After Effects 6.5 and Photoshop layer styles

[guns1inger]

I have been making some DVD menu templates in photoshop for later use in DVD Lab. A couple of them lend themselves to being animated, and AE seemed to be the perfect choice. I can import the photoshop file as a composition, keeping all the layers intact. So far, so good.

The problem I am having is that I have used layer styles in photosop to add a drop shadow and an outer glow to my text to make it stand out. AE does not import the styles, so I have to recreate them. I can use the Perspective/Drop Shadow effect to add the drop shadows back in, but I cannot come up with a simple way to get the outer glow back.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this ?

[racer-x]

You could try rasterizing the layers that you added styles to. Go to the layers pallet > Right-click on the layer, and choose Rasterize Layer. Every effect you add to that layer will be combined.

That should work.

[racer-x]

For the record, All this could also be done with Premiere Pro. Just import the multi-layerd psd file as a Composition. You can then easily animate each layer within Premiere.

Premiere Pro picked up so many features from After Effects, that I almost never use After Effects any more.

[guns1inger]

Thanks for the suggestion, but rasterising only converts the text to bitmap, but it still keeps the styles. I worked out an alternative that works though - add a transparent layer under the text, then merge the text down. This converts the styles to raster images as well, and gives me the alpha channel I need in AE.

I never felt as comfortable with Premiere as I do with Vegas, and I wouldn't use AE if I could afford Digital Fusion (I love node based compositing, and Fusion's implementation is the best, IMO)

[pijetro]

Aw crap, there is a way, and it's on the Total training tutorials..

I'll see if i can dig it up..
Sorry to lead you on....

[racer-x]

I was going to suggest adding an empty layer below and then merge down, if the Razterise command didn't work. I must of forget to include it in my post. It appears that all layers need to be rasterized before AE will handle them properly.

Well it's great you figured it out, good luck on your project.

[guns1inger]

Cheers - they are looking pretty good so far.

Here is an example of one I have been working on (although not the one I was having trouble with)



This is the static version. There will also be a motion version where the eye will move around and blink.

[racer-x]

Very interesting menu! Yes, I think the blinking eyeball would be very cool.