vangel76andClaude Opus 5.5
1fdf817cc9
Problem: the Media Browser lists .tga and .hdr files (and groups them into image sequences), but media::is_importable had neither extension and the still decoder never tried them, so importing them failed. Fix: enable the image crate's built-in tga and hdr decoders (no new dependency), add both to STILL_EXTENSIONS and the File > Import dialog, and pick a still's format by signature with an extension fallback, since Targa has no signature. Radiance HDR is linear float light and is sRGB-encoded like OpenEXR (super-white kept); Targa alpha goes through the existing unlabeled-alpha interpretation. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>
8.1 KiB
File format parity
Last reviewed: 2026-10-10 · Last updated: 2026-10-10 · Change: major (first per-format table, measured against the After Effects 2026 26.5 bundle and this repository's import/export registries) · Target: Adobe After Effects 2026
Every format After Effects reads or writes, with EffectCraft's support. After Effects' list comes
from its installed bundle (26.5.0.89: Info.plist CFBundleDocumentTypes, Plug-ins/Format,
Resources/usd_plugins) and its public documentation; ours from crates/media/src/lib.rs
(STILL_EXTENSIONS, VIDEO_EXTENSIONS, MODEL_EXTENSIONS, FilmCraft's AUDIO_EXTENSIONS),
crates/engine/src/commands/file.rs (DATA_EXTENSIONS) and OutputFormat::ALL in
crates/project/src/render_queue.rs. Video codecs come from FilmCraft's pure-Rust crates
(architecture.md).
Overall ≈ 50% (estimated, weighted by use): modern delivery and interchange formats are strong, but After Effects' own project, template and preset formats, which decide whether existing work moves over, are 0%.
Fidelity key: exact (bit-exact or within a stated tolerance of a reference), good (round trips and renders, checked by tests, not against After Effects), partial (named limitations), none.
After Effects' own formats
| Format | After Effects | EffectCraft read | Write | Fidelity / notes | Tested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Project .aep |
R/W (native) | none | none | Main file format; needs an owner decision on clean-room scope (#190, #248: py-aep as an external converter). Blocks beta | — |
XML project .aepx |
R/W | none | none | Same decision as .aep |
— |
Templates .aet / .aetx |
R/W | none | none | Own .ectemplate (Home ▸ Templates, Save as Template) |
templates.rs tests |
Motion Graphics template .mogrt |
W (and R in Premiere) | none | none | Own .ectemplate Essential Graphics templates; FilmCraft rejects our .fcgt export (#611) |
essential.rs tests |
Animation preset .ffx |
R/W, 621 bundled | none | none | Own JSON .ecpreset; .ffx is out of clean-room scope (AGENTS.md §2) |
animation.rs tests |
Render Settings / Output Module templates .ars / .aom |
R/W | none | none | Templates are stored in the project and settings instead | render_templates.rs tests |
Scripts .jsx |
R (run) | yes | — | After Effects object model and ScriptUI (scripting-parity.md) | crates/script tests |
Binary scripts .jsxbin |
R (run) | none | — | No public specification: out of scope | — |
Motion graphics JSON .mgjson |
R (data) | none | none | Media Browser lists it; import accepts only .json / .csv / .tsv data |
— |
Captions .aecap, graphics .aegraphic |
R/W | none | none | — | — |
Native .ecproj |
— | yes | yes | Versioned JSON; schema migrations tested; absolute footage paths, no relinking (gap 18) | engine project tests |
Footage: stills
| Format | After Effects | Read | Write | Fidelity / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNG | R/W | yes | yes (sequence) | good |
| JPEG | R/W | yes | yes (sequence) | good |
| TIFF | R/W | yes | yes (sequence) | good |
| OpenEXR (multi-layer, Cryptomatte) | R/W | yes | yes (32-bit sequence) | good; HTJ2K compression fails (#482); EXRs without an unnamed RGB layer decode twice (#474) |
| Photoshop PSD / PSB | R (footage, composition) / W (layers, sequence) | yes (layers, groups, masks, styles, smart objects) | Save Frame As ▸ Photoshop Layers; no Photoshop sequence output | good, from Adobe's published spec |
Illustrator .ai, PDF, EPS |
R | yes (vector, Continuously Rasterize, Create Shapes) | — | partial: no JPX / JBIG2 images, no Illustrator procset EPS |
| SVG | R | yes | — | good; pasting SVG/AI as shape layers (26.3) missing |
