Supported file formats in After Effects CS4

Audio file formats

Format Import/Export Format Details
support

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC, Import and Export

M4A)

Adobe Sound Document (ASND) Import only

AU audio file (AU) Export only Requires QuickTime on

Windows

Audio Interchange File Format (AIF, Import and Export

AIFF)

MP3 (MP3, MPEG, MPG, MPA, Import and Export

MPE)

Waveform (WAV) Import and Export

Still image file formats

Note: You can import files of any still image format as a sequence.

Format Import/Export Format Details

support

Adobe Illustrator (AI, EPS, PS) Import only Continuously rasterized

Adobe PDF (PDF) Import only First page only, continuously rasterized.

Adobe Photoshop (PSD) Import and 8-, 16-, and 32-bpc

Export

Bitmap (BMP, RLE, DIB) Import only

Camera raw (TIF, CRW, NEF, Import only

RAF, ORF, MRW, DCR,
MOS, RAW, PEF, SRF, DNG,
X3F, CR2, ERF)

Cineon (CIN, DPX) Import and Converts to project's color bit depth: 8-,
Export 16-, or 32-bpc

CompuServe GIF (GIF) Import and

Export

Discreet RLA/RPF (RLA, RPF) Import only 16-bpc, imports camera data

ElectricImage IMAGE (IMG, Import and

EI) Export

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) Import only

IFF (IFF, TDI) Import and

Export

JPEG (JPG, JPE) Import and

Export

Maya IFF (IFF, TDI) Import and 16-bpc

Export

Maya camera data (MA) Import only

OpenEXR (EXR) Import and 32-bpc 3D Channel effect plug-ins from

Export fnord software are included with After
Effects to provide access to multiple
layers and channels of OpenEXR files.

PCX (PCX) Import only Windows only

PICT (PCT) Import and

Export

Pixar (PXR) Import only

Portable Network Graphics Import and 16-bpc

(PNG) Export
Radiance (HDR, RGBE, Import and 32-bpc
XYZE) Export

SGI (SGI, BW, RGB) Import and 16-bpc

Export

Softimage (PIC) Import only

Targa (TGA, VDA, ICB, VST) Import and

Export

TIFF (TIF) Import and 8- and 16-bpc

Export

Video and animation file formats

Format Import/Export Format Details
support

3GPP (3GP, 3G2, Import and Requires QuickTime on Windows

AMC) Export

Adobe Flash Import and Note: SWF files are imported with an alpha channel.
Player (SWF) Export Interactive content is not retained.

Adobe Flash Import and

Professional Export
(XFL)

Adobe Flash Import and

Video (FLV, Export
F4V)

Adobe Photoshop Import and Requires QuickTime on Windows

with video layers Export
(PSD)

Animated GIF Import and

(GIF) Export

AVCHD (M2TS) Import only

DV Import and In MOV or AVI container, or as container-less DV
Export stream; requires QuickTime on Windows

ElectricImage Import and

(IMG, EI) Export

Filmstrip (FLM) Import and

Export

Flic Animation Export only

(FLC)

H.264 (M4V) Import and

Export

Media eXchange Import only MXF is a container format. After Effects can only
Format (MXF) import some kinds of data contained within MXF files.
After Effects can import the Op-Atom variety used by
Panasonic DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, and DVCPRO
HD video cameras to record to Panasonic P2 media.
After Effects can also import XDCAM HD files in
MXF format.

MPEG-1 (MPG, Import only

MPE, MPA,
MPV, MOD)

MPEG-2 (MPG, Import and Windows and Mac OS on Intel-based Mac only.
M2P, M2V, M2P, Export Some MPEG data formats are stored in container
M2A, M2T) formats with filename extensions that are not
recognized by After Effects; examples include .vob and
.mod. In some cases, you can import these files into
After Effects after changing the filename extension to
one of the recognized filename extensions. Because of
variations in implementation in these container
formats, compatibility is not guaranteed.

MPEG-4 (MP4, Import and

M4V) Export

Open Media Import and Raw media [or essence] only; Windows only
Framework Export
(OMF)

QuickTime Import and QuickTime required on Windows

(MOV) Export

Video for Import and Implemented via QuickTime on Mac OS

Windows (AVI) Export

Windows Media Import and Windows only

(WMV, WMA) Export

XDCAM HD and Import only After Effects can import Sony XDCAM HD assets if
XDCAM EX they were recorded to MXF files. After Effects cannot
(MXF, MP4) import XDCAM HD assets in IMX format. After
Effects can import Sony XDCAM EX assets stored as
essence files with the .mp4 filename extension in a
BPAV directory.

