Topics Covered in This After Effects Tutorial:
Master the essential workflow of importing layered files as flattened images, bringing in individual layers, and preserving complete layer structures. Learn advanced techniques for converting Photoshop text to remain editable in After Effects, implementing strategic text layer separation using masks, creating sophisticated offset animation sequences, and applying professional ease-ins and ease-outs for polished motion graphics.
Tutorial Learning Objectives
Combine all layers into a single element for simple animations
Extract specific layers while maintaining their properties
Preserve the complete layer structure for complex animations
Enable text editing capabilities within After Effects
Isolate individual words for independent animation control
Exercise Preview
Exercise Overview
In this comprehensive four-part exercise series, you'll create a professional intro animation for a movie feature presentation. This module focuses on the critical foundation skills of importing layered Photoshop documents into After Effects—a workflow that separates novice motion designers from seasoned professionals.
You'll explore multiple import methodologies, understanding when and why to use each approach based on your project requirements. We'll animate the Movie logo and accompanying text elements with sophisticated fade transitions synchronized to vertical position changes, then implement advanced timing controls to create dynamic pacing that holds viewer attention.
Movie Logo Animation Breakdown
Logo Entry
Movie logo fades in while falling down with gradient styling intact
Feature Text Entry
Feature text enters frame with same fade-in animation but offset timing
Presentation Text Entry
Presentation text completes the sequence with matching animation style
Exit Animation
All elements fade out while continuing downward motion after display time
Previewing What You'll Make in This Exercise
Before diving into the technical workflow, let's examine the final output to understand our creative objectives.
On the Desktop, navigate to Class Files > After Effects Class > Movie Intro > Finished Clips and double–click Movie-Feature-Presentation.mov.
Study the video carefully and observe these key animation elements:
- The logo and text feature subtle gradient treatments that enhance visual depth. Each element enters the frame sequentially, creating a cascading reveal effect as they fade in while dropping into position.
- After establishing the complete layout, the logo and text elements gracefully exit using synchronized fade-outs paired with continued downward motion.
Watch the preview multiple times to internalize the timing, pacing, and visual hierarchy—we'll be recreating every nuance in this exercise. Keep the file open as your reference throughout the build process.
Examining the Photoshop Layout
Understanding your source material before import is crucial for making informed workflow decisions. Let's analyze the Photoshop file structure to anticipate potential challenges and optimization opportunities.
On the Desktop, navigate to Class Files > After Effects Class > Movie Intro > Assets and double–click Movie Feature Pres.psd to open it in Photoshop.
In the Layers panel on the right, click on the Movie logo layer (the topmost of three layers) to select it.
Notice the Smart Object thumbnail
to the left of the layer name. Smart objects are sophisticated embedded assets that preserve the original source data—in this case, vector graphics created in Adobe Illustrator. This embedding technique maintains maximum flexibility while keeping all assets within a single Photoshop document.To demonstrate the power of vector-based smart objects, go to Edit > Free Transform.
Press Shift and drag one of the corner resize handles
to scale the smart object larger. Notice how it maintains perfect edge quality at any size—this is the fundamental advantage of vector graphics over raster imagery.Since this was purely demonstrative, press the Esc key to cancel the transformation. (If you already applied it, use Edit > Undo Free Transform.)
Back in the Layers panel, examine the Feature Presentation layer, which displays a T thumbnail
. This indicates native Photoshop vector text created with the Horizontal Type tool 
, which remains fully editable and scalable.Notice the fx icons
to the right of the top two layer names, indicating applied layer styles.Click the small triangles
next to both fx icons to reveal the Gradient Overlay effects applied to both the Movie logo smart object and the Feature Presentation text layer. These layer styles will need special consideration during the After Effects import process.Press Cmd–Q (Mac) or CTRL–Q (Windows) to quit Photoshop, and select Don't Save when prompted.
Smart objects contain vector graphics that scale infinitely without losing resolution. They maintain their quality when transformed, making them ideal for logos that may need resizing.
Photoshop Layer Types Identified
Smart Object Layer
Movie logo embedded as vector graphic from Adobe Illustrator. Scales without quality loss and maintains sharp edges at any size.
