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Considerations for cross-platform projects


    After Effects project files are compatible with both the Mac OS and Windows platforms. You can do several things to ease the process of exchanging projects between platforms.

    Project hierarchy

    When you move a project to a different computer and open it, After Effects attempts to locate the project's footage files, first looking in the folder in which the project file is located, second using the file's original path or folder location, and third searching the root of the directory where the project is located.

    If you are building cross-platform projects, it is best if the full paths have the same names on Mac OS and Windows systems. If the footage is on a different volume than the project, make sure that the appropriate volume is mounted before opening the project, and that network volume names are the same on both systems.

    It helps to store footage in the same folder as the project file or in another folder within that folder. Here's a sample hierarchy:

    c:\newproject\project_file.aep c:\newproject\source\footage1.psd c:\newproject\source\footage2.avi

    The newproject folder can then be copied in its entirety across platforms, and After Effects will properly locate all of the footage.

    File-naming conventions

    When possible, name your footage and project files with Windows-compatible filename extensions, such as .mov for QuickTime movies and .aep for After Effects projects. If files will be used on the World Wide Web, be sure that filenames adhere to the appropriate conventions for extensions and paths.

    Mac OS file types

    On Mac OS systems, footage files should have proper Mac OS file types. Using services for Macintosh in Windows NT Server or Windows 2000 Server, you can set up explicit extension-to-file-type mappings; see the system's server documentation. If footage files are not properly recognized on Mac OS systems, select All Files for Show in the Import File dialog box to override the Mac OS file types. To open a Windows project on a Mac OS system, the project must have the correct .aep extension.

    See Help iconFor a list of common extensions and their associated file types, see the Adobe Web site.

    Resources

    Ensure that all resources are available on both systems. Resources can include fonts, effects, and compressors.