Importing Complex Photoshop Files

Report · Oct 17, 2021

Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to read and possible help my problem.

Summary: I am having problems during the process of importing complex photoshop documents with lots of blending mods and layer mask into After Effects in order to animate. After the import process, the image has multiple problems with its mask and its color.

Below is a screenshot of the photoshop document in question. As you can see, there are many layers with multiple effects such as overlays, mask, and blending modes. My guess is that After Effects cannot read some of these things, however, I do not know for sure. If that is the case, I would like to know how to better prep photoshop files clients give me for after effects.

Below is what the file looks like once it has been imported into after effects. There are multiple precomps, weird mask, and color changes.

My process for importing the photoshop file looks like this:

After Effects > Import > file > Import as composition with layer sizes > Photoshop sequence unchecked > Layer option set to editable.

I am currently on the latest version of all adobe software at the time of this post.

I am running Windows 10 using a Nvida RTX and Intel Core.

Thanks for reading. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

Have a blessed day!

Report · Oct 18, 2021

This is basically a case of jumping way, way too far ahead in PS without even considering how AE could replicate some of this stuff natively with effects or compositing techniques. You've essentially already exhausted everything that the automatic import can do. The problem really isn't on the PS side of things, but rather that it seems to me that you don't know how to re-organize stuff in AE and "repair" missing features. AE does not have such a thing as group masks for instance, but rather requires you to pre-compose and mask in the parent comp or at the very least use a blending mode like Stencil Alpha for the mask. Which features are actually supported is explained in the online help, the rest is - again - a matter of understanding how to replicate stuff in AE. Other than that the simple advice has to be to keep things simple in PS. There's really no point in using infinitely nested groups, complex shape layers or even smart filters. this stuff simply never carries over to AE 1 on 1.

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/preparing-importing-still-images.html

Mylenium

Report · Oct 18, 2021

Hey Mylenium, thanks for the response.

This is what I've done up until this point but was hoping there was something I was missing. You are correct, a lot of this stuff is repariable inside of After Effects. I have taken and remasked pre-comps, added new effects with adjustment layers, etc. My largest problem was the destruction of some layers, such as the example below of a layer mask not transferring and cutting off this persons head. As I said, I was hoping maybe there was something I was missing in the import process, or prep side from photoshop.

For anyone curious about this, my "band aid fix" is to re-export/import these layers that are causing me the most trouble as single layers.