Merging compositions to layers?

#1

Hey guys!

Im been looking for a way to covert a comp within a comp to a layer
I know I can render it and import replace usage but then it will change the name of the layer - and that will not work!

I know it’s sound weird but the reason is that Im trying to build a template for a Blu-ray menu build and in the end all you need to do is save frame as photoshop layer…

So is there a way to make this within AE like merge or something? or can you render it without changing the name of the layer?

Thanks

#2

You are confusing source footage and layers. None has to do with the other. You can rename layers to whatever you like independently from their source and the same source can have different layer names in the same comp even. You are creating a problem where none exists. AE will only use auto-naming, if you never bothered to give your layers explicit names. Ergo, renaming your layer in the comp timelien solves all your alleged problems as long as the name is different from the source comp name.

Mylenium

#3

The main problem is that I have to make the comp into layer and I have hundreds of them :slight_smile:

I really don’t know what to render to? if I render and use import replace it will name it n. 1_(0000-0000.psd or something like that!

maybe this helps…

#4

Yeah that it totally possible in AE. If you save your photoshop file as a .psd then you can go into AE and go to File >Import. A dialogue box should appear asking you how you want to import the stuff. Your settings in the box should look like

Import Kind > Composition

Layer Options > Merge Layer Styles into Footage

Then click OK. AE will then import them into your Project window. You will get a folder that will give you the individual layers and things that are in folders should be made into comps. Everything will retain its file name and such. Also if you go back into your photoshop file and alter things you can save over the previous file and then go into AE and right click and then hit reload file and all of those updates will be made. Does that help you?

#5

No I have tried that before - they are still comps when imported!

I’ve worked on this template for a couple of days now and I hoped for some secret hidden button somewhere to solve the problem :slight_smile:

Guess I have to fix it with some script in PS or ask our programmer to write some magic

Thanks guy!

#6

When you import that into AE you should get a master comp that has all of those folders as comps into that project. So wouldn’t that work? Or do you need all of the items in the folders to all be on separate layers? If that was the case you could have just made them layers in Photoshop and then import that into AE and it would be one comp with all of the layers created. I guess I am a little confused as to what the problem is exactly.

#7

hehe - yeah it’s a bit confusing…

Today I build the project in PS and it works just fine but the most time consuming part is that I have to name every single layer and we are talking hundreds of layers in one project.

Just the naming takes hours! - for example the button “PLAY MOVIE” needs 3 layers named n: playmovie s: playmovie a: playmovie n= neutral s= selected a= action and so on

The thing is that almost every project looks the same main, setup, scenes - so I thought let’s make the build template in AE and name the layer once and for all

My goal was that all you needed to do is replace the scene selection thumbs and change the font and some graphic backdrops and then save as photoshop layer and you are done.

hope this makes it little clearer

oh - and if you look at my image the lower part you se the SCEN1 comp with all the a: 1 s: 1 comps
it’s just the tip of the iceberg inside of them there are at least 5 more comps and in them
hehe

#8

So you want all of the layers that exist in all of those PS folders to just be in one comp?

#9

Okay - se it like this the PS document is the final out put it doesn’t exist

and from my template in AE I want to save out a PS document that looks like the left side of this image but I can’t get that as long as it is a comp

the left side is made in PS and the right side AE

This was harder to explain than I thought it would be hehe!

I wish you could right click on a comp and pick Make as Layer in AE and it would solve everything!

#10

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