Inspiring

Answered

How to add layer from psd to after effect ?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
June 9, 2023
1 reply
6630 views

Hi there, I'm new using after effect, I want to animate my psd file, I have finish my work, but my client need add some layer, I just edit in my psd file, but in after effect the new layer not showing, how to update my psd file to existing AE project ?

Fyi I can add new footage or layer manualy in after effect, but the problem is this project will use for template, so in the future I just want need to change the layer from psd file, without re'edit on AE project. TIA

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Correct answer Conrad_C

When a Photoshop file is imported into After Effects, there is a choice (Import Kind): It can be imported as Footage, or a Composition.

If it is imported as Footage, all layers are merged so it is a single file in After Effects. If the original Photoshop file is edited, the instance in After Effects updates automatically. However, because Footage imports it as merged layers, the Footage method can’t be used to animate the layers separately in After Effects.

Because you wanted to animate the Photoshop file layers separately in After Effects, it was necessary to choose the other option: Composition. In After Effects, this appears in the Project panel as multiple new items: Each layer separately, and also a new composition that includes the layers to reproduce how they looked together in Photoshop. This does allow animating each layer separately, but the problem is, because the file had to be disassembled to get at the individual layers, the new pieces do not automatically update when the original Photoshop file is edited.

There might not be an automatic way to resolve your problem, but one way would be to bring in just the one new layer to add it (select Footage, then select only the new layer), and position it in the existing After Effects composition in the same way as in the updated Photoshop file.

Another way might be to import the new Photoshop file, copy and paste the animation keyframes from the old layers to the corresponding new ones, delete the old composition, and then animate the new layer.

It looks like you also posted this in the After Effects community. They may have more or better ideas, because many of them know After Effects much better than I do.

Conrad_C

Correct answer

Community Expert

When a Photoshop file is imported into After Effects, there is a choice (Import Kind): It can be imported as Footage, or a Composition.

If it is imported as Footage, all layers are merged so it is a single file in After Effects. If the original Photoshop file is edited, the instance in After Effects updates automatically. However, because Footage imports it as merged layers, the Footage method can’t be used to animate the layers separately in After Effects.

Because you wanted to animate the Photoshop file layers separately in After Effects, it was necessary to choose the other option: Composition. In After Effects, this appears in the Project panel as multiple new items: Each layer separately, and also a new composition that includes the layers to reproduce how they looked together in Photoshop. This does allow animating each layer separately, but the problem is, because the file had to be disassembled to get at the individual layers, the new pieces do not automatically update when the original Photoshop file is edited.

There might not be an automatic way to resolve your problem, but one way would be to bring in just the one new layer to add it (select Footage, then select only the new layer), and position it in the existing After Effects composition in the same way as in the updated Photoshop file.

Another way might be to import the new Photoshop file, copy and paste the animation keyframes from the old layers to the corresponding new ones, delete the old composition, and then animate the new layer.

It looks like you also posted this in the After Effects community. They may have more or better ideas, because many of them know After Effects much better than I do.

S

SotoshopAuthor

Inspiring

Thank you for the complete answer, I did the same method when I first imported it into AE, and I edited the animation, after all that was done, it turns out that the client asked for additional layers in the psd file, so the new layers don't appear in the AE project,

There might not be an automatic way to resolve your problem, but one way would be to bring in just the one new layer to add it (select Footage, then select only the new layer), and position it in the existing After Effects composition in the same way as in the updated Photoshop file.

For this method, I have done it, but the problem is, because it will be used as a template later, the new layer added via AE does not appear in the PS file otherwise.

Another way might be to import the new Photoshop file, copy and paste the animation keyframes from the old layers to the corresponding new ones, delete the old composition, and then animate the new layer.

I thought about this way, but since I'm new to AE, I don't know how to copy my edits to a new file, do you know the steps?

Yes, I also posted on the AE sub, but didn't get any answers, therefore I posted on PS, because the PS sub is more active in its members. Sorry that I need help ASAP.

Conrad_C

Community Expert

I thought about this way, but since I'm new to AE, I don't know how to copy my edits to a new file, do you know the steps?
By @Sotoshop

The steps are in these to Adobe help documents.

Setting, selecting, and deleting keyframes (look at Select Keyframes)

Editing, moving, and copying keyframes (look at Copy and Paste Keyframes)

You would select the keyframes for a layer in the old composition, choose Edit > Copy, select the same layer in the new composition and choose Edit > Paste.

A tip: To select all keyframes for a property, click the name of the property. Shift-click other property names to add their keyframes. This is shown for the Triangle 2 layer in the picture below. I clicked the Position property to select all Position keyframes for that layer, then Shift-clicked the Rotation property name to also select all Rotation keyframes. You can see that all those keyframes are selected in the timeline, so I am now ready to copy all of those keyframes to another layer, which can be in another composition.

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