Answers.Body: <p>I would use the ol' blur-and-threshold trick:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>make my lines slightly thicker than they need to be,</li>
  <li>precompose my lines and the control layer, and set the opacity of the control layer to say 50%.</li>
  <li>Then back in the original comp I would add Gaussian blur to the precomped layers, followed by the threshold effect.</li>
  <li>Muck around with the values for both effects and the opacity of the control layer until it's good.</li>
  </ul>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-03T12:25:21.000Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-07-03T12:25:21.000Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: stib
Body: <p>I recently created the attached graphic in Illustrator for a project and am trying to figure out how to create something similar in After Effects perhaps using a control layer.</p>
  <p>The idea is that I want the width of the stroke on each of the lines to be linked to the black/white values of the control layer, which would have my letter W on it in this case.</p>
  <p>I've achieved similar results in the past linking the scale of a shape layer with the colour value of a control layer but I can't figure out how to repurpose that technique for this job.</p>
  <p>Any advice would be very welcome and appreciated!</p>
  <p>R</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ABZB8.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ABZB8.jpg" alt="Original vector artwork I am trying to recreate in After Effects in the past" /></a></p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-15T14:09:15.670Z
Comments.Text: Interesting question. I wonder if a similar effect could be achieve using a particle generator like form or particular somehow...
Comments.UserDisplayName: tomh
Tags: <after-effects><after-effects-expressions>
Title: Does anyone know how to control the stroke width of a shape using a control layer?
UserDisplayName: Ross Aitken
ThreadText: # Does anyone know how to control the stroke width of a shape using a control layer?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-14)
  
  I recently created the attached graphic in Illustrator for a project and am trying to figure out how to create something similar in After Effects perhaps using a control layer.
  
  The idea is that I want the width of the stroke on each of the lines to be linked to the black/white values of the control layer, which would have my letter W on it in this case.
  
  I've achieved similar results in the past linking the scale of a shape layer with the colour value of a control layer but I can't figure out how to repurpose that technique for this job.
  
  Any advice would be very welcome and appreciated!
  
  R
  
  [![Original vector artwork I am trying to recreate in After Effects in the past](https://i.sstatic.net/ABZB8.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ABZB8.jpg)
  
  **Tags:** after-effects, after-effects-expressions
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Interesting question. I wonder if a similar effect could be achieve using a particle generator like form or particular somehow...  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2022-07-03. Score: 0
  
  I would use the ol' blur-and-threshold trick:
  
  * make my lines slightly thicker than they need to be,
  * precompose my lines and the control layer, and set the opacity of the control layer to say 50%.
  * Then back in the original comp I would add Gaussian blur to the precomped layers, followed by the threshold effect.
  * Muck around with the values for both effects and the opacity of the control layer until it's good.
  
  
  ---
  
  