Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 39

AFTER EFFECTS CS3 33
User Guide
Project paths
When you move a project to a different computer and open it, After Effects attempts to locate the project's footage
files as follows: After Effects first searches the folder in which the project file is located; second, it searches the file's
original path or folder location; finally, it searches the root of the directory where the project is located.
If you are building cross-platform projects, it's best if the full paths have the same names on Mac OS and Windows
systems. If the footage and the project are on different volumes, make sure that the appropriate volume is mounted
before opening the project and that network volume names are the same on both systems.
It's best to store footage in the same folder as the project file or in another folder within that folder. Here's a sample
hierarchy:
/newproject/project_file.aep
/newproject/source/footage1.psd
/newproject/source/footage2.avi
You can then copy the newproject folder in its entirety across platforms, and After Effects will properly locate all of
the footage.
Note: Use the Collect Files feature to gather copies of all the files in a project into a single folder. You can then move the
folder containing the copied project to the other platform. See "Collect files in one location" on page 589.
File-naming conventions
Name your footage and project files with the appropriate filename extensions, such as .mov for QuickTime movies
and .aep for After Effects projects. Don't use high-ASCII or other extended characters in file names to be used cross-
platform. If files will be used on the web, be sure that file names adhere to applicable conventions for extensions and
paths.
Supported file types
Some file types are supported on one platform but not another. See "Supported import formats" on page 58 and
"Supported output formats" on page 583.
Resources
Ensure that all fonts, effects, codecs, and other resources are available on both systems. Such resources are often plug-ins.
If you use a native After Effects effect in a project on one operating system, the effect will still work on the other
operating system to which you've transferred your project. However, some third-party effects and other third-party
plug-ins may not continue to operate, even if you have versions of these plug-ins on the target system. In such cases,
you may need to reapply some third-party effects.
See also
"About plug-ins" on page 40
"Work with fonts" on page 277