Project file formats

Format Import/Export Format Details
support

Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) Import only Windows only

Adobe After Effects 5 and later binary Import and Export

projects (AEP, AET)

Adobe After Effects CS4 XML Project Import and Export

(AEPX)

Adobe Premiere 6.0 and 6.5 (PPJ) Import only

Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, CS3, CS4 Import and Export 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0
(PRPROJ) Windows only
Other file formats
Format Import/Export Format Details
support

Adobe Clip Notes (PDF) Export only

XML Forms Data Format Import only For importing Adobe Clip Notes
(XFDF) comments.

Maya Scene camera data Import only

(MA)

CMYK file formats

After Effects CS4 can import Adobe Photoshop (.PSD), Adobe Illustrator (.AI), and
Encapsulated PostScript (.EPS) files that use the CMYK color space. After Effects will
convert the CMYK color values to RGB.

Note: After Effects cannot assign an input color profile to files that use non-RGB color
spaces, such as CMYK. Color management on CMYK files is therefore limited. To
effectively color manage CMYK files you should convert them to RGB before you import
them into After Effects.

16-bpc and 32-bpc file formats

While After Effects can operate in 16 and 32 bits per channel, most video and animation file
formats and codecs support only 8-bpc. Typical cross-application workflows for higher bit-
depth color involve rendering to a still image sequence rather than a video or animation file.
Still image formats that support 16-bpc that After Effects can render to include PSD, PNG,
TIFF, IFF, and SGI. Formats that support 32-bpc include PSD, EXR, HDR, and TIFF.

Video codecs that support 10-bpc are provided with hardware such as a capture card or
software such as Adobe Premiere Pro. You can import 10-bpc uncompressed YUV AVI files
created in Adobe Premiere Pro into 16-bpc RGB After Effects projects. You can also render
from After Effects with 10-bpc YUV compression.
Import footage items

You can import media files into your project either by using the Import dialog box or by
dragging. The imported footage items appear in the Project panel.

If the Interpret Footage dialog box appears after you import a footage item, it contains an
unlabeled alpha channel, and you must select an alpha channel interpretation method or click
Guess to let After Effects determine how to interpret the alpha channel.

Import footage items using the Import dialog box

1. Choose File > Import > File, choose File > Import > Multiple Files, or double-click an
empty area of the Project panel.

If you choose Import Multiple Files, then you can perform the next step more than
once without needing to choose an Import command multiple times.

To display only supported footage files (excluding project files), choose All Footage
Files from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Enable (Mac OS) menu.

2. Do one of the following:

o Select a file, and then click Open.
o Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) multiple files to select
them, and then click Open.
o Click a file and then Shift-click another file to select a range of files, and then
click Open.
o (Windows only) Select an entire folder, and then click Import Folder.

Note: If the Sequence option is selected, multiple files from the folder are imported
as a sequence of still images.

Import footage items by dragging

If you always want the layered still-image files that you drag into After Effects to be
imported as a composition, choose Edit > Preferences > Import (Windows) or After Effects >
Preferences > Import (Mac OS), and choose Composition or Composition - Retain Layer
Sizes from the Drag Import Multiple Items As menu.

 To import a single file, drag it from Windows Explorer (Windows) or the Finder (Mac
OS) into the Project panel.
 To import the contents of a folder as a sequence of still images that appear in the
Project panel as a single footage item, drag a folder from Windows Explorer
(Windows) or the Finder (Mac OS) into the Project panel.
 To import the contents of the folder as individual footage items that appear in the
Project panel in a folder, Alt-drag a folder from Windows Explorer (Windows) or
Option-drag a folder from the Finder (Mac OS) into the Project panel.
 To import a rendered output file from the Render Queue panel, drag the
corresponding output module from the Render Queue panel into the Project panel.
Note: If you drag an output module from the Render Queue panel into the Project panel
before rendering, After Effects creates a placeholder footage item. References to the
placeholder footage item are automatically replaced when the output module is rendered; the
placeholder footage item itself is not replaced.

Interpret footage items

After Effects uses a set of internal rules to interpret each footage item that you import
according to its best guess for the source file’s pixel aspect ratio, frame rate, color profile,
and alpha channel type. If After Effects guesses wrong, or if you want to use the footage
differently, you can modify these rules for all footage items of a particular kind by editing the
interpretation rules file (interpretation rules.txt), or you can modify the interpretation of a
specific footage item using the Interpret Footage dialog box.