Vector Text Layer
Feature Presentation text created with Photoshop's Horizontal Type tool. Editable and maintains crisp appearance when scaled.
Layer Effects Applied
Both logo and text have Gradient Overlay effects that need to be preserved during the import process.
Getting Started
Now we'll establish our After Effects project with the proper settings and organizational structure for professional workflow.
Switch to After Effects.
Go to File > New > New Project.
We'll create a temporary composition to establish the correct project settings for our imported assets. Go to Composition > New Composition.
Configure the following settings (we won't name this composition since it's temporary):
Preset: HDTV 1080 29.97 Resolution: Full (ensures maximum layer sharpness during preview) Duration: 0;00;06;00 Click OK to create the temporary composition.
Since this composition only served to establish our project defaults, select it in the Project panel and press the Delete key to remove it.
Go to File > Save As > Save As.
Navigate to Desktop > Class Files > After Effects Class > Movie Intro, name the project yourname-Movie Intro.aep and click Save.
Flattening a Layered File by Importing As Footage
After Effects offers four distinct methods for importing layered files, each with specific use cases. We'll start with the Footage import method, which flattens all layers into a single, merged image—similar to how After Effects would handle non-layered formats like JPEG or PNG.
Go to File > Import > File.
Navigate to Desktop > Class Files > After Effects Class > Movie Intro > Assets, and click on Movie Feature Pres.psd. Don't open it yet—we need to configure the import settings first.
Locate the Import As menu near the bottom of the dialog (Mac users may need to click the Options button to access this). Ensure Footage is selected to import as a single, flattened layer.
Click Open (Mac) or Import (Windows).
The layered PSD import dialog provides additional control over the flattening process. Under Import Kind, verify that Footage is selected.
Under Layer Options, ensure Merged Layers is selected. This option combines all visible layers into a single composite image rather than importing only one layer.
Click OK to complete the flattened import.
In the Project panel, drag the imported Movie Feature Pres.psd asset to the Create a new Composition button
at the bottom of the panel.Examine the Timeline and note these important characteristics:
- The composition duration is exactly 6 seconds (press End or Fn–Right Arrow to confirm the final frame is at 5;29). This inherited our settings from the temporary composition we created earlier.
- Only a single layer named [Movie Feature Pres.psd] appears in the timeline. After Effects has permanently merged the Movie logo, Feature Presentation text, and black background into one inseparable unit.
Import Methods Comparison
| Feature | Footage Import | Composition Import |
|---|---|---|
| Layer Structure | Single flattened layer | Multiple separate layers |
| Animation Control | Limited to whole image | Individual element control |
| File Size | Smaller file size | Larger project size |
| Editing Flexibility | No individual edits | Full layer access |
Importing a Single Layer
When you need specific elements from a layered file without the overhead of importing everything, the single layer import method provides precise control over which content enters your project.
Go to File > Import > File or use the shortcut Cmd–I (Mac) or CTRL–I (Windows).
From the Assets folder, double–click on Movie Feature Pres.psd.
Confirm that Import Kind remains set to Footage.
Under Layer Options, select Choose Layer to import only one specific layer from the PSD.
Click the dropdown menu to the right (likely showing Movie logo as the topmost layer). This menu displays all available layers in the document hierarchy.
Select Movie logo if it isn't already chosen.
The Layer Styles section below offers two critical options for handling Photoshop effects:
- Merge Layer Styles into Footage permanently renders layer styles like gradients into the imported image, preserving visual appearance while sacrificing editability.
- Ignore Layer Styles strips all Photoshop effects, which would eliminate our carefully crafted gradient—definitely not our desired outcome.
Choose Merge Layer Styles into Footage to preserve the visual integrity of our design.
The Footage Dimensions menu presents two fundamental approaches to layer boundaries:
- Layer Size crops the bounding box tightly around the actual layer content, creating efficient, precisely-sized assets ideal for animation.
- Document Size maintains the original PSD dimensions (1920 × 1080) regardless of content size, preserving exact spatial relationships but creating unwieldy bounding boxes.
To demonstrate why Document Size creates challenges, select Document Size for now.
Click OK to import the single layer.
