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After Effects CC stopped working with QuickTime files

Contributor ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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I can not reliably use QuickTime (Animation or ProRes codec) in my timeline. I also can't export to QuickTime. I believe accepting the latest update to CC or my system software initiated this problem. I did not have this problem last week. I have converted all of my source QTs to .PNG sequences and .AIFs as a work-around.

System Details:

CS 6 CC | Mac OS 10.8.4 | MacPro5,1 | 96 GB Ram | PROJECT & MEDIA drive: Mercury Accelsior > 500 MB/s read/write | CACHE drive: Mercury Accelsior > 500 MB/s read/write | Nvidia Quadro 4000 Mac | CUDA Driver: latest update.

Troubleshooting Info:

• I've read this article: http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2011/02/troubleshooting-quicktime-errors-with-after-effects.html

• I don't have Blackmagic or Aja, but I do have Nvidia Quadro 4000 Mac with the latest Nvidia and Cuda drivers. I'll try uninstalling... but I may want to raytrace in the coming days.

• I've trashed the 12.0 folder and rebooted many times

• repaired permissions

• Multi-threding on/off doesn't matter

update

• "QT32Server process" appears then disappears Activity Monitor when I try to render ProRes (output module fails...)

• No firewall

• Uninstaled Nvidia driver. Restarted. Same problems.

and then

• Created a fresh admin user. This seems to work for now: I can read and write QTs through AE again. I'll update if there are any changes.

update again

• Once again, I  can not import ProRes QTs into AE CC. Making a new user only worked for 2 launches. The only software I used with this system/new user was Adobe AE CC, PS CC, and Safari.

Any suggestions?

Best,

Benjamin

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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Benjamin,

Assuming you've updated the OS and all drivers on your system and done all of the following:

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/startup-screen-hangs-premiere-after.html

It's probably best to look at the crash logs for QT32Server. Look at recent logs here:

/Users/<username>/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports

*The user Library folder is hidden by default on 10.8: http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

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Contributor ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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Thanks Tim. I don't have my firewall turned on, and don't have any 3rd party QT stuff that I know of. But here's a link to my crash report:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5076108/Adobe%20QT32%20Server_2013-07-15-123137_Benjamins-Mac-Pr...

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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don't have any 3rd party QT stuff that I know of

Why don't you check to be sure? What is in your /Volumes/<volumename>/Library/QuickTime folder?

Your crash log indicates that the crash begins on a request to CoreAudio, the OS audio component. This is similar to other crashes in QT32Server we've seen with the Blackmagic drivers.

What audio devices do you have installed? Are there any virtual audio drivers present, such as SoundFlower? SoundFlower has been known to crash QT32Server; check for an update.

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Contributor ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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QTcomponents.png

Here's what I have. Never used soundflower. The only audio device is connecting my audio-out to an amplifier (analog). Does anything look suspicious? Thanks in advance, B

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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Nothing here stands out to me, but you should proceed with the troubleshooting as originally recommended:

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/startup-screen-hangs-premiere-after.html

"Remove all third-party QuickTime importers and exporters from the Library/QuickTime directory and restart the application."

Just move them to a folder on the desktop and reboot. If it fails to help, put them back. If it helps then start putting them back one-by-one, then start AE and test, until you find the culprit.

Interesting to note that all of those components were installed in 2009. Since you're running 10.8, that implies you've upgraded your OS. My opinion, which is not technical fact, is that OS over-installs carry risk due to built-up crud in the system and that formatting the OS drive before an upgrade is generally the better way to go.

A good start would be to visit your Preferences folder and start clearing out old data. Like above, you can move files to the desktop temporarily in order to test if they are affecting the problem, and if they aren't you can put them back. Start with the Adobe files, of course, but also target QuickTime-related files.

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Contributor ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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I wonder if it is 2009 because that's when the element was written? I really don't know. Or maybe FCP 7 installed those elements? It's an older program, but is still in wide use.

I have been upgrading, but only since a clean instal of 10.8 from a disk image/package I downloaded from Apple about a year ago. Thanks for your time. I'll do another clean instal when I can afford the downtime and return if my problems do.

Best,

Benjamin

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Contributor ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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I do not have QuickTime problems with the same computer using AE CS6

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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Benjamin Goldman wrote:

I do not have QuickTime problems with the same computer using AE CS6

Yes, that's also been the case for other users with QuickTime problems in After Effects CC. At the same time, most people are using QuickTime in AE CC with no problem.

This is a confluence of a change in QT32Server between AE CS6 and CC, and an undiagnosed condition on your computer that engages the crash. Our engineers are investigating the problem but the solution is non-obvious. Troubleshooting the problem on your computer may lead you to a solution and may also give us more clues as to the problem. (For example, we helped a user isolate the problem to the Blackmagic drivers. We are working with Blackmagic to investigate that cause.)

Have you tried moving the QuickTime components, or the files in your preferences folder, as per my previous suggestions?


Can you post a system info report from the computer? This will show all of the audio (and other) devices available, and might help us sniff out the culprit. Applications > Utilities > System Info.app, then File > Save.

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Contributor ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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I take time to troubleshoot while rendering.... via my laptop, but won't have time for the big steps you've suggested for some time. But here's a system report... I wonder if it's my LED cinema Display. That reeked havoc with the audio mapping of After Effects CS 6... (or was it 5.5?) until they came up with a patch.

Cheers,

B

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5076108/BGP%20Mac%20Pro.spx

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 15, 2013 Jul 15, 2013

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Thanks. Nothing's standing out here. The (LED) Display Audio device is the only non-standard item I see, though not one I would normally suspect.