The interpretation settings tell After Effects the following about each footage item:

 How to interpret the interaction of the alpha channel with other channels.
 What frame rate to assume for the footage item.
 Whether to separate fields and, if so, what field order to assume.
 Whether to remove 3:2 or 24Pa pulldown.
 The pixel aspect ratio of the footage item.
 The color profile of the footage item.

Note: In all of these cases, the information is used to make decisions about how to interpret
data in the imported footage item—to tell After Effects about the input footage. The
interpretation settings in the Interpret Footage dialog box should match the settings used to
create the source footage file. Do not use the interpretation settings to try to specify settings
for your final rendered output.

Generally, you don’t need to change interpretation settings. However, if a footage item isn’t
of a common kind, After Effects may need additional information from you to interpret it
correctly.

You can use the controls in the Color Management section of the Interpret Footage dialog
box to tell After Effects how to interpret the color information in a footage item. This step is
usually only necessary when the footage item does not contain an embedded color profile.

When you preview in the Footage panel, you see the results of the footage interpretation
operations.

Note: Select Preview in the Interpret Footage dialog box to preview the results of the settings
made in this dialog box before you accept the changes.

Interpret a single footage item using the Interpret Footage dialog box

 Select a footage item in the Project panel and do one of the following:

o Click the Interpret Footage button at the bottom of the Project panel.
o Drag the footage item to the Interpret Footage button.
 o Choose File > Interpret Footage > Main.
o Press Ctrl+Alt+G (Windows) or Command+Option+G (Mac OS).

Interpret a proxy using the Interpret Footage dialog box

 Select the original footage item in the Project panel and do one of the following:
o Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Interpret Footage button
at the bottom of the Project panel.
o Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the footage item to the Interpret
Footage button.
o Choose File > Interpret Footage > Proxy.

Apply Interpret Footage settings to multiple footage items

You can ensure that different footage items use the same settings by copying interpretation
settings from one item and applying them to others.

1. In the Project panel, select the item with the interpretation settings that you want to
apply.
2. Choose File > Interpret Footage > Remember Interpretation.
3. Select one or more footage items in the Project panel.
4. Choose File > Interpret Footage > Apply Interpretation.

Edit interpretation rules for all items of a specific kind

The interpretation rules file contains the rules that specify how After Effects interprets
footage items. In most cases, you don’t need to customize the interpretation rules file. When
you import a footage item, After Effects looks for a match in the interpretation rules file, and
then determines interpretation settings for the footage item. You can override these settings
after importing, using the Interpret Footage dialog box.

In most cases, the name of the interpretation rules file is interpretation rules.txt; however,
some updates to After Effects install a new interpretation rules file with a name that indicates
the updated version number, and the updated application uses this new file. If you’ve made
changes to the old interpretation rules file, you may need to apply those changes to the new
file, too.

Locations of the interpretation rules file in After Effects CC:

 (Windows) <drive>\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\After Effects

<13.0>
 (Mac OS) <drive>/Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects
<13.0>

Locations of the interpretation rules file in previous versions of After Effects CC:

 (Windows) <drive>\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\After Effects

<12.x>
  (Mac OS) <drive>/Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects
<12.x>

1. Quit After Effects.

2. As a precaution, make a backup copy of the interpretation rules file. By default, this
file is in the same location as the After Effects application.
3. Open the interpretation rules file in a text editor.
4. Modify the settings according to the instructions in the file.

Note: You must supply a four-character file-type code for each footage type or codec.
If you don’t know the code for a file or codec in a project, press Alt (Windows) or
Option (Mac OS) as you select the file in the Project panel. The file-type code and
codec code (if the file is compressed) appear in the last line of the file description at
the top of the Project panel.

5. Save interpretation rules.txt.

Alpha channel interpretation: premultiplied or straight

Image files with alpha channels store transparency information in one of two ways: straight
or premultiplied. Although the alpha channels are the same, the color channels differ.

With straight (or unmatted) channels, transparency information is stored only in the alpha
channel, not in any of the visible color channels. With straight channels, the results of
transparency aren’t visible until the image is displayed in an application that supports straight
channels.

With premultiplied (or matted) channels, transparency information is stored in the alpha
channel and also in the visible RGB channels, which are multiplied with a background color.
Premultiplied channels are sometimes said to be matted with color. The colors of
semitransparent areas, such as feathered edges, are shifted toward the background color in
proportion to their degree of transparency.

Some software lets you specify the background color with which the channels are
premultiplied; otherwise, the background color is usually black or white.

Straight channels retain more accurate color information than premultiplied channels.
Premultiplied channels are compatible with a wider range of programs, such as Apple
QuickTime Player. Often, the choice of whether to use images with straight or premultiplied
channels has been made before you receive the assets to edit and composite. Adobe Premiere
Pro and After Effects recognize both straight and premultiplied channels, but only the first
alpha channel they encounter in a file containing multiple alpha channels.

