Adobe After Effects

[Riya Basu]

How to create illustrator files in Adobe After Effects?

[Moderator: Moved to the appropriate community]

[dushyantkundu77]

I am an Senior Designer at techjockey.com and can safely guide you through the process -

Before importing your illustrator files into Adobe After Effects, you need to take the following steps:

Step 1: Choose any image

Step 2: Create an illustrator document, preferably of the size 1920px X 1080px. You need to take this size, so that it matches with the size of your composition on After Effects.

Step 3: Copy and paste the selected image on to the new documents and adjust its size as per your preference.

Step 4: Before bringing the image into After Effects, you will not be able to segregate every element. You will not have any control over individual image elements. To create separate layers for every image element, you need to:

• Open up the Layers Panel
• Create a New Layer
• Click the icon at the bottom of the Layers panel
• Create multiple layers

You need to do this for every shape.

Another way to segregate every image element is:

• Open up the Layers panel
• Select the camera layer
• Click the icon at the top-right of the panel and select the Release to Layers (Sequence) option
• After this, every individual shape will go into a separate layer.
• After selecting all the layers, drag them outside of the layer they are all in.
• Delete the empty layer
• Rename every layer so you know which shape the layer contains.

Step 5: Now, open After Effects and follow this navigation: File > Import > File

Step 6: Select your Illustrator file and, search for the “Import As,” button and select Composition – Retain Layer Sizes.

Step 7: Now just open the newly formed composition, and start animating!

[Martin_Ritter · Accepted solution]

I think the question was how to create an Illustrator file IN After Effects and the answer is: you cannot.

But you can copy paths of shape layers from AE to AI, or use the plugin Overlord to do so.

*Martin

[tamseel_2394]

Hi,

To create Illustrator files in Adobe After Effects:

1. Design in Illustrator: First, create your artwork in Adobe Illustrator and save it as an .ai file.
2. Import into After Effects: In After Effects, go to file then import and select your Illustrator file.
3. Choose 'Import As': When importing, select "Composition" to preserve layers or "Footage" for a single flattened image.
4. Layer Manipulation: If imported as a Composition, you can animate each layer separately in After Effects.

Make sure the Illustrator file is properly structured (using layers) for better control in After Effects!