vertex positions on a mid-animation frame.

Fix vertex jumps by checking vertices-only versus tangent mode

The mask jumps when I move a vertex.
This usually happens when tangent control is active but you only meant to move the vertex position. In the panel, check whether you are in vertices-only mode or full tangent mode. Vertices-only mode ignores tangent adjustments and lets you reposition without curve distortion.

The interpolation mode shifts the whole mask.
If center of gravity mode makes the mask drift, switch to independent key anchor point. Then set one vertex as the anchor — usually a corner or a stable feature — and the rest of the mask will interpolate around it. That is useful for animating a mask that follows a stable object with a moving background.

My collaborator cannot see the mask animation.
They do not have Mask Avenger installed. Before you hand off the project, use freeze mode from the plugin menu. This converts the mask animation into standard After Effects keyframes that play back without the plugin. The file size will increase slightly because each vertex is stored as a separate keyframe, but the animation stays intact.

The plugin does not appear in the menu after installation.
Restart After Effects. If that does not help, check that you placed the plugin file inside the correct Plug-ins folder for your After Effects version. The package includes installation instructions that list the exact folder path for each version from CS6 through 2024.

Find mask-to-null linking scripts under the File > Scripts menu

The integrated scripts for linking masks to null layers are not in the plugin panel itself. Look under the File menu in After Effects, then Scripts, and you will find BAO Mask Avenger functions there. These scripts let you create a null layer for each mask vertex with one click, which is faster than doing it manually.

The Free Transform mask tool integration means you can resize and rotate a mask using After Effects’ own transform handles while Mask Avenger keeps the vertex and tangent data intact. That works well when you need to adjust the overall size of a mask without losing individual vertex positions.

You can read position and orientation data from any point along a mask path. This is tucked inside the plugin’s data display section. Select a vertex and the panel shows its coordinates and angle, which you can then copy into an expression or use as reference. It is a quiet feature but helpful when you need precise alignment between masks.

Because Mask Avenger can replace Mask Renderer entirely, you can skip adding an extra render effect to the timeline. The plugin handles the mask rendering inside its own workflow, which keeps the layer stack shorter and the timeline less cluttered.

• Fixed an M1 compatibility issue on Mac.

• macOS (version not specified by developer)
• Intel or Apple Silicon
• After Effects CS6, CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2015.3, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024