Setting the alpha channel interpretation correctly can prevent problems when you import a
file, such as undesirable colors at the edge of an image or a loss of image quality at the edges
of the alpha channel. For example, if channels are interpreted as straight when they are
actually premultiplied, semitransparent areas retain some of the background color. If a color
inaccuracy, such as a halo, appears along the semitransparent edges in a composition, try
changing the interpretation method.

A footage item with premultiplied channels (top) appears with a black halo when interpreted
as Straight-Unmatted (lower-left). When the footage item is interpreted as Premultiplied-
Matted With Color and the background color is specified as black, the halo does not appear
(lower-right).

You can use the Remove Color Matting effect to remove the fringes from the semi-
transparent areas of a layer by unmultiplying it.

Set the alpha channel interpretation for a footage item

1. In the Project panel, select a footage item.

2. Choose File > Interpret Footage > Main.
3. If you want to switch the opaque and transparent areas of the image, select Invert
Alpha.
4. In the Alpha section, select an interpretation method:

Guess: Attempts to determine the type of channels used in the image. If After Effects
cannot guess confidently, it beeps.

Ignore: Disregards transparency information contained in the alpha channel.

Straight – Unmatted: Interprets the channels as straight.

Premultiplied - Matted With Color: Interprets channels as premultiplied. Use the

eyedropper or color picker to specify the color of the background with which the
channels were premultiplied.

Set the default alpha channel preferences

1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Import (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences >
Import (Mac OS).
2. Choose options from the Interpret Unlabeled Alpha As menu. The options in this
menu are similar to the options in the Interpret Footage dialog box. Ask User specifies
that the Interpret Footage dialog box opens each time a footage item with an
unlabeled alpha channel is imported.
Frame rate

The composition frame rate determines the number of frames displayed per second, and how
time is divided into frames in the time ruler and time display. In other words, the composition
frame rate specifies how many times per second images are sampled from the source footage
items, and it specifies the time divisions at which keyframes can be set.

Note: After Effects contains a menu for drop-frame or non-drop-frame timecode in the
Composition Settings dialog box. In previous releases, this option was a global setting per
project.

Composition frame rate is usually determined by the type of output that you are targeting.
NTSC video has a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second (fps), PAL video has a frame rate of
25 fps, and motion picture film typically has a frame rate of 24 fps. Depending on the
broadcast system, DVD video can have the same frame rate as NTSC video or PAL video, or
a frame rate of 23.976. Cartoons and video intended for CD-ROM or the web are often 10–15
fps.

Setting the composition frame rate to twice the rate of the output format causes After Effects
to display each field of interlaced source footage as its own, separate frame in the
Composition panel. This process lets you set keyframes on individual fields and gain
precision when animating masks.

When you render a movie for final output, you can choose to use the composition frame rate
or another frame rate. The ability to set the frame rate for each output module is useful when
you are using the same composition to create output for multiple media.

Each motion-footage item in a composition can also have its own frame rate. The relationship
between the footage-item frame rate and the composition frame rate determines how
smoothly the layer plays. For example, if the footage-item frame rate is 30 fps and the
composition frame rate is 30 fps, then whenever the composition advances one frame, the
next frame from the footage item is displayed. If the footage-item frame rate is 15 fps and the
composition frame rate is 30 fps, then each frame of the footage item appears in two
successive frames of the composition. (This assumes, of course, the simple case in which no
time stretching or frame blending has been applied to the layer.)

Ideally, use source footage that matches the final output frame rate. This way, After Effects
renders each frame, and the final output does not omit, duplicate, or interpolate frames. If,
however, the source footage has a frame rate slightly different from what you want to output
to (for example, 30-fps footage and 29.97-fps final output), you can make the footage frame
rate match the composition frame rate by conforming it.

Conforming the frame rate of a footage item does not alter the original file, only the reference
that After Effects uses. When conforming, After Effects changes the internal duration of
frames but not the frame content. Afterward, the footage plays back at a different speed. For
example, if you conform the frame rate from 15 fps to 30 fps, the footage plays back twice as
fast. In most cases, conform the frame rate only when the difference between the footage
frame rate and the output frame rate is small.
Note: Conforming can change the synchronization of visual footage that has an audio track,
because changing the frame rate changes the duration of the video but leaves the audio
unchanged. If you want to stretch both audio and video, use the Time Stretch command.
Keyframes applied to the source footage remain at their original locations (which retains their
synchronization within the composition but not the visual content of the layer). You may
need to adjust keyframe locations after conforming a footage item.

