Return-Path: Received: from mail-yh0-f44.google.com ([209.85.213.44] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP-TLS id 5395420 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Sun, 02 Mar 2014 19:53:48 +0100 Received: by mail-yh0-f44.google.com with SMTP id f73so2807556yha.3 for ; Sun, 02 Mar 2014 10:54:12 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to :content-type; bh=m+Ilx9/ul/UWbm1L2SEFhQmfPkhHDbtbfc9sm1qqQ40=; b=V5HKIpVpQ3g5I42+8L9Q/43J1yjLCBIT+PdthvgAVgiJCvhETX3tuA6gE48n/218JK ljguqXb6CmRsAelKDMLC8QrotLcfs61CEJ3A2DslWzQ4gASQCywpVhFEf2asl7+57QTL b4G4FVH1djCpnoyElww3Fsw6hXT3M3kNrXL0ZuRO4N5g3LgOBTBDXsQ7JhPVNQLsphDE xnQPdf9sYWKDPnn1KXuCd258a5U5+X+yzoLdXjbt27lq2XLVQYCw0t+mXsRtyfNhPuSV iSDPMQKVpJiJeQug4hBu8Vr8FvzsovdZo75q+bR81FH3nP4HEjC2nEg6t6h5vF2bETIQ JKcA== X-Received: by 10.236.101.18 with SMTP id a18mr2624224yhg.65.1393786452704; Sun, 02 Mar 2014 10:54:12 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.170.160.6 with HTTP; Sun, 2 Mar 2014 10:53:32 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: References: From: Teddy Gage Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2014 13:53:32 -0500 Message-ID: Subject: Re: [AE] AI > PSD > AE workflow recommendations? To: After Effects Mail List Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=20cf3010ea2568019504f3a432f9 --20cf3010ea2568019504f3a432f9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 >At work when three animators get together we call that group "a complaint" hahaha. >so I end up opening EVERY SINGLE smart vector object in AI and then I have to save all these layers out as AI files. Scott, I don't understand. Maybe we are running different versions, but if I have a layered AI file, I can bring that whole AI file as a composition into AE as a layered document. No need to export individual vectors from AI. So your workflow could be - - Open doc in PS, load vector smart layers in AI - Copy all vector smart objects to a single document in AI. Make sure they are on separate layers - Scale up all layers at once, save as a single AI file import AI file to AE as Composition with retain layer size... Yes, you will have to still open up every VSO in AI, but at least your workflow remains in one program at a time, and then you have imported every document at once. You can also rasterize everything as mentioned, just scale everything up first. Alternatively, you could ask your illustrator to change his workflow to help you out. Like keeping assets in illustrator or doing this for you. Usually if you let the producer know something is slowing you down they will accommodate. Should be the illustrators' job to prep files as you need them. Time is $$$ -TG On Sun, Mar 2, 2014 at 12:28 PM, Tim Thiessen wrote: > At work when three animators get together we call that group "a complaint" > > We get 200mb + files with multiple duplicate "vector smart objects". Our > "designers" seem to think "the more the merrier" and if not cleaned up it > can grind AE to a halt. I spend the time because I know it will come back > to bite me in the butt. But some freelancers don't clean things up and then > when it comes back to me it is a big mess - yes I love working with PSDs. > Don't get me started on later styles! > > Tt > > iPhone > > On Mar 2, 2014, at 2:37 AM, Chris Zwar wrote: > > On Sunday, 2 March 2014, Chris Zwar wrote: > > 'in order to maximise compatibility, After Effects uses the Photoshop >> library in a way that can cause memory issues (this is all on this list, >> about 4 years ago).' >> Has this been fixed since then? > > > This is a good question, because I was using CS5 and obviously there have > been some major changes since. I haven't dug through the archives to find > the original thread, but the jist of what I can remember is that when After > Effects uses a Photoshop file, it loads up the actual Photoshop library > (i.e. the Photoshop rendering engine) but can't control how it uses memory. > Unfortunately the Photoshop library isn't very memory efficient, so if you > have large Photoshop files and are on a machine with limited ram - e.g. 12 > gig or less - then the computer starts to use virtual memory and everything > grinds to a halt. It was a problem I had originally blamed on a poor > network, but I realised the problem was exactly the same on Mac and > Windows, and at every office I worked at. Sometimes everything would > freeze for over 5 minutes and a normal person would think the thing had > crashed, but it would eventually start working again. I was stoked when > Todd explained the problem and the solution (don't use Photoshop files). > > I don't want to hijack the thread with this separate issue, but once I > inherited an After Effects project that took 45 minutes PER FRAME to > render, using Photoshop files. I cleaned it up and converted the PSD to > tiff layers and got the render time down to about 20 seconds per frame. I > actually started to write an article on it because I thought it was a > curious case, but then I realised I was just writing pages of stuff that > was basically bitching and moaning about my co-worker so I let it go... > > Since then it is more common to find larger amounts of ram in a machine > and there have been major upgrades with CS6 and CC, so I'd be interested to > hear Todd's input on this matter. > > -Chris > > -- _____________________________ VFX & Motion Graphic Artist teddygage dot com --20cf3010ea2568019504f3a432f9 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>At work when three animators get together we call that group &qu= ot;a complaint"

