AfterEffects

Import a single still image or a still-image sequence

You can import still image files as individual footage items, or you can import a series of still image files as a still-image sequence, which is a single footage item in which each still image is used as a single frame.

To import multiple image files as a single still-image sequence, the files must be in the same folder and use the same numeric or alphabetic filename pattern (such as Seq1, Seq2, Seq3).

When you import a file that appears to After Effects to be one file in a still-image sequence, After Effects will by default import all other files in the same folder that appear to be in the same sequence. Similarly, when you select multiple files that appear to be in a sequence, After Effects will by default import them as a sequence. You can see what After Effects is about to import by looking at the bottom of the Import dialog box. (You can also import images and sequences by dragging files and folders into the Project panel.
To prevent After Effects from importing unwanted files when you want to import only a single file, or to prevent After Effects from interpreting multiple files as a sequence, deselect the Sequence option in the Import dialog box. After Effects remembers this setting and will henceforth use it as the default.

When importing a sequence of still images, you can use the Force Alphabetical Order option in the Import dialog box to import a sequence with gaps in its numbering (e.g., Seq1, Seq2, Seq3, Seq5). If you import a sequence with gaps in its numbering without selecting this option, After Effects warns you of missing frames and replaces them with placeholders.

After Effects uses settings of the first image in the sequence to determine how to interpret the images in the sequence.

If the image files in a sequence are of a layered file type—such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator documents—then you can choose to import the sequence as a standard footage item, or as a composition in which each layer in each file is imported as a separate sequence and appears as a separate layer in the Timeline panel.

Note: When you render a composition that contains a numbered sequence, the output module uses the start frame number as the first frame number. For example, if you start to render on frame 25, the name of the file is 00025.
A sequence of still-image files (left) becomes one image sequence when imported into After Effects (right).

Import a still-image sequence as a single footage item

  1. Choose File > Import > File.
  2. Select any file in the sequence. To import a subset of files in a sequence, select the first file, hold down Shift, and then select the last file to import.
  3. Choose Footage from the Import Kind menu.
  4. Click Open (Windows) or Import (Mac OS).
  5. In the [filename] dialog box, choose one of the following from the Choose Layer menu:
    Merged Layers
    Imports the sequence as a sequence footage item in which the layers in the file, if any, are merged into one layer.

    Choose Layer
    Imports the sequence as a sequence footage item in which the same layer from each source file—for example, layer 3—is imported and used in the sequence. If you choose this option for a PSD sequence, then you can also choose whether to ignore layer styles or merge them into the layer. You must also choose a Footage Dimensions option: Layer Size matches the dimensions of the layer to the layer’s content; Document Size matches the dimensions of the layer to the original document’s size.

  6. Click OK.

If at any time you decide that you want access to the individual components of the footage item, you can convert it to a composition. See Convert a merged footage item into a composition.

Import a still-image sequence as a composition

When you import a Photoshop or Illustrator file as a composition, you have access to the individual layers, blending modes, adjustment layers, layer styles, masks, guides, and other features created in Photoshop or Illustrator. The imported composition and a folder containing each of its layers as footage items appears in the Project panel.

  1. Choose File > Import > File.
  2. Select any file in the sequence. To import a subset of files in a sequence, select the first file, hold down Shift, and then select the last file to import.
  3. Choose one of the following from the Import Kind menu:
    Composition - Cropped Layers
    Import the layers with their original dimensions. This option makes it easier to manipulate layers and speeds their rendering time.

    Composition
    Import layers and have them match the dimensions of the composition. This option is helpful when you need to align layers manually.

  4. Click Open (Windows) or Import (Mac OS).

Change the frame rate of a sequence

When you import a sequence of still images, they assume the frame rate specified by the Sequence Footage preference in the Import category. The default rate is 30 frames per second (fps). You can change the frame rate after importing by reinterpreting the footage item:

 Select the sequence in the Project panel, choose File > Interpret Footage > Main, and then enter a new value for Assume This Frame Rate.

For more information, see Change frame rate.