Importing layered Illustrator and Photoshop files (6.5)

You import Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop files with the Import command or by dragging them from your hard drive to the Project window. When you drag a file to the Project window in After Effects 6.5, you can choose between importing the file as footage or as a composition, just as you can when you use the Import command. In addition, if you subsequently change your mind, the new Convert To Layered Comp command in After Effects 6.5 lets you instantly convert the merged footage to a layered composition.

(For more information about the options for importing layered files, see How After Effects imports layered files (6.5).)

Note: If the Default Drag Import As option in the Import preferences is set to Composition, the layered file automatically imports as a composition with the dimensions of each layer matching each layer's content; you aren't prompted to set any options. Set this option to Footage to always be prompted.

To convert a merged layered file to a composition:

Do one of the following:

• To convert all instances of the footage, select the file in the Project window, and choose File > Replace Footage > With Layered Comp.
• To convert only one instance of the footage, select the layer in the Timeline window, and choose Layer > Convert To Layered Comp.

Note: It may take a few moments to convert a merged file to a layered composition.

To drag a layered file to a project and retain all layers:

1. Drag the file from your hard drive to the Project window.
2. In the [filename] dialog box, choose Composition from the Import Kind menu.
3. Choose one of the following from the Footage Dimensions menu:
• Layer Size to make the dimensions of each layer match the layer's content.
• Document Size to make the dimensions of each layer match the original document's size.

To import one or more layered files to a project and retain all layers:

1. Choose File > Import > File or Multiple Files.
2. In the Import File or Import Multiple Files dialog box, select the file.
3. Choose one of the following from the Import As menu, and then click Open:
• Composition - Cropped Layers to make the dimensions of each layer match the layer's content.
• Composition to make the dimensions of each layer match the original document's size.

To import one layer or import and merge all layers from a layered file by dragging:

1. Drag the file from your hard drive to the Project window.
2. In the [filename] dialog box, choose Footage from the Import Kind menu.
3. Do one of the following:
• Select Merged Layers to merge all the layers into a single After Effects layer. (The layers in the referenced file don't merge.)
• Select Choose Layer to add only one layer from the file. Choose the layer's name from the adjacent menu. From the Footage Dimensions menu, choose Layer Size to make the dimensions of the layer match the layer's content or Document Size to make the dimensions of the layer match the original document's size.

To import one layer or import and merge all layers from a layered file:

1. In After Effects, choose File > Import > File or Multiple Files.
2. In the Import File or Import Multiple Files dialog box, select the file.
3. Choose Footage from the Import As menu.
4. In the [filename] dialog box, do one of the following:
• Select Merged Layers to merge all the layers into a single After Effects layer.
• Select Choose Layer to add only one layer from the file. Choose the layer's name from the adjacent menu. From the Footage Dimensions menu, choose Layer Size to make the dimensions of the layer match the layer's content or Document Size to make the dimensions of the layer match the original document's size.