You can change the frame rate for any movie or sequence of still images. For example, you
can import a sequence of ten still images and specify a frame rate for that footage item of 5
frames per second (fps); this sequence would then have a duration of two seconds when used
in a composition.

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.

Lower frame rates tend to give the impression of unreality, so many people prefer to work at
a lower frame rate such as 24 frames per second for creative work instead of working at the
29.97 frames per second that is standard for NTSC video.

Note: If you remove 3:2 pulldown from interlaced video footage, After Effects automatically
sets the frame rate of the resulting footage item to four-fifths of the original frame rate. When
removing 3:2 pulldown from NTSC video, the resulting frame rate is 24 fps.

The frame rate of the composition should match the frame rate of the final output format. In
most cases, you can simply choose a composition settings preset. In contrast, set the frame
rate for each footage item to the frame rate of the original source footage.

Change frame rate for a footage item

1. Select the footage item in the Project panel.

2. Choose File > Interpret Footage > Main.
3. Select Conform To Frame Rate, enter a new frame rate for Frames Per Second, and
then click OK.

Change frame rate for a composition

1. Choose Composition > Composition Settings.

2. Do one of the following:
o Choose a composition settings preset from the Preset menu.
o Set the Frame Rate value.

Pixel aspect ratio and frame aspect ratio

Pixel aspect ratio (PAR) is the ratio of width to height of one pixel in an image. Frame aspect
ratio (sometimes called image aspect ratio or IAR) is the ratio of width to height of the image
frame.
A 4:3 frame aspect ratio (left), and a wider 16:9 frame aspect ratio (right)

Most computer monitors use square pixels, but many video formats—including ITU-R 601
(D1) and DV—use non-square rectangular pixels.

Some video formats output the same frame aspect ratio but use a different pixel aspect ratio.
For example, some NTSC digitizers produce a 4:3 frame aspect ratio, with square pixels (1.0
pixel aspect ratio), and a frame with pixel dimensions of 640x480. D1 NTSC produces the
same 4:3 frame aspect ratio but uses nonsquare pixels (0.91 pixel aspect ratio) and a frame
with pixel dimensions of 720x486. D1 pixels, which are always nonsquare, are vertically
oriented in systems producing NTSC video and horizontally oriented in systems producing
PAL video.

If you display nonsquare pixels on a square-pixel monitor without alteration, images and
motion appear distorted; for example, circles distort into ellipses. However, when displayed
on a video monitor, the images are correct. When you import D1 NTSC or DV source footage
into After Effects, the image looks slightly wider than it does on a D1 or DV system. (D1
PAL footage looks slightly narrower.) The opposite occurs when you import anamorphic
footage using D1/DV NTSC Widescreen or D1/DV PAL Widescreen. Widescreen video
formats have a frame aspect ratio of 16:9.

Note: To preview non-square pixels on a computer monitor, click the Toggle Pixel Aspect
Ratio Correction button at the bottom of the Composition panel. The quality of the pixel
aspect ratio correction for previews is affected by the Zoom Quality preference in the
Previews category.

Square and nonsquare pixels

A. Square pixels and 4:3 frame aspect ratio B. Nonsquare pixels and 4:3 frame aspect ratio C.
Nonsquare pixels displayed on a square-pixel monitor
If a footage item uses nonsquare pixels, After Effects displays the pixel aspect ratio next to
the thumbnail image for the footage item in the Project panel. You can change the pixel
aspect ratio interpretation for individual footage items in the Interpret Footage dialog box. By
ensuring that all footage items are interpreted correctly, you can combine footage items with
different pixel aspect ratios in the same composition.

After Effects reads and writes pixel aspect ratios directly from QuickTime movies. For
example, if you import a movie captured as widescreen (16:9 DV), After Effects
automatically tags it correctly. Similarly, AVI and PSD files contain information that
explicitly indicates the pixel aspect ratio of the images.

If a footage item does not contain information that explicitly indicates the pixel aspect ratio
of the image, After Effects uses the pixel dimensions of the footage item frame to make a
guess. When you import a footage item with either the D1 pixel dimensions of 720x486 or
the DV pixel dimensions of 720x480, After Effects automatically interprets that footage item
as D1/DV NTSC. When you import a footage item with the D1 or DV pixel dimensions of
720x576, After Effects automatically interprets that footage item as D1/DV PAL. However,
you can make sure that all files are interpreted correctly by looking in the Project panel or the
Interpret Footage dialog box.

