Illustrator to After Effects: Paths Importing as Outlines - Recent Change Causing Major Workflow Iss

[Barollo]

Hello, I'm writing to report a significant issue I've encountered, and it appears many others have as well, when copying paths from Illustrator to After Effects. While this process has always been challenging, it has recently become much worse.

Specifically, when you copy a single path from Illustrator and paste it into a shape layer path in After Effects, AE unexpectedly converts that path into an outline. This behavior is problematic for the majority of users who require the original path data for proper functionality within After Effects.

I've discovered a workaround: changing the path properties in Illustrator to "uniform" or "basic" before copying allows After Effects to accept the path as intended. However, this workaround suggests a recent and unintended change in how After Effects handles imported Illustrator paths.

This issue is likely related to the need to export outlined vectors to SVG for proper browser rendering, while single paths with stroke width properties may not display correctly. Regardless of the underlying cause, this unexpected behavior significantly hinders workflow and requires unnecessary workarounds for users who wish to utilize After Effects effects like trim path on Illustrator-created drawings.

I urge you to report this issue to the After Effects development team. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

[nishu_kush]

Do you mind sharing the screenshot or a screen recording that shows the problem? Also, share your After Effects and Illustrator project files as well, to help recreate the issue on our end.

Thanks,
Nishu

[Barollo]

[Warren Heaton]

@Barollo 

After Effects expands the path to maintain the appearance of the Profile and/or Brush Style.  If it didn't, what we're seeing in After Effects would not match what we're seeing in llustrator.

Instead of a Bug, this could be reposted as an Idea for Ae Shape Layers to support the same Profiles and Brush Styles found in Ai.

If using Trim Paths in Ae to create a write-on effect, two Shape Layers can be created:  One with the expanded stroke that matches the appearance that can serve as the Matte and one that matches the actual Path that has the uniform and basic Stroke applied to it to serve as the Fill.

You could combing with results 

[Barollo]

@Warren Heaton  

Thank you for your suggestion. I reported this as a potential bug because I remember that previously, when copying a path from Illustrator to After Effects, it would not automatically create an outline, regardless of the stroke width. I've found a workaround for my current project, but I've noticed that many users on forums and in YouTube comments are experiencing the same unexpected behavior.

I'm not primarily concerned with my own specific issue, but rather with the fact that this change in behavior seems to be confusing many users. As you can see in the attached image, when the stroke is set to "Basic" in Illustrator, it's still possible to import a single path without an outline being created.

I've been using After Effects for over 15 years, and while I'm aware of workarounds, including third-party solutions like Battle Axe's Overlord, I prefer to rely on the native functionality of After Effects whenever possible.

I've noticed that my usual method of importing Illustrator paths stopped working around the time the new Properties panel was introduced.

I'm currently working on a project that requires extensive use of text elements created in Illustrator, and using masking methods would significantly increase my project timeline.

Thank you for your input.

[Rick Gerard]

If you have Adobe XD installed or available through Creative Cloud you can try the solution I have posted many times. Open XD, use the file menu to Import/After Effects file, then immediately use the File/Export/Export to After Effects menu. 

I detail the instructions and provide a workflow preview in this recent post: https://community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects-discussions/import-gradients-from-illustrator-to-ae-wit...

The only other solution I know of would be to add an additional layer in Illustrator, name the layer Track Matte, then copy the path with the brush you want to reveal, then paste in front (I think it's Ctrl/Cmnd + f or use the Menu). Then remove the brush un the layer -properties menu and import as a comp again retaining layer size. This will give you a Track Matte with a layer containing a simple stroked path. You can then adjust the path width, add Trim Paths, and use the layer as an Alpha Track Matte for your shape layer.

[Warren Heaton]

With Illustratrator documents that have a lot of text objects, I would use File > Export As > Layered PSD and enable editable text as an intermediate file.  All of the text objects will become Photoshop Text Layers with the Character and Paragraph formatting intact that can then be converted to editable text in After Effects.  If using Adobe XD, be sure to review what's supported from XD on the Ae side in the user guide.  Also, leading (line spacing) won't be maintained sending Ai Artboards over Ae from XD. 

[thepixelsmith]

Is this a new occurence? I thought Illustrator to AE always expanded paths with brushes on them.