Best way for Dynamic Link with AE and PP! HELP!

[Nick Mahar]

I edited everything in PP in RAW 4K footage and wanted to grade and add effects in AE. I used to edit in FCP so normally i would export clips or the finished timeline. Obviously with PP i could do a dynamic link however, when i change something, it doesn't seem to show up in PP later. It replaces my timeline clips with the AE timeline but nothing shows up or it takes extremely long to show anything. Wondering if i'm doing something wrong or whats the fastest way to do this?

Comp Specs:
27in IMac 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
16GB 1333 MHz DDR3
256 SSD
2TB

[Kwan Khan]

If you don't want to back in Ppro then simple Open up AE and Import + Ppro Project.

[Joel Arvidsson]

I think 4k is just so heavy you have to render in premiere just to look at it. Or you have to sit and wait for each frame to show up. Im in the same seat. If I skip my aja card I can easy edit 4k. But I think I have to start to export to 2k before adding titles and etc before I get insane.

[Cory Petkovsek]

There are three basic options depending on how you want your workflow.

1. Edit in Premiere and lock picture.
In AE, Import Premeire project (as Kwan suggested).
Every clip is becomes a layer which can be graded independently.
Changing the edit in premiere does nothing. You must change the editin AE if needed.

2. Edit in premeire.
In AE, Import File, select premeire project
This gives you one single clip that is the whole premiere edit.
You can grade the whole thing as one block.
If you want to change the edit, do so in premiere, the changes automatically apply to AE.
This is useful for certain situations, but not many. I used it on a small corporate project with one camera angle.

3. Edit in premiere.
To grade a clip in AE, right-click it and select Replace w/ AE composition.
If you keep the file open, you can get all comps in the same AE file.
The edit stays completely in premiere, grading completely in AE.

I typically go with option #1, though #3 has some really powerful possibilities for grading, motion graphics, titles and keeping the project completely editable.

[Alex Mills]

if using option 1 how do you send back to premiere pro?

There are three basic options depending on how you want your workflow.

1. Edit in Premiere and lock picture.
In AE, Import Premeire project (as Kwan suggested).
Every clip is becomes a layer which can be graded independently.
Changing the edit in premiere does nothing. You must change the editin AE if needed.

2. Edit in premeire.
In AE, Import File, select premeire project
This gives you one single clip that is the whole premiere edit.
You can grade the whole thing as one block.
If you want to change the edit, do so in premiere, the changes automatically apply to AE.
This is useful for certain situations, but not many. I used it on a small corporate project with one camera angle.

3. Edit in premiere.
To grade a clip in AE, right-click it and select Replace w/ AE composition.
If you keep the file open, you can get all comps in the same AE file.
The edit stays completely in premiere, grading completely in AE.

I typically go with option #1, though #3 has some really powerful possibilities for grading, motion graphics, titles and keeping the project completely editable.

[Jeff J Daniels]

if using option 1 how do you send back to premiere pro?

To bring an AE comp back into Premiere, you can choose, File - Adobe Dynamic Link - Import After Effects Composition
This imports the AE comp as one single layer/object.

You can still adjust attributes within AE, and they will change in Premiere within that imported layer (requires re-rendering that entire layer though)

This is a process I use on almost every project I create. Gives you the ability to finalize audio, etc after graphics and grading are completed within AE.

I don't think there is anyway for the layers to remain seperate, like they do when importing a Pr project into AE.

[Cory Petkovsek]

if using option 1 how do you send back to premiere pro?

With Option 1 that I gave, you don't go back. You lock your edit and don't change it again, but if you absolutely must, do so in AE. This is a typical workflow: Edit, lock, finish.

If you want to start finishing while continuing your edit, look at option 3 (which allows layers to remain separate in Pr, Jeff).

I don't recommend option 2 that I gave, nor the option Jeff gave, as both are problematic. I recommend either option 1 for a typical workflow, keeping all finishing in AE, or 3 allowing you to finish in Pr.

[Les C.]

Out of curiosity, how does Audition figure into this workflow if needed?

[Kwan Khan]

Ppro and Audition Link

Send to Audition Edit + Edit to Audition + Sequence + Save location
It’ll create “Adobe Audition Interchange” Folder;
A) Intro folder (all converted files will be here.
B) Intro.XML file, this is the file you need to open if you need to change any thing in-case you close audition.
you can open audition + Import + intro.Xml). + Check everything + OK

Audition to Ppro Multi Track + Export to Adobe Ppro (Leave file name, location & sample rate + Option (EETAS)) + OK.
In Ppro (copy to active seq = New Audio Track) and mute original tracks

AE to Audition In AE Edit + Edit in Audition (Now There will be two file (Audio and Video).
1- File + New Multi Track Session and Bring Audio Video Track in and EDIT
2- Save As (never save) + (AE will not import automatically) import new file in AE

[Joel Arvidsson]

I like to be able to do changes fast (jump back and forth if needed) so option 3 is my preferred. Only problem is that when you added you titles in AE and jump back to premiere. Then the preview is to slow of the after effect layers. I guess premiere can't use as smart preview/proxies as it does when you add a title inside of premiere. So I have to render to view the clip. This works great with a Panasonic hvx200 but I guess I have to get a new workstation to make it work great once again.