Duration for Imported Photoshop Layers

[Steven Smith]

Thanks for the speedy reply. I tried that before I posted, no dice. Like I said, the default duration is 8 frames and I can adjust the end point within that span (make the clip 7 frames, 6 frames, etc.). But I can’t make it any longer than that.

[Dave Johnson]

Unless they’re time-remapped, layers that represent nested comps can’t be longer than the comps they represent … in other words, if comp A is 5 seconds long and you put it inside of comp B, that layer in comp B can’t be any longer than 5 seconds. I realize you may not have put any comps inside of other comps, but depending on the characteristics of your PSD, it’s very likely that comps and precomps were automatically created via the process of importing into AE.

[Greg Neumayer]

You may just be looking for the import setting:
After Effects > Preferences > Import

I had to change this when I imported a heavily nested (folders) photoshop document. All folders get converted to comps that are the same length as your main comp, but individual layers only show up per the preference set above. So, in my case, the comps were long enough, but the individual layers were too short.

Dave’s note below is a great keyboard shortcut to know, but if you’ve got a very nested psd, you might be better off just fixing that pref and re-importing.

If you’ve already made changes to your top level comp before you realize you’d like to re-import, you can option-drag your new imported comp over the first one to replace it, but you’ll lose any changes you’ve made to the nested comps.

-Greg Neumayer

Antifreeze Design
https://www.antifreezedesign.com

[Andy Engelkemier]

My preference isn’t working. It was set to 1 second (which isn’t what it imported as). I changed it to 1 minute, what I want. I imported again and the composition was 1 frame.

I realized that the last sequence of images I created was 1 second.
So my solution was to grab two images in the project window and create a composition from them. That opens a window that asks if you want them sequenced, their duration, etc. That’s the duration my PSD import is using, not the one from preferences.

This is AE 5.5. Am I alone in that? Is that desired or perhaps a bug?

[Josh Zacharias]

It is related to how you name your photoshop files. Your files names probably look something like:
scene 1.psd
scene 2.psd
scene 3.psd

When you import photoshop “scene 1.psd” after effects thinks its a sequence. Just uncheck the “photoshop sequence” option when you are importing the file.

If you try importing a photoshop file called test.psd suddenly your layers are flexible and you can drag the duration because AE didn’t check the “photoshop sequence” option automatically this time. Soon as your file name appears like a sequence numbering system. AE checks “photoshop sequence” automatically. Simply uncheck it before you hit import.

[David Millerd]

I had the same issue, when importing I unchecked the “photoshop sequence” under the sequence options and my footage came in normally.

[Mikhail Konovalov]

Maybe you have someting done to the PSD in the Photoshop’s own “Timeline”. Check if it’s not 8 frames there. I’ve encountered the same, the fix was to delete all animation in photoshop document and resave it, it then imported into After Effects as normal. But I would like to know if there is a way to retain photoshop animation (i.e. settings in the Photoshop’s own “Timeline” panel) and yet to be able to ignore or override it upon having it imported in After Effects as a composition so as to change the layers’ duration freely. Hope I’m making myself clear enough. The only workaround I came up with for now is to assign Time Remap (Ctrl+Alt+T) to the layers, but a crutch is a crutch.

[Roei Tzoref]

for me it looks like Op accidentally imported his Psd file as Psd sequence. there is not a mention in his post that we want’s to import an animation. so I really thing david is right on the money

[David Millerd] “I had the same issue, when importing I unchecked the “photoshop sequence” under the sequence options and my footage came in normally.
“

but we can’t tell because Op never came back…

[Mikhail Konovalov] “But I would like to know if there is a way to retain photoshop animation (i.e. settings in the Photoshop’s own “Timeline” panel)”

if you work with a video timeline, when you import your psd, if the layers were not video layers, then Ae will keep your editing.

Ps

Ae

it appears it does not support video layers so no luck there and you will get an error message and the editing won’t be retained.

you can of course render your Ps video and import to Ae.

Roei Tzoref
After Effects Artist & Instructor
♫ Ae Blues Tutorials

[Mikhail Konovalov]

[Roei Tzoref] “but we can’t tell because Op never came back…”

Indeed. I considered the overlooked checkbox too obvious a reason, also myself was stumped at similar problem but of a different genesis. I searched forums at Adobe’s site as well, and only found advice similar to my crutch (time remapping layers, or else deleting all data in Photoshop Timeline and re-saving the .psd).

Here’re the screenshots of the problematic file in both Photoshop and After Effects (imported as Composition, Sequence checkbox unchecked)

Photoshop:

After Effects:

and the source file itself:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1mvi9KB-6D1YzJmdEFDR25mWTA/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for your time!

[Roei Tzoref]

thank you for the file. this is interesting. I find the integration between rotoscoping in Ps, and video in Ps with Ps->Ae workflow fascinating.

all of your layers were imported as sequences. you can see it by the icon.

you should import them with the psd sequence unchecked.

still you are correct, it seems that when you import a video timeline that has a video layer, all of your layers will be imported with the duration that was set for them in PS. this should not be a problem for the video layer (beautiful animation BTW) because that’s the animation you want. as for the other layers, the workaround are easy:
1. time remapping like you suggested
2. * my favorite: you can extend only one layer, and you will get all of them in the duration you extended that one layer in Ps. good news – you can do this even after you imported the file and it will update with the new duration.
3. set the interpret footage for each to loop (as many times as you want) and you can use remember interpretation – apply interpretation for all of them (10 seconds and you are done)

see if you get it to work.

Roei Tzoref
After Effects Artist & Instructor
♫ Ae Blues Tutorials