export vector layers and keep as vectors?
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
export vector layers and keep as vectors?
Is there a way to do this? That is, export a vector layer for use in another program, but keep it as a vector? I think I already know the answer, but I thought I'd ask.
-
Víctor Paredes
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5814
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:18 am
- Location: Barcelona/Chile
- Contact:
I have read about exporting a frame as a flash file and then import it to Flash, Illustrator or similar. I don't know exactly the process, but I remember someone wrote it was possible.
Moho co-owner
Previously Rigged animation supervisor: My father's dragon, Wolfwalkers & Star Wars Visions "Screecher's Reach"
My personal Youtube Channel
If you have a bitmap of any kind, import it into Illustrator and use the "Live Trace" function. This will vectorize the bitmap according to any number of settings. It's pretty cool.basshole wrote:Interesting. So you make a still, and then bring into another program to revectorize it? Maybe someone will illuminate us as to how.
However...
The resulting vectorized image will have a TON of points. The more detail, the more points will result.
I find the Illustrator vectorized bitmaps not useful at all in AS.
I could take each layer and make still and save it as a bitmap, if that's what you mean.
I'm talking to someone about doing more animation for me (I'm certainly not going through this again), but he'd be using After FX (apparently someone's created a bone/IK plugin for it) and to completely avoid having to rebuild all the characters from scratch, we'd need a way to get the layers out of AS and into After FX, preferably keeping them vectorized the whole way.
I'm talking to someone about doing more animation for me (I'm certainly not going through this again), but he'd be using After FX (apparently someone's created a bone/IK plugin for it) and to completely avoid having to rebuild all the characters from scratch, we'd need a way to get the layers out of AS and into After FX, preferably keeping them vectorized the whole way.
If you have Illustrator or Flash, you can export from AS as a single frame Flash file. Open this in AI (I think this is possible) or open in Flash and export to AI. I have done this several times in the past for posters/print work. I like drawing in AS over AI but wanted the vector format.
In my case I have a very old version of Flash and AI. I couldn't open the Flash directly into AI so had to use Flash to convert. I think maybe newer versions of AI might be able to open the SWF directly.
There are some things to avoid when using this technique. I like to taper the ends of strokes. Variable line widths can sometimes be a pain to deal with in AI. AS puts a stroke with a filled shape on the ends of the stroke to create the "taper". The SWF plays fine and looks great but editing the end result in AI or Flash can be cumbersome and require some clean up.
-vern
In my case I have a very old version of Flash and AI. I couldn't open the Flash directly into AI so had to use Flash to convert. I think maybe newer versions of AI might be able to open the SWF directly.
There are some things to avoid when using this technique. I like to taper the ends of strokes. Variable line widths can sometimes be a pain to deal with in AI. AS puts a stroke with a filled shape on the ends of the stroke to create the "taper". The SWF plays fine and looks great but editing the end result in AI or Flash can be cumbersome and require some clean up.
-vern
I just tested this with AI CS5. It doesn't open. You will need to use Flash if you want to convert to AI. SWF is not a format available in AI. However I am using a "try out" demo version of AI. It could be that the "full" version has more options. Makes no sense to me since you can export AI format to SWF.
------------------
If you still want to try it:
When you export the animation just set the start and end frames to the same number. Set the export format to SWF. When you export it will create an SWF file with one frame, whichever frame you set in the export settings.
-vern
------------------
If you still want to try it:
When you export the animation just set the start and end frames to the same number. Set the export format to SWF. When you export it will create an SWF file with one frame, whichever frame you set in the export settings.
-vern
There might be some hope here.
Apparently you can print to a file that might open as vector in AI. I can't test this right now but you are free to give it a shot.
A couple of ways to test depending on your platform.
Macintosh
Open the exported SWF in a browser or the player and print this file. Save the preview as a pdf. This may open in Adobe Illustrator as a vector file.
I have used this trick on the mac before. Printing from an application that doesn't have an export feature and saving as PDF to open in Illustrator. It only works if the application you are printing from is printing a "vector" format and not a "raster" format.
Windows
Use the "XPS" printer file format. Open the SWF in IE and print the file. Select the Windows XPS format if it's available. This is sort of like Windows version of PDF. I don't have the .NET tools installed on my XP machine to try it out XPS support is built in to Vista and I would assume Windows 7 as well. there is a tool to convert XPS to PDF or possibly the XPS view from windows could save out the file to a format AI can read.
-vern
Apparently you can print to a file that might open as vector in AI. I can't test this right now but you are free to give it a shot.
A couple of ways to test depending on your platform.
Macintosh
Open the exported SWF in a browser or the player and print this file. Save the preview as a pdf. This may open in Adobe Illustrator as a vector file.
I have used this trick on the mac before. Printing from an application that doesn't have an export feature and saving as PDF to open in Illustrator. It only works if the application you are printing from is printing a "vector" format and not a "raster" format.