In the Project panel, drag Movie logo/Movie Feature Pres.psd into the Timeline, positioning it above the existing layer.
In the Tools panel, ensure the Selection tool
is active.Click and drag the Movie logo in the Composition panel to observe these workflow problems:
- The massive bounding box (matching the entire PSD dimensions) creates an unwieldy manipulation experience. Moving the small logo feels like dragging a tiny object on an enormous invisible canvas, making precise positioning frustratingly difficult.
- The layer's anchor point
sits in the center of this oversized bounding box rather than on the logo itself. Since all transformations (rotation, scaling, position) reference the anchor point, this misalignment severely complicates animation work.
These workflow issues make single-layer import with document sizing impractical for most projects. Let's reset and explore the superior composition import method. Go to File > Revert.
Click Yes to revert to the last saved version, clearing our problematic assets.
Layer Size vs Document Size
Importing a Layered File with All Its Layers Intact
The composition import method represents the gold standard for layered file workflows. This approach preserves complete layer independence while optimizing each layer's properties for efficient animation and precise control.
Press Cmd–I (Mac) or CTRL–I (Windows), or go to File > Import > File.
From the Assets folder, double–click on Movie Feature Pres.psd.
Configure these optimal settings for professional layered import:
Import Kind: Composition – Retain Layer Sizes Layer Options: Merge Layer Styles into Footage
Understanding Composition Import Options
The Composition import method creates individual After Effects layers from each Photoshop layer, preserving complete editability and animation potential. Retain Layer Sizes crops each layer's bounding box to its actual content dimensions, positioning anchor points at each element's center for intuitive animation control.
While Editable Layer Styles allows modification of Photoshop effects within After Effects, Merge Layer Styles into Footage offers faster rendering performance and simpler project management—ideal when you don't need to adjust the gradient effects.
Click OK to import the complete layer structure.
In the Project panel, click the arrow 
next to the Movie Feature Pres Layers folder 
to expand its contents.
This folder contains all three PSD layers as individual After Effects assets—perfect for projects requiring selective use of specific layers across multiple compositions. For our current exercise, we'll work with the pre-assembled composition instead.
Double–click the Movie Feature Pres composition (identified by its filmstrip icon ) to open it in the Timeline.
You'll see all three PSD layers properly arranged within the 6-second composition timeline.
To prevent accidental modification of the background element, lock the BG layer by clicking its Lock icon 
.
Press Shift–A to add their Anchor Point properties to the display.
In the Composition panel, observe that each layer displays perfectly centered anchor points with bounding boxes sized precisely to the content. This optimal configuration makes animation intuitive and predictable.
Notice in the Timeline that both layers share identical y-axis values for Position and Anchor Point (the second numerical values). This alignment occurs because the Movie logo and text elements were positioned at the same vertical level in the original Photoshop design.
The Strategic Advantage of Composition Import
Retaining layer sizes creates the ideal setup for final production work, but there are scenarios where you might choose standard composition import instead. When working with preliminary or frequently-changing assets, importing as Composition (without retaining layer sizes) ensures your layers maintain perfect alignment regardless of how much the original artwork evolves during the project lifecycle.
To understand one limitation of working with imported smart objects, select the Movie logo layer and press S to access its Scale property.
Hover over either Scale value and drag the hand slider 
rightward until the values reach approximately 500%.
The pixelated edges reveal a critical limitation: After Effects treats smart objects as raster graphics rather than vectors. Unlike native After Effects vector layers, imported PSD smart objects cannot use the Continuously Rasterize switch 
to maintain crisp edges at all scales. Since our project doesn't require logo scaling, this limitation won't affect our workflow.
Press Cmd–Z (Mac) or CTRL–Z (Windows) to revert the scaling change.
Professional Workaround for Scalable Vector Assets
When projects demand scalable vector graphics, import the original vector file directly into After Effects as a separate asset. Access the source file by double–clicking the Smart Object icon in Photoshop, which opens the creating application. For Illustrator-created assets, save as an AI file for direct After Effects import.
Alternatively, create a duplicate smart object layer in Photoshop scaled to your maximum required size in After Effects. Hide this oversized version and rename the original with "_fpo" (for placement only) to maintain clear asset management.
In the Timeline, select