Adobe After Effects - Manual (Page 135)

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Note:
Note:
When you import a sequence of still images, it assumes the frame rate specified by the Sequence Footage preference in the Import category. The
default rate is 30 frames per second (fps). You can change the frame rate after importing by reinterpreting the footage item:
Select the sequence in the Project panel, choose File > Interpret Footage > Main, and then enter a new value for Assume This Frame Rate.
For more information, see Frame rate.
Preparing and importing Photoshop files
For information and instructions that apply to all kinds of still image files, see Preparing still-image files for importing and Import a single still
image or a still-image sequence .
Because After Effects includes the Photoshop rendering engine, After Effects imports all attributes of Photoshop files, including position, blending
modes, opacity, visibility, transparency (alpha channel), layer masks, layer groups (imported as nested compositions), adjustment layers, layer
styles, layer clipping paths, vector masks, image guides, and clipping groups.
Before you import a layered Photoshop file into After Effects, prepare it thoroughly to reduce preview and rendering time. Avoid problems importing
and updating Photoshop layers by doing the following:
Organize and name layers. If you change a layer name in a Photoshop file after you have imported it into After Effects, After Effects retains
the link to the original layer. However, if you delete a layer, After Effects is unable to find the original layer and lists it as Missing in the
Project panel.
Make sure that each layer has a unique name. This is not a requirement of the software, but helps to keep you from becoming confused.
If you think that you might add layers to the Photoshop file in Photoshop after you have imported it into After Effects, go ahead and add a
small number of placeholder layers before you import the file into After Effects. When you refresh the file in After Effects, it will not pick up
any layers that have been added since the file was imported.
Unlock layers in Photoshop before importing into After Effects. This is not necessary for most kinds of layers, but it is required for some kinds
of layers. For example, background layers that must be converted to RGB may not be imported correctly if they are locked.
A convenient command within After Effects is Layer > New > Adobe Photoshop File, which adds a layer to a composition and then opens the
source of that layer in Photoshop for you to begin creating a visual element, such as a background layer for your movie. The layer in Photoshop is
created with the correct settings for your After Effects composition. As with many of the Creative Suite applications, you can use the Edit Original
command in After Effects to open a PSD file in Photoshop, make and save changes, and have those changes appear immediately in the movie
that refers to the PSD source file. Even if you don’t use Edit Original, you can use the Reload Footage command to have After Effects refresh its
layers to use the current version of the PSD file. (See Create a layer and new Photoshop footage item and Edit footage in its original application.)
One good way to prevent interlace flicker from thin horizontal lines in still images is to run the Interlace Flicker Removal action in Photoshop
before you bring the still images into After Effects. Photoshop includes several video actions for utility purposes such as this.
Online resources about preparing and importing Photoshop files
Richard Harrington and Ian Robinson provide a free sample chapter from their “Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques”
book on the Peachpit Press website. This chapter shows how to prepare Illustrator and Photoshop files.
See this video tutorial by Andrew Devis on the Creative Cow website about importing and using Photoshop PSD files in After Effects.
Color modes
Layered Photoshop (PSD) files need to be saved in RGB or Grayscale color mode for After Effects to import them as a composition and to
separate the layers. CMYK, LAB, Duotone, Monotone, and Tritone color modes are not supported for layered files; After Effects will import a file
that uses one of these color modes as a single, flattened image. (Regarding the other color modes available in Photoshop such as Bitmap and
Indexed: Photoshop does not support layers in these color modes.)
To determine or change the color mode of a document in Photoshop, choose Image > Mode. (The color mode is also displayed in the title bar
of the document window.)
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