How to Import an Illustrator File in After Effects

Learn how to import Illustrator files into Adobe After Effects and access your source files, manipulate keyframes, add expression to the parameter.

Video Transcription

The next I want to do is import an illustrator file. Here in my project bin, I will select the illustrator folder so I can import the comp directly to this folder. So from the file pull down, I will import file and navigate to where I have my source project. In chapter 1, I can find my illustrator files in the illustrator folder. I will choose Inky.clouds, instead of just a composition, I will import them as crop layers. Opening it, not only gives me a folder of the illustrator layers but also gives me a composition. I will simply move the composition down the pre comps folder in my project pane. Next, I will open up that folder to reveal it and double click. Here, I can see all the different layers from the illustrator folder, I could go into each one this layers, type in P on the keyboard, reveal the perimeter for position, clicking on stopwatch enables key frames for this layer. Now I can move my play head to anywhere on the timeline and move this layer to create an animation between two key frames. After effects also allows me to add an expression to the perimeter. We will go a few of this later on in the series. By selecting the layer and typing P on the keyboard to open up the position perimeter. I will select the position then from the animation pull down window, I will add the expression. This allows me to type in the small javascript phrase into this dialog box. I will type wiggle and use a parenthesis and type in a value of the amount of times I want the layer to wiggle, three and the amount I wanted to wiggle, ten pixels and use a close parenthesis to finish the expression. That is it. I will use enter on the number pad and now, each layer that this is applied to will have a little wiggle. I will click zero on the number pad to start a quick run preview. I will type zero again to the stop the run preview. If you are using a laptop, you may need to use function M if you do not have a number pad on your keyboard.