Masking/Compositing in AE

[Ematheo]

Okay so I'm trying to learn how AE works but I'm stuck. I've spent hours and hours on rotoscoping but I read somewhere that you should do the masking on a diffrent layer than your footage, so I did.
But now when I want to cut out this character and place a diffrent footage behind, I can't do that because my mask is on this solid grey layer. Is there any way I could apply the mask on the footage I want to cut? I'll cry for days if I have to do the masking again. >_<

[Haeresis]

Okay so I'm trying to learn how AE works but I'm stuck. I've spent hours and hours on rotoscoping but I read somewhere that you should do the masking on a diffrent layer than your footage, so I did.
But now when I want to cut out this character and place a diffrent footage behind, I can't do that because my mask is on this solid grey layer. Is there any way I could apply the mask on the footage I want to cut? I'll cry for days if I have to do the masking again. >_<

You should be able to just copy and paste the mask from one layer to another.

[Ematheo]

You should be able to just copy and paste the mask from one layer to another.

Strange.. I tested copy,paste like a dozen times before but now when you said that it actually works.. I must be tired >.<
Well thanks a bunch!

[Iron Solari]

Okay so I'm trying to learn how AE works but I'm stuck. I've spent hours and hours on rotoscoping but I read somewhere that you should do the masking on a diffrent layer than your footage, so I did.
But now when I want to cut out this character and place a diffrent footage behind, I can't do that because my mask is on this solid grey layer. Is there any way I could apply the mask on the footage I want to cut? I'll cry for days if I have to do the masking again. >_<

You could do it the classic way with the Pen tool and lots of paths. It's tedious, but it always gets the job done. Then you can just feather away the edges to make it look smoother.

[ChaosGod]

Okay so I'm trying to learn how AE works but I'm stuck. I've spent hours and hours on rotoscoping but I read somewhere that you should do the masking on a diffrent layer than your footage, so I did.
But now when I want to cut out this character and place a diffrent footage behind, I can't do that because my mask is on this solid grey layer. Is there any way I could apply the mask on the footage I want to cut? I'll cry for days if I have to do the masking again. >_<

Hmm Make the Gray the Transparent color selection... or change the grey to a color not in your char to make that transparent ( before u try too much other tedious work )