• Adobe After Effects

  Importing photoshop Layer shapes as vector

  Posted by Jonathan Alexander on May 24, 2006 at 4:41 pm

  I have a photoshop file that is DV resolution in size. Among all my layers are a bunch of layer shapes, which I thought were vector, yes?

  Problem is when I import my photoshop file as a compisition, after effects rasterizes the layer shapes into bitmap images, which are not up scaleable. Is there something that I am missing, or is this just like most of the layer styles and AE doesn’t import them correctly?

  Thanks,
  Jonathan

  Andrew Yoole replied 20 years ago 4 Members · 7 Replies
• 7 Replies

• 

  Mylenium

  May 24, 2006 at 4:49 pm

  Copy & Paste your shapes as masks. If that’s not workable for you, then yes, your observations are right. AE will use the rasterized shapes.

  Mylenium

  [Pour Myl
• 

  Jonathan Alexander

  May 24, 2006 at 5:04 pm

  I will try that, just stinks, because I have a bunch of layers, and if I’m not mistaken, I will have to copy and paste each one at a time? I hope they are working on these kind of import issues between photoshop and AE for the near future releases, it would be wonderful.

  Thanks again,
  Jonathan
• 

  Jonathan Alexander

  May 24, 2006 at 6:47 pm

  Yes, that would be the best case scenario, but if they’re going to make all of these vector graphic tools available within Photoshop, they should also import the same into After Effects. I’ve got nothing against using illustrator, but sometimes illustrator is not available and plus, it’s also nice to use as few applications as possible.

  Thanks,
  Jonathan
• 

  Sam Moulton

  May 24, 2006 at 11:07 pm

  save the photoshop file as a photoshop eps and vectors will stay vectors but i don’t think it will import as a layered comp

  If you have a bunch of layers then open in Illustrator CS, the shapes will come in as groups. release to layers – build
  you might need to clean up any junk you get

  then drag the released layers above layer 1 and delete the empty layer 1

  import as an illustrator comp and you’ll have all your photoshop layers and the shapes will be vectors.
• 

  Andrew Yoole

  May 25, 2006 at 9:07 am

  There’s an easy workaround to solve your problem.

  Import your Photoshop file as a Comp/Cropped Layers. AE7 will import the Masks with the Shape layers, they will just be rasterized.

  Create a new solid the same size as your comp.

  Select all the shape layers in the timeline, and then Alt-drag the Solid from the Project Window/Solids folder onto the layers in the timeline. This replaces each rasterized layer’s “source” with a comp-sized solid.

  Now you can click Continuously Rasterize, and all the Photoshop Vectors will work perfectly.
• 

  Sam Moulton

  May 25, 2006 at 4:00 pm

  Andrew’s solution works perfectly if you import as a comp, not import as a comp with cropped layers. the only gotcha is if the photoshop layers extend outside the photoshop image size.
• 

  Andrew Yoole

  May 26, 2006 at 1:15 am

  You’re quite right – I was working on the presumption that the Vector Masks in the PSD were on standard Shape layers, which are always the same size as the document itself.

  If the Vectors are attached to layers which are not the same size as the document, import layers at Document size rather than cropped (as Sam said).

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