Importing Illustrator Files to After Effects (CC 2018)

[steves22779767]

I'm having trouble importing Illustrator layers to After Effects. I know about releasing to layers. Right now I'm having two main problems:

1) I release to layers and some are visible and some are still black. I look at the separate layers and can't see why there is a difference.

2) I'll have layers that are visible in After Effects but they are not completely there. Sometimes a third of it will be cut off, or an imaginary line is drawn and only the top half of the object is visible.

Am I overlooking something simple, or do the Adobe gods have it out for me?

I'm using the newest Adobe CC, on two different PC's. There both having the same problems. Thanks!

[Roei Tzoref]

Make sure you follow these guidelines:

Preparing and importing still images in After Effects

if this still doesn't work, show us full screenshots

[Kevin-Monahan]

Still seeing this issue, Steve?

Thanks,
Kevin

[steves22779767 · Accepted solution]

I watched a Youtube tutorial and found the answer. All of your objects have to be on the artboard before you bring them over to After Effects. If you don't, the objects are still there but invisible. The objects cut in half are ones that were half on the artboard. She explained a workaround, (something with masks?), but it's easier to open the Illustrator file, put everything on the artboard, then save it again.

[Rick Gerard]

AE will only see one artboard and all graphics must be on that artboard or they will be cropped. It has always been this way.

[Roei Tzoref]

I don't know which tutorial you watched. I hope it's not this one: Illustrator to After Effects: The Field Manual Part 1 - YouTube. although the company that created this tutorial has good reputation, this tutorial has bad advice. almost all the information you need is in the link I provided earlier: Preparing and importing still images in After Effects

yes, you could say everything should be in the artboard to not get cropped but that's not the entire information. you can indeed have things that get cropped outside of your artboard, if you have another artboard that is larger. that's why it is recommended to work from within the HD presets. the preset has 2 artboards. now you can have artwork that is not cropped and you certainly do not have to place it inside the artboard to have it whole, and most certainly not have to convert it to shapes to see the whole layer.

[rebeccag63509935]

Thank you so much for this advise, I did not know about that!