How to convert an After Effects project to EffectCraft
EffectCraft cannot open an .aep directly, so the project has to be rebuilt in EffectCraft's own format, .ecproj. This walkthrough covers the whole path: preparing the project, converting it, reading the report, relinking footage and deciding what to check by eye.
What the converter actually does
The converter reads your .aep (or .aepx), writes a script that recreates the project, runs that script in EffectCraft's own engine (version 0.9.2) and saves the result as an .ecproj. It then reopens the saved project and compares it with the original, property by property. The comparison covers layers, timing, keyframes, effects with all their parameters, layer styles, masks, text character by character, shapes, Essential Graphics and time remapping.
That is a structural check. It tells you the values are the same; it cannot tell you the pixels are identical, because EffectCraft draws effects, text and 3D with its own renderer.
Step 1: prepare the project
Projects saved by After Effects 2018 or later work. For anything older, open it in a recent After Effects and save it again. Both formats are accepted: the normal .aep and the XML version (File > Save As > Save a Copy As XML, an .aepx). One honest caveat: the .aepx path comes from the code we build on, and the project README notes it has not been tested here for lack of sample files, so prefer the .aep if you have a choice.
You do not need to collect files or send footage. Only the project file is uploaded. Still, three preparations make the result easier to review:
- Reduce the project if you only need one comp. Select the comp in the Project panel, choose File > Dependencies > Reduce Project and save a copy. Large projects with hundreds of comps convert, but the report is much easier to read for a smaller one.
- Note the fonts. Text keeps the font names stored in the .aep. Make a list of the typefaces the project uses so you can install them before opening it.
- Know where the footage lives on your machine. You will give this folder to the converter in the next step.
Step 2: tell the converter where your footage is
An .aep remembers where each file was on the computer that saved it, which is often another drive or another operating system. In the field above the converter, paste the path of the folder on your computer that holds the .aep and its footage. On a Mac, hold Option, right-click the folder and choose Copy as Pathname; on Windows, Shift plus right-click and Copy as path. Only the path text is sent, never the files.
With that path filled in, the converted project points directly at your files and EffectCraft loads them when it opens. Skipping it is not fatal, but you will do more relinking later.
Step 3: upload and convert
Open the After Effects to EffectCraft converter, choose the file and start. The project is processed in a temporary folder that is deleted once the result is sent back, so nothing is kept. There is an upload size limit; if your project is rejected for size, reduce it as described above.
Step 4: read the report before you open anything
When the conversion ends, the timeline shows the composition with the most layers, and tabs above it switch to the others. Each bar is a layer, placed at its In and Out points:
| Bar | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blue-green | Converted with everything the checks compare. |
| Orange | Converted, but something did not come across exactly. Click the bar to read what. |
| Striped | Could not be rebuilt. It was replaced by a null with the same name, timing and parenting, so the rest of the comp still works. |
Below the timeline, the list headed Didn't carry over exactly groups every difference by kind. Typical entries are a third-party effect EffectCraft does not have, a layer style it lacks (Pattern Overlay), a value outside EffectCraft's allowed range that was set to the nearest limit (text scaled beyond 1000%, for example), and animated Curves, which change in steps at each keyframe. If the list is empty, nothing was left out. Read it first: it tells you which layers deserve your attention and saves you from hunting for problems.
Step 5: open the .ecproj
- Download the .ecproj and open it in EffectCraft with File > Open Project. You need EffectCraft 0.9.2 or later; newer versions open files written in the 0.9.2 format.
- If you gave the folder in step 2, the footage is already connected. Otherwise, files still at their original paths reconnect on their own.
- For anything still missing, use File > Dependencies > Relink Missing Footage and pick the folder that holds it. EffectCraft looks for each file by name and accepts it only when size, rate and length match exactly. A few audio files can fail that test, because decoders measure their length slightly differently. For those, use Replace Footage, or convert again with the folder filled in.
- Install the fonts. A font that is not installed is drawn with a fallback until it is.
Step 6: check the comps and layers
Start from the report's orange and striped layers, then do a quick pass over the rest:
- Compare the main comp frame by frame at a few points: the first frame, a transition, the last frame. Put the original After Effects render beside it if you can.
- Look at the effects. EffectCraft's versions have the same parameters as After Effects' built-in effects, and the converter pairs parameters by name, so values land in the right place. The look is close, not pixel-identical.
- Test expressions. They are copied as written, enabled or disabled as in the original. EffectCraft runs After Effects-style expressions, but one that depends on a missing third-party effect or a function EffectCraft lacks will show an error on its property.
- Check stand-in nulls. A striped layer is now a null. Decide whether to rebuild it by hand or drop it.
- Check text. Per-character formatting, paragraph settings and animators are converted, but font rendering and line breaks can differ slightly between the two engines.
- Animated Curves. If you animated a Curves effect, expect steps instead of smooth blending.
What this process does not cover
Render Queue settings and output modules are not converted, so set up your output again in EffectCraft. Third-party plug-ins such as Sapphire, Red Giant or Video Copilot are not part of EffectCraft; each is listed by name, and the layer arrives without it. Pattern Overlay layer styles, variable font axes in text animators and media-replacement controls in Essential Graphics are also reported as unsupported. The supported features page has the full table, and the guide and FAQ cover relinking and versions in more detail.
A sensible workflow
Convert a small reduced project first and read its report. That teaches you what your typical content produces before you commit to a big job. Then convert the full project with the footage path filled in, work through the orange layers, and keep the original .aep untouched as your reference.
When you are ready, the After Effects to EffectCraft converter takes an .aep or .aepx and returns the .ecproj and its report.