Windows
Use the "XPS" printer file format. Open the SWF in IE and print the file. Select the Windows XPS format if it's available. This is sort of like Windows version of PDF. I don't have the .NET tools installed on my XP machine to try it out XPS support is built in to Vista and I would assume Windows 7 as well. there is a tool to convert XPS to PDF or possibly the XPS view from windows could save out the file to a format AI can read.
-vern
Ok. I tried a 1 frame swf movie, dragged it into safari, print/preview, saved as a PDF. . .illustrator can open it but my guess is it's a raster cause I see pixels/aliasing.
I apparently don't have flash on here because it WANTS to open SWFs with internet explorer via parallels (a virtual windows on your mac program).
I see what you mean about lines. . .some are randomly thick. . .very nasty.
I apparently don't have flash on here because it WANTS to open SWFs with internet explorer via parallels (a virtual windows on your mac program).
I see what you mean about lines. . .some are randomly thick. . .very nasty.
SWF is a "unique" format. It is NOT a movie format when exported from Anime Studio. SWF is traditionally used as a vector animation format to save on file size and bandwidth over the internet.
Because of Youtube and many other video sharing sites, the Flash FLV format has become a new standard for a "video wrapper" or player of RASTER based video formats. These two formats or uses are TOTALLY different. The use of Flash for playing "videos" is different from the use of Flash to create vector based animations.
When exporting from Anime Studio you can export 1 frame of animation in any format you choose, QT, AVI, SWF, whatever you want. The resulting file is in the format chosen. A single frame QT or a single frame SWF.
Exporting to SWF from Anime Studio is a VECTOR FORMAT not a RASTER format. It is not "video". It is the Flash vector animation format. The single frame is a vector format. If you could open this single frame SWF in Flash it would open as Flash vector format. You could then export that single frame to AI vector format or to EPS vector format.
The fact that Adobe Illustrator can't open this format is a stupid limitation given to it for some reason.
Because of Youtube and many other video sharing sites, the Flash FLV format has become a new standard for a "video wrapper" or player of RASTER based video formats. These two formats or uses are TOTALLY different. The use of Flash for playing "videos" is different from the use of Flash to create vector based animations.
When exporting from Anime Studio you can export 1 frame of animation in any format you choose, QT, AVI, SWF, whatever you want. The resulting file is in the format chosen. A single frame QT or a single frame SWF.
Exporting to SWF from Anime Studio is a VECTOR FORMAT not a RASTER format. It is not "video". It is the Flash vector animation format. The single frame is a vector format. If you could open this single frame SWF in Flash it would open as Flash vector format. You could then export that single frame to AI vector format or to EPS vector format.
The fact that Adobe Illustrator can't open this format is a stupid limitation given to it for some reason.
using debut 6 and flash mx2004 -
as deb 6 lacked the nifty export options I spent some time doing experiments with scaling up character and body parts from debut then using combination of either the render frame and Ctrl +Alt+Print screen the entire active screen - to turn to a bitmap - removed all the interface and garbage that came across (using fw4) save as png then import to flash and use tracemap.
Then you can fool around with them much easier in flash drawing tools.
If you have a good artist who knows flash they should be fine.
It's just a dud trying to go the other way
as deb 6 lacked the nifty export options I spent some time doing experiments with scaling up character and body parts from debut then using combination of either the render frame and Ctrl +Alt+Print screen the entire active screen - to turn to a bitmap - removed all the interface and garbage that came across (using fw4) save as png then import to flash and use tracemap.
Then you can fool around with them much easier in flash drawing tools.
If you have a good artist who knows flash they should be fine.
It's just a dud trying to go the other way
training wheels attached
Hi, I just did that
1) Anime: Export your animation to SWF
2) Open SWF with SWF Decompiler (you can download a 30 day trial from or buy full version http://www.sothink.com/product/flashdecompiler/) and convert it to FLA
3) Open the FLA file with Adobe Flash (I used CS5)
4) Select all objetcs and the go to MODIFY --> BREAK APPART
5) Repeat step 4 until everything is unconverted from symbols
6) FILE --> EXPORT SELECTION --> FXG (select everything you want to export obviously
7) Open FXG in Adobe Illustrator and it's done!!!!!
One of the most important step is number 4, so, do some test until you get what you want
Greetings from Argentina
HERNAN
PS: part of this trick was done by a friend of mine
PS2: you wont get a 100% perfect AI file but it'll be more than acceptable
1) Anime: Export your animation to SWF
2) Open SWF with SWF Decompiler (you can download a 30 day trial from or buy full version http://www.sothink.com/product/flashdecompiler/) and convert it to FLA
3) Open the FLA file with Adobe Flash (I used CS5)
4) Select all objetcs and the go to MODIFY --> BREAK APPART
5) Repeat step 4 until everything is unconverted from symbols
6) FILE --> EXPORT SELECTION --> FXG (select everything you want to export obviously
7) Open FXG in Adobe Illustrator and it's done!!!!!
One of the most important step is number 4, so, do some test until you get what you want
Greetings from Argentina
HERNAN
PS: part of this trick was done by a friend of mine
PS2: you wont get a 100% perfect AI file but it'll be more than acceptable