Note: Make sure to reset the pixel aspect ratio to Square Pixels when you import a square-
pixel file that happens to have a D1 or DV pixel dimensions—for example, a non-DV image
that happens to have pixel dimensions of 720x480.

The pixel aspect ratio setting of the composition should match the pixel aspect ratio of the
final output format. In most cases, you can simply choose a composition settings preset. In
contrast, set the pixel aspect ratio for each footage item to the pixel aspect ratio of the original
source footage.

Upgrade pixel aspect ratios to correct values

After Effects CS3 and earlier used pixel aspect ratios for standard-definition video formats
that ignore the concept of clean aperture. By not accounting for the fact that clean aperture
differs from production aperture in standard-definition video, the pixel aspect ratios used by
After Effects CS3 and earlier were slightly inaccurate. The incorrect pixel aspect ratios cause
some images to appear subtly distorted.

Note: The clean aperture is the portion of the image that is free from artifacts and distortions
that appear at the edges of an image. The production aperture is the entire image.

The following table provides details about pixel aspect ratio values in After Effects:

format value in After Effects CS4 and later previous value

D1/DV NTSC 0.91 0.9
D1/DV NTSC Widescreen 1.21 1.2
D1/DV PAL 1.09 1.07
D1/DV PAL Widescreen 1.46 1.42
This discrepancy is limited to these older, standard-definition formats for which clean
aperture differs from production aperture. This discrepancy doesn’t exist in newer formats.

New projects and compositions created in After Effects CS4 and later use the correct pixel
aspect ratio values by default.

Projects and compositions created in After Effects CS3 or earlier are upgraded to use the
correct pixel aspect ratios when these projects are opened in After Effects CS4 and later.

Note: If you have a custom interpretation rules file, then you should update it with the correct
pixel aspect ratio values.

If you use square-pixel footage items that are designed to fill the frame in a composition with
non-square pixels, you may find that the change in pixel aspect ratios causes a difference in
behavior. For example, if you previously created 768x576 square-pixel footage items to use
in a PAL D1/DV composition, you should now create those items with square-pixel
dimensions of 788x576.

Composition settings presets for square-pixel equivalents of standard definition formats have
changed as follows:

format pixel dimensions in After Effects previous pixel

CS4 and later dimensions
NTSC D1 square-pixel equivalent 720x534 720x540
NTSC D1 Widescreen square- 872x486 864x486
pixel equivalent
PAL D1/DV square-pixel 788x576 768x576
equivalent
PAL D1/DV Widescreen square- 1050x576 1024x576
pixel equivalent

Change pixel aspect ratio interpretation for a footage item

1. Select a footage item in the Project panel.

2. Choose File > Interpret Footage > Main.
3. Choose a ratio from the Pixel Aspect Ratio menu and click OK.

Change pixel aspect ratio for a composition

1. Choose Composition > Composition Settings.

2. Do one of the following:
o Choose a composition settings preset from the Preset menu.
o Choose a value from the Pixel Aspect Ratio menu.
Common pixel aspect ratios
Pixel aspect When to use
ratio
Square pixels 1.0 Footage has a 640x480 or 648x486 frame size, is
1920x1080 HD (not HDV or DVCPRO HD), is 1280x720
HD or HDV, or was exported from an application that
doesn’t support nonsquare pixels. This setting can also be
appropriate for footage that was transferred from film or for
customized projects.
D1/DV NTSC 0.91 Footage has a 720x486 or 720x480 frame size, and the
desired result is a 4:3 frame aspect ratio. This setting can
also be appropriate for footage that was exported from an
application that works with nonsquare pixels, such as a 3D
animation application.
D1/DV NTSC 1.21 Footage has a 720x486 or 720x480 frame size, and the
Widescreen desired result is a 16:9 frame aspect ratio.
D1/DV PAL 1.09 Footage has a 720x576 frame size, and the desired result is a
4:3 frame aspect ratio.
D1/DV PAL 1.46 Footage has a 720x576 frame size, and the desired result is a
Widescreen 16:9 frame aspect ratio.
Anamorphic 2:1 2.0 Footage was shot using an anamorphic film lens, or it was
anamorphically transferred from a film frame with a 2:1
aspect ratio.
HDV 1.33 Footage has a 1440x1080 or 960x720 frame size, and the
1080/DVCPRO desired result is a 16:9 frame aspect ratio.
HD 720, HD
Anamorphic
1080
DVCPRO HD 1.5 Footage has a 1280x1080 frame size, and the desired result
1080 is a 16:9 frame aspect ratio.
Definitions:

01. The Timeline

Probably the most unfamiliar thing about After Effects users will be the timeline. After all,
you're now dealing with moving, not static imagery. If you've played around with Photoshop
CS6's timeline you're already on the right track.

