Placing layered objects

When you place an Illustrator EPS file, PDF file, or Photoshop file that has multiple layers into LiveMotion, it is placed into your composition as a single, one-layered object. You can then animate it and apply effects as you would any object created in LiveMotion, including adding new object layers.

Keep the following in mind when placing layered objects:

• Layer effects and masks are supported.
• Most vector objects export to SWF as native vector objects.
• Most text objects export to SWF as native text objects.
• Adjustment layers and blending modes other than alpha are preserved when placed in layer sets that are not themselves converted to objects (that is, these layers and modes affect other objects in those layer sets as long as they function as a single unit in LiveMotion).
• Effects and transparency in Illustrator layers are preserved.
• Layers can be edited in Illustrator or Photoshop after conversion.
• Layers can be made into individual objects, a group of objects, or a sequence.
• LiveMotion can convert layers into a sequence of animation frames that can be viewed and displayed in the same way as separate files that have been placed in a sequence. For more information on placing animation sequences, see Placing image files.
• When using third-party plug-ins to place layered objects, see the plug-in manufacturer's documentation for any restrictions on how the object is placed.
• To display a different layer of a converted, multilayered object, you can use the Index option in the Properties palette. (See Editing converted placed objects.)

To convert a placed, layered object in LiveMotion:

1. Place a layered object.
2. With the object selected, do one of the following:
• Choose Object > Convert Into > Objects to convert the layers into individual objects. If the layers contained sublayers or multiple objects, each of them can be converted into individual objects as well.
• Choose Object > Convert Into > Group of Objects to convert the layers into a group of objects.
• Choose Object > Convert Into > Sequence to convert the layers into frames in an animation.
• Choose Object > Convert Into > Sequence With Background to convert the layers into frames in an animation with their background intact. The layers are converted to an animation, but the first layer is visible throughout the animation sequence.

If the individual objects consist of subobjects, you can also apply the Convert Into commands to them as well. For example, if an Adobe Illustrator file consists of three layers, the Convert Into > Objects command converts them into three objects. However, each object could be made out of several subobjects, so you can apply the Convert Into commands until objects contain no subobjects.