| GIF | R/W | yes | yes (animated) | good |
| BMP | R | yes | — | good |
| WebP | — | yes | — | beyond After Effects |
Targa .tga |
R/W | yes (still and sequence; alpha interpreted on import) | none | good for import (#745); no Targa output |
DPX / Cineon .dpx .cin |
R/W | none | none | Media Browser lists it but import refuses (gap 17); common in film VFX |
Radiance .hdr |
R/W | yes (still and sequence, 32-bit linear float like OpenEXR) | none | good for import (#745); no Radiance output |
| SGI, PICT, ElectricImage, RLA/RPF images | R | none | none | Legacy; RPF camera data import exists (keys.rpfCameraImport) |
| Camera Raw (DNG, CR3, NEF…) | R (Camera Raw) | none | none | LightCraft has decoders that could be shared |
| HEIF / AVIF | R (platform) | none | none | — |
Footage: video and audio
| Format | After Effects | Read | Write | Fidelity / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 / MOV with H.264 | R/W | yes | yes (own encoder, + AAC) | decoder bit-exact on conformance streams (FilmCraft) |
| HEVC (H.265) | R/W | yes | yes (MP4 hvc1, Main / Main 10) |
encoder bit-exact with ffmpeg's decode; no B-frames / SAO, larger files |
| AV1 | R | yes | yes (MP4 av01, WebM) |
beyond After Effects' export; no B-frames / CDEF |
| Apple ProRes (422 family, 4444) | R/W | yes | yes | good; 4444 colour tag wrong (#340); no ProRes RAW |
| WebM / Matroska (VP9, AV1, Opus) | R (limited) | yes, incl. VP9 alpha | yes | beyond After Effects |
| MXF (OP1a / OP-Atom) | R/W | none (FilmCraft reads it; not wired) | none | Media Browser lists it |
| AVI | R | none | none | Media Browser lists it |
| DNxHD / DNxHR | R/W | unverified (FilmCraft decodes it; reachable only inside .mov) |
none | — |
| BRAW, R3D, ARRIRAW | R (plug-ins / SDKs) | none | none | proprietary SDKs |
| Variable-frame-rate phone video | R | unverified | — | needs a real-media corpus |
| WAV, AIFF | R/W | yes | yes (16-bit PCM) | good |
| MP3, AAC / M4A, FLAC, Ogg, Opus | R | yes | AAC and Opus inside video only | MP3 layer can go silent (#324) |
3D models
| Format | After Effects 26 | Read | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| glTF / GLB | R | yes (meshes, PBR, skins, animations) | good |
| OBJ / MTL | R | yes | good |
| FBX | R (usdFbx) |
none | gap 13 |
| USD / USDZ | R (usd_plugins) |
none | gap 13 |
| STL | R (usdStl) |
none | gap 13 |
Substance 3D materials .sbsar |
R (26.0) | none | gap 13 |
Interchange and data
| Format | After Effects | Read | Write | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Premiere Pro .prproj |
R (import) | none | none | Out of clean-room scope pending a decision; we interchange through FCP7 XML, FCPXML, OTIO, EDL, AAF and OMF instead (beyond After Effects) |
| Lottie JSON / dotLottie | via third-party plug-ins | yes | yes | beyond After Effects; a warnings list names what Lottie can't express |
| JSON / CSV / TSV data | R | yes (footage(), data layers) |
— | good |
LUTs (.cube, .3dl, .csp, .spi1d/3d, CDL) |
R | yes (Apply Color LUT, OCIO effects) | — | Apply Color LUT bug (#514) |
| OpenColorIO configs | R (OCIO 2.5.1, ACES 2.0 in 26.5) | yes (OCIO v2 subset, Blender configs) | — | partial: no ACES 2.0 output transforms |
| Fonts (TTF, OTF, TTC, variable) | R | yes | — | good |
| Mocha shapes | R (Mocha AE) | own documented JSON | — | Mocha's format is not public |
Vanishing Point .vpe |
R | none | — | no public specification; the menu entry explains why |
Render queue outputs (OutputFormat::ALL, 12)
H.264 MP4, HEVC MP4, AV1 MP4, ProRes MOV, WebM (VP9 or AV1 + Opus), PNG / JPEG / TIFF / OpenEXR sequences, animated GIF, WAV, AIFF. Missing against After Effects + Media Encoder: uncompressed or lossless single-file video (#372), DPX / Targa / Photoshop sequences, MXF, DNxHR, hardware encoders (hardware-parity.md), and rendering safely over an existing file (#325).
Estimate
≈ 130–230 h: .aep / .aepx import 80–160 h (after the owner decision), wiring TGA / DPX /
HDR / MXF / AVI / DNx import and DPX/TGA output 10–20 h, FBX / USD / STL and Substance 25–45 h,
relinking 6–12 h, .mogrt-compatible templates 15–30 h (partly parallel with the rest).
Revision history
| Date | Change | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-10 | major | First file format parity document, from the After Effects 26.5 bundle and this repository's import/export registries |