AI layer resizes +1 pixel more when imported into After Effects

[THreeSH98]

When I import my AI file into After Effects, +1 pixel is added to any layer size, for example, if it is 500x500, then it becomes 501x501. I gave examples in the screenshots, in 1 screenshot you can see how in AI all elements in the layer have 500x500 pixels, when imported to AE in the second screenshot you can see how this layer is converted to 501x501, with absolutely any import settings, I first imported as "footage" and selected a specific layer, then as "composition" with "layer size". It's not about the import settings. I tried to experiment with another illustration, in screenshots 3-6. It's not even the resolution itself, in screenshot 7 it happens in 1920x1080. As if in AE there are settings to add +1 pixel in width and height to any vector layer. Why is this important to me? The bottom line is that when I convert the layers to shapes, they have 500x500 as they should, but they lose the anchor point both in the layer itself from the shapes, and in the shapes themselves inside, that is, they take values ​​from the old value of 501x501, this is very annoys. Especially if there are a lot of shapes. Is it possible how to fix this?

[Rick Gerard]

Open your Illustrator file, and select all layers. If you have the latest version of AI, select make pixel perfect. If I remember correctly, the option is in the View menu.

Converting vector layers to shape layers is only necessary if you are going to use Shape Layer animators, extrude the layers, or actually edit the vector path. Render times increase, and there is no gain in quality. 

When creating AI files for video you should always make sure that the Artboard in the same size or bigger than the comp, make sure that Snap to pixel is always turned on, and make sure that thin lines are perfectly aligned with the pixel grid by turning on Pixel Preview and magnifying the view to at least 400%.

Let us know if that solves your problem. 

[THreeSH98]

It did not help, and cannot help in principle. I deliberately used large and even numbers, I looked at the pixel mode, the coincidence of artboard lines and objects with the pixel grid is perfect, pixel perfect is turned on. Everything matches perfectly, objects in the 500x500 layer, artboard 2000x2000, much more rounded and clearer? This is not the point here, as I already wrote, after turning into shapes, they have their own size, without an extra pixel. After Effects seems to be hard-coded to add this one extra pixel, as if to avoid something, but this does not happen if I separately export the layer in PDF format, it does not have an extra pixel when imported. But then all the magic of working with a pre-prepared illustration in AI is lost if I have to export each layer to PDF and set the position in AE. For the sake of experiment, you can test it yourself.

[Warren Heaton]

Do you have any 500-by-500 objects with a Stroke?  That can cause artwork to be at slightly larger dimensions than expected.

[THreeSH98]

Of course not, the problem is not as easy as it might seem. I checked the strokes first of all, they are not there.

[Warren Heaton]

@THreeSH98 

I am able to reproduce the unexpected behavior that you're experiencing with an Illustrator version 2020 file in After Effects 2021 (18.6.4), 2022 (22.6.4),  2023 (23.4), and the current Beta (23.6) under macOS Ventura (13.4) on an Apple Silicon based Mac with After Effects running both as Silicon native and using Rosetta.

I was able to work around it by doing any of the following:

• Workaround #1:  In Illustrator, save the document as Version 8 in the Illustrator Options dialog box and then import that as "Composition - Retain Layer Sizes".  Note:  Saving to Illustrator 8 requires placing a rectangle on it's own layer that matches the size of the Artboard that can be hidden or deleted after import into an After Effects project.
• Workaround #2:  When importing as a Composition, choose "Composition" instead of "Composition - Retain Layer Sizes".
• Workaround #3:  Open the Illustrator file in Adobe XD, select it, and then use File > Export > After Effects.  

Workaround #1 is probably what you're looking for (a layered Composition with each layer having the correct dimensions from the corresponding Illustrator layer).  Please give that a try and report back.  You may already be aware that saving to an older version of Illustrator may cause a change in appearance.  I'd consider using an Illustrator version 2020 document for editing and an Illustrator version 8 document with "for AE" appended to filename for import into After Effects.

I was not able to reproduce the unexpected behavior with an Illustrator version 2020 file in any currently available version of After Effects under Windows 11 or on an Intel based Mac running macOS Monterey (12.6).  So, it seems this issue may be limited to illustrator version 2020 files on Apple Silicon hardware.  Also of note, opening an After Effects project that was saved as expected on Windows or Intel based Mac presented a PDF error message when opened on an Apple Silicon based Mac with the source footage switching to the Document Size instead of the Layer Size.

[THreeSH98]

Thanks for the answer, I checked all the ways to save, everything is the same, the behavior is exactly the same, but version 8 does not set its own size for layers when importing into AE, each layer has the size of an artboard. And in version 3, when importing, there are no import settings at all, it is imported as a whole composition. It's not about saving, it's most likely a bug or so conceived, but it interferes very much. Until the developers of the program respond, we will not know what exactly is the reason for this import behavior.

[AndreaBergamasco]

The bug is still present in version 25.2.0 (Build 131) on Mac. I have a pixel-perfect complex video mapping prepared in Illustrator 29.4 with around 60 layers, and I need to adjust the size of each one, it's time consuming.

Of course if I feed directly the result of the Illustrator mapping to the video processor, the sizes are exact, only After Effects screws up by 1 pixel on each dimension.

[nishu_kush]

That's not ideal. Could you share a sample media and After Effects project file to test on my end? Feel free to share it via DM if you do not want to share publicly.

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks,
Nishu

[Warren Heaton]

Hi @nishu_kush:

I'm able to reproduce this.  I think the issue goes as far back as After Effects 2020. 

Steps to reproduce:
    1. In Adobe Illustrator 2025 version 29.4, create an Illustrator document at 1920-by-1080 with a 640px by 480px rectangle on Layer 1.  The Fill can be any color with the Stroke set to None.

    2. Save the Illustrator file, choosing version "Illustrator 2020" in the Illustrator Options dialog box (the default).
    3. Import the Illustrator file into an After Effects project as Footage with the Layer Options set to Choose Layer 1 and the Footage Dimensions set to Layer Size or as Composition - Retain Layer Sizes.

Result: The 640 x 480 Illustrator artwork is 641 x 481.

Expected: The artwork is 640 x 480.

Workaround:  If in step 2 above "Illustrator 8" is chosen, the artwork shows in After Effects as 640 x 480; however, saving to a legacy format like Illustrator 8 may convert all type to point type and may disable editing features when the document is read back into Illustrator.  Also, any hidden Appearance attributes are discarded.
 
System info
    Application: After Effects v25.2.2.2
    OS: macOS v13.7.4, RAM: 64.00 GB GB, CPUs (logical): 20


Something else that's a little odd:  When I use Layer > Creative > Create Shapes from Vector Layer for the 641 x 481 Illustrator 2020 version artwork, the resulting Shape layer is 640 x 480.

- Warren

[AndreaBergamasco]

Sure, you can find the source AI and the relative AE project attached.

I used the Import as Composition (Retain Layer Sizes) option.

[Warren Heaton]

@THreeSH98 

Thanks for pointing out that saving as version 8 does not see the Artboard.  Back when Illustrator 8 was new, we had to add Crop Mark to set the width and height of the document for After Effects.  If taking the Illustrator 8 approach, we can create a Layer with a rectangle that's the same size as the Artboard and then hide or delete that on the After Effects side.