The 2017 Adobe CC After Effects Classroom In a Book needs a forum all of its own for users not getting the results as the chapters indicate should be happening. On Chapter 8, page 212, the instructions read for the user to change the name of their project to MotionSketch.aep, move toe playhead to 2:08 and delete all the keyframes afterwards in the project created earlier in the chapter. Then it says to select Puppet in the timeline to see the pins in the composition panel. Okay, I
did that, and can see the pins. Then it says to press F2 to deselect all the layers and select a pin in the composition. However, all the pins disappear when a layer isn't selected so I'm guessing as to where to put my mouse cursor. Then the instructions say to hold down the Ctrl key while holding the mouse button to activate the puppet sketch tool and a clock icon should appear.
Well, it doesn't, and moving my mouse cursor with the button depressed and holding the Ctrl key only draws a marquee around the area I'm moving the mouse so therefore I cannot complete the chapter. This is very frustrating as the book is not detailed enough for a beginning student. Anybody who is starting out with Adobe CC will be doing a lot of Google searching if they use these publications for how to invoke many of the required tools as the authors assume some basic knowledge beforehand.
Anybody know another way to activate the Puppet Sketch tool so I can complete the chapter? I hate leaving work unfinished but if I can't select the tool the chapter calls out for I have no choice. I'll continue to Google, YouTube and go on Lynda.com for possible answers; spend more time doing that than actually working within this book.
I thank the previous person who helped me with the Convert Vertex Tool; I was able to move on from Chapter 7 since then. I have 5 more chapters left in this book and am debating on whether to continue on with this or go to Chris and Trish Meyers Motion Graphics publication, which unfortunately is for CS5 and 6 versions of After Effects. They have an Apprentice Guide too, which I finished in November which goes in greater detail than the Adobe Classroom in a Book series but unfortunately is dated to the CC 2105 version.