ANIMATING PSD IN AFTER EFFECTS
Lesson: Animating Photoshop Layers in After Effects
In this lesson, students will learn how to take a layered Photoshop document and animate it inside Adobe After Effects. By the end, students will understand how to import, organize, animate, and export a complete motion graphics project.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Import a layered PSD file from Adobe Photoshop into After Effects
Import the file as a composition with retained layer sizes
Understand and use nested compositions
Access and manipulate individual Photoshop layers within After Effects
Animate layers using basic Transform properties:
Position
Scale
Rotation
Opacity
Apply and adjust keyframes over time
Return elements to a final intended design state
Apply global effects to an entire composition
Export a finished animation as an MPEG-4 (H.264) video file
---
Lesson Overview
Students will begin by importing a Photoshop document into After Effects as a composition. This preserves all individual layers and allows for maximum flexibility in animation.
Once imported, students will:
Open the composition and explore the individual layers
Learn how compositions can be placed inside other compositions (nesting)
Animate each layer using Transform controls
Students will then use keyframes to define how properties change over time—creating motion such as fades, movement, scaling, and rotation.
The lesson emphasizes working from an initial state to a final state ensuring that the animation resolves into the intended design of the original Photoshop layout.
---
Core Skills Demonstrated
Layer-based animation workflow
Timeline navigation and control
Keyframe animation techniques
Composition organization and nesting
Applying global visual effects
Rendering/exporting final video output
---
Final Output
Students will render their completed animation using After Effects’ export tools, producing a high-quality MP4 video (H.264 format) suitable for web, broadcast, or social media distribution.