Megan Friesth

Learn how to set up a keyboard shortcut to quickly switch between Adobe Illustrator and After Effects and vice versa.

Recently one of my favorite tools for After Effects and Illustrator got updated. In the new version of Overlord, Overlord 2, there’s no longer a button to switch from After Effects to Illustrator or vice versa. I used that button all the time!

I know that it’s not that difficult to just click the app icon in the dock to switch between apps, but it had become a habit to click the switch button in Overlord since my mouse was already close by.

The good news, is that I came up with a solution that might be even faster! You don’t need to have Overlord for this to work.

Sorry to all Windows users, this tutorial is specific to Macs. Maybe ask ChatGPT how to do it on Windows (that's how I learned how to do this in the first place).

Step 1: Create a Quick Action in Automator

1. Open Automator:
   • You can find Automator in Applications or search for it using Spotlight.
2. Create a New Quick Action:
   • In Automator, select New Document, then choose Quick Action and click Choose.
3. Configure the Quick Action:
   • At the top of the Automator window, set the following options:
     • Workflow receives: no input
     • In: Select Other, then Choose Adobe After Effects. The will make the shortcut only work when you're in After Effects, but you can leave this on "any application" if you'd rather it work no matter what app you're in.
4. Add the “Run AppleScript” Action:
   • In the Library pane on the left, search for Run AppleScript and drag it into the workflow area on the right.
5. Write an AppleScript:
   • Delete any placeholder text.
   • Type in: tell application "Adobe Illustrator" to activate
     
6. Save the Quick Action:
   • Save the quick action with a name like Switch to Illustrator.

Step 2: Assign a Keyboard Shortcut

1. Open System Preferences/Settings:
   • You can find this in the Apple menu or search for it using Spotlight.
   • This app may look different and have slightly different names for things, depending on what version of macOS you're on.
2. Go to Keyboard Preferences:
   • In System Preferences, click on Keyboard, then select the Shortcuts tab or button.
3. Add a New Shortcut:
   • In the left pane, select Services or Quick Actions (depending on your macOS version).
   • Find the quick action you created (I called mine Switch to Illustrator). It should be under General.
   • Click on the quick action, then click Add Shortcut.
4. Assign a Shortcut:
   • Press the key combination you want to use to switch to Illustrator (I used control A).
   • Make sure to choose a keyboard shortcut that doesn't already have something assigned to it. If you choose a keyboard shortcut that Illustrator (or After Effects) already has assigned an action, that's the action that will happen. It's okay to do some guessing and checking here!

Now, if you're in After Effects, using the keyboard shortcut you choose should activate Illustrator.

To set up the switch from Illustrator to After Effects, repeat the steps above, swapping Illustrator for After Effects and vice versa. You may be able to assign the same keyboard to both actions like I did.

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Troubleshooting

Once you complete these steps, the keyboard shortcuts should work right away. But, if you have any issues, double check your work (including spelling, punctuation, and capitalization on the script) and/or close and re-open Illustrator and After Effects.

_{The link to Overlord is an affiliate link. I get a small cut of the sale at no additional cost to you. This helps me create more content for you. I promise that I would still recommend Overlord even if I didn’t make a penny; it’s a tool I use myself!}

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Learn more about how I use Overlord in my workflow and the other tools I use to work more efficiently in this class: