MOTION GRAPHICS ILLUSTRATOR SERIES
MOTION GRAPHICS ILLUSTRATOR FREE

MOTION GRAPHICS ILLUSTRATOR SERIES

You may want to do this if you are doing the same animation to a series of layers and offsetting them. But it's not a bad idea to at least give each layer the same name that is descriptive. It's not quite as accurate as renaming, but it can do the trick. In some situations, color coding may be the quickest method of organizing your files. What this does is save you a second or two and means you don't have to click with your mouse on each layer which can get tedious. Hit Return (Enter) to rename that layer.Cmd+up/down arrow to select the layer above/below.Hit Return (Enter) to commit the new name.When a layer is selected in After Effects > hit Return (Enter).It's easier to rename layers in After Effects. In After Effects, go to File > Import > File (Cmd+I). This does mean you have to start the animation over again. What you can do if you need to make big changes is duplicate the Illustrator file, make your changes, and re-import into After Effects. You're pretty safe if you're changing colors, or doing minor adjustments to the shape, but adding new layers (or deleting layers) or making major changes to the design can cause big problems in After Effects.

Don't mess with Illustrator files too much once they've been used in After EffectsĬhanging Illustrator files after they been used in After Effects can cause problems. ArtboardsĪrtboards can be great for storyboarding, but when you're preparing a file for animating in After Effects, it's best to create new files for each artboard. I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one, but you probably also need the reminder and encouragement. And whether it's the next day or the next month, if you don't label your file well, you're definitely going to be kicking yourself. You never know when you'll need or want to dig back into a file. Illustrator Basics Everything on it's own layerĪnything that you want to animate needs to be on it's own top layer. Renaming layers is easier in After Effects (see below for details).When you import an Illustrator file into After Effects, 90% of the time you probably want to import as Composition - Retain Layer Size.All elements you want to animate go on a separate top level layer in Illustrator.Don't expect perfect files, but if they can help you out in any way, you'll be able to turn around an animation that much quicker. Don't give them a hard time about it no one has probably ever taken the time to explain it to them.

MOTION GRAPHICS ILLUSTRATOR FREE

Feel free to send this along to designers who may be sending you Illustrator files that add an hour or more of work for you. Here's a guide for organizing your illustrator file. labeling layers is a good habit to get into You might be tempted to get lazy if the file isn't complex, but. You usually need to animate almost every element in the design, so you have to have files that are super clean and well labeled. There are some things you need to know to make it play nicely with After Effects.

Motion graphics illustrator