hahaha.

=
>so I e= nd up opening EVERY SINGLE smart vector object in AI and then I have to sav= e all these layers out as AI files.

Scott, I don't understand. Maybe we are running different versions, but= if I have a layered AI file, I can bring that whole AI file as a compositi= on into AE as a layered document. No need to export individual vectors from= AI.

So your workflow could be -

- = Open doc in PS, load vector smart layers in AI

- C= opy all vector smart objects to a single document in AI. Make sure they are= on separate layers

- Scale up all layers at once, save as a single AI file=

import AI file to AE as Composition with retain l= ayer size...

Yes, you will have to still open up e= very VSO in AI, but at least your workflow remains in one program at a time= , and then you have imported every document at once. You can also rasterize= everything as mentioned, just scale everything up first.

Alternatively, you could ask your illustrator to change= his workflow to help you out. Like keeping assets in illustrator or doing = this for you. Usually if you let the producer know something is slowing you= down they will accommodate. Should be the illustrators' job to prep fi= les as you need them. Time is $$$
-TG 





On Sun, Mar 2, 20= 14 at 12:28 PM, Tim Thiessen <pixelbot@comcast.net> wrote= :
At work when three an= imators get together we call that group "a complaint"
<= br>
We get 200mb + files with multiple duplicate "vector smart = objects". Our "designers" seem to think "the more the m= errier" and if not cleaned up it can grind AE to a halt. I spend the t= ime because I know it will come back to bite me in the butt. But some freel= ancers don't clean things up and then when it comes back to me it is a = big mess - yes I love working with PSDs. Don't get me started on later = styles!

Tt

iPhone

On Mar 2, 2014, at 2:37 AM, Chris Zwar <chris@chriszwar.com> wrote:

On Sunday, 2 March 2014, Chris Zwar <= ;chris@chriszwar.c= om> wrote:

'in order to maximise compatibility, After Effects uses the Photoshop l= ibrary in a way that can cause memory issues (this is all on this list, abo= ut 4 years ago).'
Has this been fixed since then?  

This is a good question, because I was using CS5= and obviously there have been some major changes since.  I haven'= t dug through the archives to find the original thread, but the jist of wha= t I can remember is that when After Effects uses a Photoshop file, it loads= up the actual Photoshop library (i.e. the Photoshop rendering engine) but = can't control how it uses memory.  Unfortunately the Photoshop lib= rary isn't very memory efficient, so if you have large Photoshop files = and are on a machine with limited ram - e.g. 12 gig or less - then the comp= uter starts to use virtual memory and everything grinds to a halt.  It= was a problem I had originally blamed on a poor network, but I realised th= e problem was exactly the same on Mac and Windows, and at every office I wo= rked at.  Sometimes everything would freeze for over 5 minutes and a n= ormal person would think the thing had crashed, but it would eventually sta= rt working again.  I was stoked when Todd explained the problem and th= e solution (don't use Photoshop files).

I don't want to hijack the thread with this separate iss= ue, but once I inherited an After Effects project that took 45 minutes PER = FRAME to render, using Photoshop files.  I cleaned it up and converted= the PSD to tiff layers and got the render time down to about 20 seconds pe= r frame.  I actually started to write an article on it because I thoug= ht it was a curious case, but then I realised I was just writing pages of s= tuff that was basically bitching and moaning about my co-worker so I let it= go…

Since then it is more common to find larger amounts of ram in= a machine and there have been major upgrades with CS6 and CC, so I'd b= e interested to hear Todd's input on this matter. 

-Chris



--
_____________________= ________
VFX & Motion Graphic Artist
teddyga= ge dot com
--20cf3010ea2568019504f3a432f9--