User Guide

CHAPTER 2
76
Preparing and Importing Footage
If you import a layered Adobe Photoshop file as a merged file, After Effects merges the
transparent areas and layer masks of all the layers into one alpha channel that is premulti-
plied with white. See “Importing layered Photoshop files” on page 74.
If a layered Adobe Photoshop file contains clipping groups, After Effects imports each
clipping group as a composition nested within the main composition. After Effects
automatically applies its Preserve Underlying Transparency option to each layer in the
clipping-group composition, to maintain transparency settings.
When you import a Adobe Photoshop file as a composition, any clipping paths in the
imported layers are converted to After Effects masks. You can then modify and animate
these masks within After Effects.
After Effects also supports any blending modes applied to the file. For more information
on the Preserve Underlying Transparency option, see “Preserving underlying trans-
parency during compositing” on page 261.
Using adjustment layers from Adobe Photoshop
Adjustment layers in Adobe Photoshop versions 4.0 and later change the color and tonal
qualities of an image without permanently modifying the original image. Adobe Photo-
shop adjustment layers affect the appearance of all layers below them. When you import
an Adobe Photoshop file containing one or more adjustment layers, After Effects directly
converts the Adobe Photoshop adjustment layers to After Effects adjustment layers. Turn
off the Adjustment Layer switch in After Effects to remove the effect and display the layer
as a white solid. To remove the effect and the white solid, either delete the adjustment layer
or turn off the Video switch for the layer. See “Creating an adjustment layer” on page 128
and “About After Effects Audio/Video switches” on page 146.
Using Adobe Photoshop layer effects (styles)
In Adobe Photoshop 5.0 and later, you can use a layer effect (or style) to modify the layer
to which it is applied. When you import an Adobe Photoshop file as a composition, and
one or more of the layers contain layer effects, then After Effects includes the effects and
the layer as two or more separate layers in the Timeline window.
Note: Only some Adobe Photoshop styles (effects) can be imported into After Effects. These
include Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Outer Glow, Inner Glow, Bevel and Emboss, and
Color Fill.
UG.book Page 76 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM