- Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Projects
- Adobe After Effects Animation Tutorials
- Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Software
- Text On A Path Illustrator
- Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Download
I am new to After Effects, currently teaching myself how to use it. I have an Illustrator vector file I have added into AE and I wanted to animate it drawing itself out. I have sort of managed to do this but doing a Auto Trace on the object then animating the Stroke with Trim paths. But this is only animating the outline, not the fill. In Illustrator, Select All and Copy. Count the number of paths you have copied. (If you have more paths than brain cells right now, first paste them to a solid in After Effects, then press M and count how many mask paths are created!) In After Effects, if you want to create a new shape layer, press F2 to Deselect All. In After Effects, I'll often convert Illustrator layers to shapes. This gives a little more precise control over where to set the anchor point (if you hold command while setting the point), and you can manipulate/animate the path, color, stroke, etc. Join illustrator and animator Sylvia Yang in this snack-loving and multi-platform animation class all about discovering the power of combining your favorite Adobe Creative Suite programs to create wildly sharable animations. With over 7.5 BILLION views, Sylvia has developed a style and process that makes her 'foodie' animations insanely sharable. Logo animation using trim path function in After Effects.
No matter what object you're animating on the map (ours shows a taxi cab), you'll want to select the layer containing that object and choose Layer > Transform > Auto-Orient from the main menu. In the Auto-Orientation dialog box, select Orient Along Path and click OK. Switch over to Illustrator, select the patterned line layer in the artwork, and choose Edit > Copy. Return to After Effects and position the playhead at the beginning of the comp. Select the Taxi Cab layer and press P to expose Position. Now select the Position parameter itself and choose Edit > Paste to paste the path points as keyframes. Hold the Option/Alt button while dragging the last keyframe in the series — keeping them all selected (blue) — until you reach the end of the comp. Doing this retains their relative positions and makes the taxi move at the same pace as the patterned line. Finally, in the Composition panel, select one of the points in the pasted path's outline and reposition it over its proper location on the map. You may need to increase the Zoom level to get it right. Play the comp and watch the taxi move along the defined path and leave the patterned line behind it. If necessary, press R on the Taxi Cab layer and change the Rotation value so the car faces forward.
Cover image via
Use your Adobe Illustrator files to create stunning motion graphics for your next project in After Effects.
Cover image via Shutterstock.
Adobesoftware applications work quite well together; you just need to know the ins and out of each program. In this tutorial, we're going to take a look at how to work with Illustratorfiles in Adobe After Effects. Specifically, we'll look at how to bring AI layers into AE and prepare them for animation. I'm going to show you how to prepyour file in Illustrator, and I'll also teach you all of the ways to importyour file in After Effects. Finally, I will go over a few methods of manipulatingthe AI file further once it's in After Effects.
Let's get started!
The Project
I'm working on a motion graphics project that consists of animatinga map of the United States. My client has provided me with a layered EPSvector graphic file of the United States that they want me to use in the animation. Wps pdf reader free download. They've asked me to take this map and create a variety of animations, including an animation for each individual state. Let's take a look at the file and see how I can work with this file in Adobe After Effects.
Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Projects
Prep the Illustrator File
First, I will save my EPS file as an .ai or Adobe Illustrator file since After Effects provides more support for this file format. To ensure that Illustrator files appear correctly in After Effects, I'll select Create PDF Compatible File in the Illustrator Optionsdialog box. Another issue I have with this file is the fact that everything is located in one layer. Since AE only displays AI layers, I need to put all of the individual states in their own layer. To do this, I'll select all of the states in layer 1 and select Release to Layers. Now my AI file is prepped for import.
Import into After Effects
Adobe After Effects Animation Tutorials
I have several options when bringing an AI file into After Effects. When I importan Illustrator file, I get the import dialogue box, which provides me with two options: Footage and Composition. If I import my file as Footage, I can choose to mergeall of the layers into one, or I can import a specific layer on its own. I can further specify if I want the layers to retain their size or scale up to be the size of the document. If I choose Composition, a new composition will appear in my AE project that will include all of the imported layers from the file.
Let's get started!
The Project
I'm working on a motion graphics project that consists of animatinga map of the United States. My client has provided me with a layered EPSvector graphic file of the United States that they want me to use in the animation. Wps pdf reader free download. They've asked me to take this map and create a variety of animations, including an animation for each individual state. Let's take a look at the file and see how I can work with this file in Adobe After Effects.
Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Projects
Prep the Illustrator File
First, I will save my EPS file as an .ai or Adobe Illustrator file since After Effects provides more support for this file format. To ensure that Illustrator files appear correctly in After Effects, I'll select Create PDF Compatible File in the Illustrator Optionsdialog box. Another issue I have with this file is the fact that everything is located in one layer. Since AE only displays AI layers, I need to put all of the individual states in their own layer. To do this, I'll select all of the states in layer 1 and select Release to Layers. Now my AI file is prepped for import.
Import into After Effects
Adobe After Effects Animation Tutorials
I have several options when bringing an AI file into After Effects. When I importan Illustrator file, I get the import dialogue box, which provides me with two options: Footage and Composition. If I import my file as Footage, I can choose to mergeall of the layers into one, or I can import a specific layer on its own. I can further specify if I want the layers to retain their size or scale up to be the size of the document. If I choose Composition, a new composition will appear in my AE project that will include all of the imported layers from the file.
Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Software
Create Shapes from Layers
Text On A Path Illustrator
Once I have my Illustrator files in After Effects, I can make further adjustments. To provide myself with more versatility when animating, I can turn all of my Illustrator layers intoshapes. To do this, I'll select my layers in the comp I imported and go to Layer > Create Shapes From Layers. Using shape layers opens up a number possibilities, including quickly changing the fill and stroke options, adding a gradient, changing the path, adding a wiggle effect, and a handful of other features.
Animate Illustrator Paths In After Effects Download
Looking for more tips and tricks? Check out these resources.