Take a look at the After Effects timeline in this screenshot: you'll notice there are layers just
like Photoshop (we've outlined this in more detail below) along with properties of that layer.
Next to each property is a stopwatch icon. This enables you to set keyframes that determine
such properties as position, opacity, scale and so on – meaning you can animate these over
time.

Auto keyframe

You can also set the timeline to auto-keyframe (the stopwatch icon second from the right,
circled in the screenshot) meaning when you move a layer, mask and so on in the
Composition window your keyframe will be recorded at that time. It's handy for tweaking
movement.

So, with that in mind, import an image (JPEG, PNG or whatever) drop down the arrow next
to the image name in the timeline, hit the stopwatch icon next to Position, drag the timeline
marker to say 01:00s and then move the image in the composition window. Play back to see
how it moves and experiment with different properties in the same way. Bringing keyframes
closer to one another will speed up the animation.
02. Layers

A common feature across Photoshop and After Effects are layers. But in After Effects they
work in a different way. There's no Layers panel in After Effects, rather layers are dealt with
on the timeline. Layers in After Effects can be animated independently – and you can animate
properties such as position, scale, rotation and opacity by using the dropdown arrow next to
the layer name on the timeline.

When importing a multilayered PSD file, you are asked whether you want to merge layers or
you can choose an individual layer – choosing to keep or ignore layer effects (you can add
the equivalent of these in After Effects and animate them independently). So, in short, think
of the timeline as your layers panel in which you build up an animation or motion piece – just
as you would a still in Photoshop.

03. Adjustment Layers

Adjustment Layers are probably something you're very familiar with in Photoshop – and in
the image-editing app work in a relatively formulaic way. You choose to add a new
Adjustment Layer, then choose the type (Photoshop has preset options such as
Brightness/Contrast, Hue/Saturation, different filters and so on) and adjust your opacity or
create a mask as appropriate.
In After Effects, Adjustment Layers do the same thing but are much more flexible. By going
to Layer>New>Adjustment Layer you set up a blank layer that you can then apply any effect
to (by dragging the effect from the Effects and Presets panel directly onto the Adjustment
Layer name in the Timeline). The Adjustment Layer affects – like Photoshop – the layers
beneath it in the stack.

Just like Photoshop, you can use After Effects' masking tools to only reveal part of the
adjustment layer (Ctrl+Right-click on the Layer and choose Mask>New Mask before
drawing a freeform or set shape). Then you can animate either the adjustment layer, the mask
(including feathering, opacity and shape) or both by using the arrow dropdown to the left of
the layer or mask name.

04. Filters and Effects

Just like Photoshop, After Effects has a myriad of effects and filters – both for creating
special effects, tweaking footage or correcting colours. And just like Photoshop, you apply
your effect to a layer, or group of layers (but unlike Photoshop, you apply a mask to hide or
show the effect rather than applying to a selection in the first place).

There are two ways of quickly applying an effect to a layer. You can either drag it from the
Effects & Presets panel directly to the layer in the composition window (a bounding box will
appear showing you which layer it will be applied to); or, if you have many layers, you can
simply drag it from the Effects & Presets panel onto the layer name. Its properties can then be
animated over time in the normal way. You can apply multiple effects to a layer, the resulting
effect determined by how the effects are layered in the stack.

05. Masks

Masks in After Effects work in a similar way to Photoshop or any image-editing application –
in that they show or hide what's on the layer that they are attached to. Like Photoshop, you
can set up multiple masks on an After Effects layer. And of course you can animate the
properties. Like we mentioned in tip 03, you add a mask by either selecting the Layer and
going to Layer>Mask>New Mask or Ctrl+Right-clicking on the layer in the timeline and
selecting the same option.

Masks are drawn either using the shape tools or the Pen tool found in the main tools panel.
You can also paint masks by selecting the brush tool, going to the Paint panel and chaining
the channel dropdown to Alpha. Then, in the timeline, double-click the layer you want to be
transparent. Next, paint black for transparent, white for opaque – the same as you would do
when creating a layer mask in Photoshop.

06. Rotoscoping

Another option for masking is the Rotobrush tool (CS5 or later, found in the main tools
panel) which acts very much like Photoshop's quick selection, enabling you to isolate a
moving object over time with relative ease (although you will need to clean up points). To
use this, first select the tool from the main tools panel, then double click the layer in the
timeline you wish to work on. Then, begin to paint ovate object you want to cut out.

