What happened to the "Convert to Layered Comp" feature?

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
December 14, 2018
5 replies
6806 views

I'm trying to find the "Convert to Layered Comp" feature for an AI file and can't seem to find it. Usually you could right click on a layer in the timeline panel and it'd be there. Now it's just convert to shape layers (which makes the ENTIRE thing - a state with counties - one layer which I don't want).

It seems to be missing entirely in CC 2018.

convert to shape layer cc 2018

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sonofastranger

Participant

I am not sure why everyone is downing this method. It is great if you have all your layers named and sorted in illustrator as it keeps them separate.

Convert to layerd comp, then create shapes from vectors too.
Good example of it here. I find it very useful as I do a lot of prep work when character creating in illustrator.

Importing Illustrator Files as Shape Layers in AE

azheennn

Participant

Hello,

The option you are talking about is only available for Ai files coming from the library.

if your Ai file is in the composition already, right click the layer you want and choose pre-compose.

a menu will pop up and you choose the first thing "leave menu... etc".

this does exactly the same thing as "Convert to Layered Comp"

hope it helps

imeilfx

Inspiring

As they say: It is never late to learn. I also never as Dave (and I use AE daily for years) heard and/or use that before. To be honnest - I probably never will because in preproduction process I always decide how I wish to use my files but nice to know that there is something like that.

L

Lucas Lago

Inspiring

Now you have to do one more click, it's hidden inside CREATE.

K

kilowattsonAuthor

Participating Frequently

Actually nope it's not in there (that was the first place I looked). There is the option to create Shapes Layersfrom Vector Layer, but not to create layered comp.

It's not the end of the world because you can do a lot of it manually, but it was a great shortcut for if you were working in a file already on a timeline that you just wanted to break into a layered comp automatically and have it retain all the work already done on it.

L

Lucas Lago

Inspiring

kilowattson in my AE latest version 16.0.1 I think:

Dave_LaRonde

Inspiring

kilowattson wrote
I'm trying to find the "Convert to Layered Comp" feature for an AI file and can't seem to find it....
It seems to be missing entirely in CC 2018.

Good reason -- it was NEVER there. I think you're looking for importing an Illustrator file as a composition.

K

kilowattsonAuthor

Participating Frequently

It most certainly *did* exist. Yes you can import a file as a layered composition, but you used to be able to essentially retro-convert a merged AI file into a layered comp (maybe it was imported that way as a mistake? Maybe you're working in someone else's comp and they had it that way for a reason?).

Examples here:

Using 'Convert to Layered Comp' in After Effects

and this:

Importing Illustrator Files as Shape Layers in AE | After Effects Tutorial - YouTube

And even AE's own help files reference it:
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/preparing-importing-still-images.html

Preparing and importing still images in After Effects