Checklist Before Converting an After Effects or Premiere Project
Most disappointing conversions are decided before the upload: a missing font, a third-party plug-in, footage in three places. This checklist covers what to do in the original app first, what the converter limits are, and how to read the report once it is done.
1. Confirm the file type and version
Each converter is built for specific project files.
| Converter | Accepts | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| After Effects to EffectCraft | .aep, .aepx | After Effects 2018 to 2026 |
| Premiere Pro to FilmCraft | .prproj | Premiere Pro 2020 to 2026 |
| EffectCraft to After Effects | .ecproj | EffectCraft 0.9.2 or later |
For an older project, open it in a newer version of the app and save again. The .aepx is the XML form, from File ▸ Save As ▸ Save a Copy As XML; use it only if you have a reason to, since the ordinary .aep works. Do not upload footage or a render: a file over the limit gets a message asking for the project file instead.
2. Check the size limit
The upload limit is 100 MB in the default configuration, and the converter page prints the figure currently applied ("Up to N MB"). Real projects are usually far smaller, because footage is not inside them. If yours is near the limit, it is either a very large project or the wrong file. There is also a time limit: a conversion has 150 seconds in total, and a project that cannot be rebuilt in that time fails with an error rather than a partial result.
3. Remove what you do not need
A smaller project converts faster and produces a report you can actually read.
- After Effects: select the comp you want in the Project panel, then File ▸ Dependencies ▸ Reduce Project, and save a copy. Only that comp and what it uses remain.
- Premiere Pro: create a new project, copy the sequence into it (its media comes along) and save.
- Also: delete unused footage, old comp versions and test precomps. The converter does not need them and the report will not be crowded by them.
Very large projects with hundreds of comps do convert, according to the guide, but split work is easier to verify: convert one scene at a time and compare each.
4. Gather the footage in one place
You do not have to upload footage and you do not have to run Collect Files, but you will thank yourself for putting everything under one folder. The converter can rewrite every media path to sit under a folder you name, so the neater the tree, the fewer items remain offline. Footage that lived on another drive and sits outside the project folder is the usual exception. Make sure sequences of numbered images are complete and in one folder. Details are in our article on relinking footage and in the guide.
5. Note third-party plug-ins
Effects that ship with After Effects or Premiere have equivalents in EffectCraft and FilmCraft, with the same parameters and a close, not identical, look. Third-party effects (Sapphire, Red Giant, Video Copilot and similar) are not part of the Craft apps. They are not converted, and each is named in the report. Before converting, list the ones you use, so you can decide whether to rebuild them, render that layer first, or accept the gap. For Premiere, the same applies to effects FilmCraft lacks, and some transitions come across as a plain dissolve.
6. Install the fonts
Text keeps its font names. A font that is not installed on the computer where you open the project is drawn with a fallback, so spacing and line breaks can shift. Install the same fonts on the machine that will open the result, and for back-conversion to After Effects remember that fonts are written by PostScript name.
7. Simplify expressions
Expressions are copied as written. EffectCraft runs After Effects-style expressions, but an expression that relies on a missing effect or a third-party function will show an error on its property. Before converting, look for expressions that call a script library, depend on a plug-in's parameters, or reference a layer you removed. Replace them with keyframes if the result matters more than editability.
8. Know what is out of scope
The Render Queue and output modules are not converted. Pattern Overlay layer styles do not exist in EffectCraft. Variable speed in Premiere (Time Remapping) is played at one constant speed. Animated Curves change in steps. These are listed in the supported-features page, and checking it against your project takes five minutes.
9. After conversion: reading the report
The timeline shows each layer or clip as a bar. Blue-green means everything compared matched. Orange means the layer came across but something differed, and clicking it tells you what. Striped means it could not be rebuilt and is a null (or an empty placeholder in Premiere) with the same name, timing and parenting. Below the timeline, Didn't carry over exactly lists each difference by kind. An empty list means nothing was left out.
The comparison is value by value, so it cannot judge looks. Open the project and check by eye: titles, effects, curves, and anything that depends on the picture. Install the fonts, relink the footage, and play the first few seconds before you trust the rest.
Short version
- Right file type, supported version.
- Under the size limit.
- Reduced to what you need.
- Footage under one folder you can name.
- Plug-ins and fonts listed.
- Fragile expressions checked.
- Report read, then the result checked by eye.
When you are ready, start with the guide and the list of supported features, and if something is unclear the FAQ covers the common questions.