Is it possible to see how BW mask of any AE effect looks like?

[Silverbell]

Hi,  some effects like fractal noise for example have BW mask shown so it's easy to understand how to use them,  but others that less frequently used - for example CC glass,  Scatter, Linear wipe ( though this last one easy to guess) or othersothers don't have the is masks shown?  So is it any button,  like it Lightwawe by holding Alt you can immediately see BW mask preview of any effect you apply to image?

[P.M.B]

what??

[Silverbell]

I asked how to see black and white preview of any effect I want

[P.M.B]

I don't know how to answer that question, sorry.  I keep trying to think of something to say but then am struck blank by the complete nonsensical nature of the question.  A black & white preview of any effect?  What does that even mean?   I'm sorry to tell you,  but you don't have any idea what you're talking about.   I guess maybe you should start with some basic after effects tutorials?   And maybe forget everything that you think you know about AE?

[Silverbell]

I think you don't know even the basics if you don't get what I am asking?  Do you?

[Roei Tzoref]

if you mean that you want to view the alpha channel in your  composition window in a grayscale image representation, then you can use the shortcut Alt+4.

look here for more view shortcuts:

After Effects keyboard shortcuts reference

more about alpha channel here:

Use alpha channels, masks, and mattes in After Effects

[Silverbell]

Yep,  I want to see alpha channel or black and white mask of the effect. I usually work in Blender 3D so maybe in After Effects it's called a bit differently,  but in Blender I can easily see how any of the effects looks like by plugging the node with effect to the viewer node.  So it's not possible in AE?

[Mylenium · Accepted solution]

AE processes effects consecutively based on the result of a previous operation, so there never can be an effects-specific Alpha if more than one effect is applied to a layer. That's a major difference to re-plugging nodes or viewing buffers in a 3D program. I'm not saying that AE couldn't have a quick-toggle for this, but I still find it puzzling for the question to even come up. In over 15 years of using AE I never had the need for it because that's simply not how transparency works in AE or how you control it...

Mylenium

[Silverbell]

OK, thanks, I am just starting to get in depth with AE,  i think would be useful for me to read how the effects really works,  because I got used to the nodes in Blender,  so in my mind everything works based on white ( color)  and black (transparency) .

[Roei Tzoref]

use the upper right search field in the Ae interface and explore the term you want:

Effects and animation presets in After Effects