You can change the brush size by Ctrl or Cmd-dragging on the canvas (rather than using the
[ and ] keys like you would in Photoshop). There are many other masking options in After
Effects – but these are the basics. Masks and selections are indeed a little more complex than
in Photoshop, but adhere to the same basic principles.

07. Rendering

Unlike Photoshop (unless you're creating a movie or 3D file) when you've completed a
sequence in After Effects you'll need to render it. This essentially means taking all the objects
and footage you've animated and putting it together as one file (or a sequence of files).

After Effects has a RAM preview – which allocates RAM to play video and audio in the
Timeline, Layer, or Footage panel at real-time speed. You can, for the most part, just use
Spacebar to preview your project at any time – but this depends on the speed of your Mac or
PC.

To Render, you need to set up the composition in the Render Queue. This is tabbed by default
with the Timeline. Go to Composition>Add to Render Queue, then click on Best Settings
next to Render Settings to choose a size and the quality (this is using the Render settings at its
most basic). Hit OK and then click Lossless next to Output Module, choosing a format. When
you're done, click on the name of your composition next to Output To specify a save location.
Import adjustment layer from Photoshop to After Effects

Follow these steps:

 Organize your Photoshop file. Name your layers meaningfully so you won't have to
figure out what they contain. Avoid duplicate names, particularly for layers of
different types.
 Unlock any locked layers, including your "Background" layer if your file contains
one. Otherwise, some layers won't work correctly in After Effects.
 Convert your file to RGB or Grayscale if it isn't already in one of these two color
modes. After Effects imports layered files in other color modes as flattened, single-
layer files.
 Add placeholder layers to your file if you anticipate adding more content to it. After
Effects can recognize new content on these layers later if they exist in your Photoshop
document before you import it.
 Crop your Photoshop file to eliminate areas you don't plan to use in After Effects.
This reduces the amount of memory After Effects needs to manipulate to render your
file.
 Save your file in Photoshop Document (PSD) format. Make sure the file name ends
with the ".psd" file extension.
 Open your After Effects document. Go to the "File" Menu and choose "File" from the
"Import" option.
 Navigate to where you saved your PSD file. Choose "Composition - Retain Layer
Sizes" as the import mode to retain the positions of Photoshop layers relative to one
another, and bring your imagery into After Effects the way it looks in Photoshop.
How to Prepare Illustrator Files for Animation in After Effects

Shape layers in After Effects are powerful tools for making compositions, but designers
unfamiliar with the software may find them difficult to use. For those more familiar with
Illustrator, you’re in luck: importing Illustrator files into After Effects has become easier with
each new release. However, there is still some prep work that must be done to your Illustrator
file before it can be imported into After Effects. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1

For this example, choose following image. You can chose any of the cameras from this
image, but I’m going to be using the one pictured below.

Step 2

Create a new Illustrator document that’s 1920px by 1080px. This will be the size of our
composition in After Effects. Copy and paste the camera into the new document and resize to
your liking.
Step 3

If we went ahead and brought this into After Effects right now, the camera would act like a
single object. The resulting animation would be very boring. You wouldn’t have any control
over the individual shapes that make up the camera. Therefore, our main goal before bringing
it into After Effects is to separate each shape into its own layer. This can be done two ways.

Option 1:

Open up the Layers Panel. If it’s not already on your sidebar, go to Window > Layers.
To create a new layer, click the icon that looks like a folded piece of paper at the bottom of
the Layers panel. Create a lot of layers so you don’t have to keep going back to that button.

Next, ungroup everything and select a single shape. In the Layers panel, notice that a little
square has appeared on the far right side of the layer.

To bring the selected shape into a new layer, click on that square and drag it into one of the
new layers. Once it has been moved, rename it so you’ll be able to tell which shape is in that
layer.
Do this for each shape. After a shape is moved to its own layer, it’s helpful to hide it. This
way, you’ll be able to see which ones still need to be moved to their own layers.

Option 2:

Open up the Layers panel. Select the camera layer. Next, click the icon at the top-right of the
panel and select the Release to Layers (Sequence) option.

This will put each individual shape into its own layer. After, select all the layers and drag
them outside of the layer they are all in. That empty layer can then be deleted.

Go through all the layers and rename them so you know which shape the layer contains. It
may take a while, but it will save you time once you get into After Effects.
That’s pretty much it. Simple, right? We’re now ready to bring the Illustrator file into After
Effects.

Step 4

Open After Effects and go to File > Import > File. Select your Illustrator file and, at the
bottom, where it says ―Import As,‖ make sure to select Composition – Retain Layer Sizes.
Open up the newly created composition, and you’re ready to animate!