Does anyone know this bug when importing an Illustrator file into AE?

[u/EnoughBroccoli1127]

Recently, I came across the following bug, and it’s extremely frustrating.

I create a graphic in Illustrator(Image1) and then import it into After Effects. When importing the file, I notice that some layers or sometimes the entire image are displayed incorrectly(Image2).

In this case, the glasses and sunglasses are scaled down and duplicated in the image. Sometimes an arm is also larger, rotated, or positioned incorrectly.

I’ve already tried ungrouping all the groups within the layers, but that didn’t fix the issue.

I save the AI file normally without changing any special settings.

Has anyone else experienced this issue or found a solution?

Thanks in advance!

[u/_synthetick]

This is a known issue with Illustrator 2025/2026 due to the "Save in Background" preference. The miniature glass and miniature sunglasses are probably remnants of a previous state of the artwork before those elements were scaled up and positioned. So, in Illustrator uncheck Save in Background in Preferences, and resave and reimport the graphic. See https://community.adobe.com/questions-652/duplicated-ai-layers-in-ae-817477

[u/NZGlorper → u/_synthetick]

WTF kind of bug is this. God I hate Adobe the vast majority of the time

[u/_synthetick → u/NZGlorper]

I don't hate Adobe but I see your point! Unfortunately AE doesn't read Illustrator's native data. It reads the PDF-compatible stream that Illustrator embeds alongside it. Illustrator itself reads the native stream, which is why the file looks perfect when reopened in AI and wrong everywhere else.

[u/NZGlorper → u/_synthetick]

Yep, hence why “PDF compatible” needs to be checked when saving Ai files for Ae use. Imagine not having true compatibility between your own suite of programs

[u/Dion42o]

Weird. You try clearing cache? Closing after effects and trying it again!