To export an animation from Photoshop to After Effects, you'll typically render your Photoshop animation as an image sequence and then import that sequence into After Effects. Here's a detailed breakdown of the process:
1. Prepare Your Photoshop Animation
- Create your animation in Photoshop. Ensure your animation is complete and ready for export.
- Verify Frame Duration: Check the duration of each frame in your animation timeline. This will be important when setting the frame rate in After Effects.
2. Export as an Image Sequence
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Make a copy of the last frame (optional, but useful for looping). This helps to create a seamless loop if needed. To do this, select the last frame in the timeline and click the "new frame" icon (duplicate frame).
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Go to File > Export > Render Video... This opens the Render Video dialog box.
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Configure the Render Settings:
- Name: Choose a descriptive name for your image sequence.
- Location: Select the folder where you want to save the image sequence. Create a new folder to keep your files organized.
- Adobe Media Encoder: Leave this setting as is (the default).
- Format: Select "Photoshop Image Sequence." This is crucial for importing into After Effects as a sequence.
- Options (Format Options): Choose an image format for the sequence. PNG is recommended for preserving transparency. JPEG is smaller, but lossy. TIFF is lossless and higher quality but larger file size.
- Size: Set the desired width and height of the animation. Ensure it matches your Photoshop document's dimensions.
- Frame Rate: This is important. Ensure that the frame rate is correct for your animation. If you animated "on ones" in Photoshop, setting the correct frame rate will be important.
- Range: "All Frames" is usually what you want. You can specify a custom range if needed.
- Render Options: Typically, leave these at their default settings.
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Click "Render." Photoshop will now export each frame of your animation as a separate image file into the specified folder.
3. Import into After Effects
- Open After Effects.
- Go to File > Import > File...
- Navigate to the folder where you saved the image sequence.
- Select the first image in the sequence.
- Important: Make sure the "Photoshop Sequence" option (or the relevant image format sequence, e.g., "PNG Sequence") is checked at the bottom of the import dialog box before you click "Open." After Effects will then recognize all the images as a single animation sequence.
- Click "Open."
- Interpret Footage: After Effects might ask you to interpret the footage. If needed, adjust the frame rate to match what you set during the export from Photoshop. You can always right-click the imported footage in the Project panel, and select "Interpret Footage" -> "Main" to change settings.
4. Create a Composition
- Drag the imported image sequence from the Project panel to the "New Composition" icon (the small filmstrip icon at the bottom of the Project panel). This will create a new composition with the image sequence automatically placed on the timeline.
Troubleshooting
- Image Sequence Not Importing as a Sequence: Ensure the "Photoshop Sequence" (or equivalent) checkbox is selected during import. All images must be in the same folder and named sequentially (e.g., frame_0001.png, frame_0002.png, etc.).
- Frame Rate Issues: Double-check the frame rate in both Photoshop's Render Video settings and After Effects' Interpret Footage settings to ensure they match.
- Missing Frames: If frames are missing, verify that all frames were rendered correctly from Photoshop.
By following these steps, you can successfully export your Photoshop animation and import it into After Effects for further editing or compositing.