A couple of troubleshooting shots-in-the-dark:

  1. If you unplug this monitor, does the problem still occur?
  2. In AE's Preferences > Audio Hardware, what is the default device? If you change this, does the problem still occur?
  3. Open Audio MIDI Setup.app in Applications > Utilities. Which device is set as your default output? If you set a different device as the default, does the problem still occur?

Let us know where you get with the other troubleshooting steps.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 16, 2013 Jul 16, 2013

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Just to chime in with a "me too" here. I am having these same problems.

Deleting the AE CC prefs seemed to help for a day or so, then I am back to the same thing. In the middle of a session, AE will suddenly stop working with all of my QuickTime files.

I've been following along with this thread hear trying to diagnose the issue with no luck so far.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 16, 2013 Jul 16, 2013

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Harry, to validate that you're in the same boat as Benjamin, please verify for me that:

  • No AJA or Blackmagic hardware or drivers are installed
  • AE CS6 does not have problems working with QuickTime files on the same computer
  • You've attempted the troubleshooting referenced in posts #1 and #2 of this thread

Please post your last crash log for QT32Server and a System Info report. Also, please post a screenshot of Activity Monitor after a reboot and launching AE. Benjamin, please do the same.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 16, 2013 Jul 16, 2013

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Yes, yes and yes.

As mentioned, I trashed the prefs which was some time late last week. I thought this was the solution until late yesterday the same problem occured. It happens randomly while either interacting with AE or rendering. So, my ability to read or write QuickTime just "stops" and only restarts when I quit AE and re-launch it.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 16, 2013 Jul 16, 2013

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As mentioned, I trashed the prefs which was some time late last week. I thought this was the solution until late yesterday the same problem occured. It happens randomly while either interacting with AE or rendering. So, my ability to read or write QuickTime just "stops" and only restarts when I quit AE and re-launch it.

We've seen in other cases of this problem that trashing the prefs helps temporarily. The problem appears related to audio devices or drivers, and trashing your prefs will reset the values used in AE's Audio Hardware prefs. That seems to delay the problem until the trigger occurs. (We're still investigating what the trigger is.)

Your crash log and system info will help us compare and isolate, and potentially find a solution faster. If you do not want to post the files publicly, you can send it to kurkoski -at- adobe -dot- com.

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Explorer ,
Jul 19, 2013 Jul 19, 2013

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Hi there,

I'd like to chime in and say that I'm have very similar issues with QT ProRes 4444 footage in AE CC.

Here's a link to my latest crash report:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5473641/Adobe%20QT32%20Server_2013-07-19-225348_Grahams-Mac-Pro....

What seems to be triggering it for me is having After Effects and Premiere open at the same time.

Here's the error I'm getting when I open Premiere up while After Effects is open and I switch back to After Effects and sometimes when I render out .movs:

Screen Shot 2013-07-19 at 10.37.29 PM.png

I was also getting the error the OP posted.  Restarting seems to fix both issues temporarily and if the error has already happened and I shut down AE and reopen, all of my ProRes 4444 clips disconnect.  This will also sometimes disable the output device (BM Decklink Studio 2) and make the card unavailable in AE prefs.  This seems to be a BM driver issue.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the BM drivers twice, reset prefs, etc.

MacPro 4,1

10.8.4

latest CUDA and Blackmagic drivers

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 22, 2013 Jul 22, 2013

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Thanks for the info, Graham. Could you also post or send me your computer's system info report? (I describe how to generate the file in post #8 of this thread.)

Your crash matches that of all the other cases, so what we need to do is collate your system data with others to look for the common factor.

A reminder to Harry and anyone else out there reading this that if you are experiencing the same problem (and most specifically if your crash report matches the ones Graham and Benjamin have posted) that we want to look at your data, too.

A couple of other questions I haven't asked on this thread but have been relevant in a few cases:

  • Do you have any screen capture or audio capture software installed? SoundFlower has been known to cause this problem. iShowU is also a culprit because it installs the SoundFlower component.
  • Do you have the multiprocessing preference in AE enabled when this problem occurs? If so, does turning it off make the problem go away?

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Contributor ,
Jul 22, 2013 Jul 22, 2013

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Hi Tim,

• I can confirm that I did a clean instal from 10.8.2 instal disk image. All subsequent updates (up to 10.8.4) or QuickTime additions were done by Apple or Adobe updates, or the installation of FCP 7.

• I am now getting the same error while trying to save RAM previews.

• I haven't been able to extensivly troubleshoot the LED Cinema display issue, but will do so asap.

Hope this helps,

Benjamin

error.png

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 22, 2013 Jul 22, 2013

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Thanks for the update, Benjamin.


The two key things to look for here are:

  • QT32Server is not running at the time of the errors (check Activity Monitor)
  • The crash log shows the last request was a call to CoreAudio

These identifiers are consistent and specific to the problem we're chasing.

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Explorer ,
Jul 23, 2013 Jul 23, 2013

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Hi Tim,

Quick update.

I noticed that I had a media streaming utility, AirParrot (similar function as Apple's AirPlay), installed on my machine.

Quick uninstall and reboot later and the "reading frame from file" from ProRes media error seems to be gone as well as the issues I was having rendering ProRes outputs.

We'll see if it comes back, but I'm hoping this fixed the issue, at least for me.

Cheers.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 24, 2013 Jul 24, 2013

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[Re-post after branching]

Hey Graham- Thanks for the update and glad you got positive results. This matches what we suspect, that the presence of other audio devices contribute to QT32Server failing. Let us know if anything changes.

Benjamin- Have you had a chance to troubleshoot with the monitor?

RE: the QT Player problem, what's memory usage on the machine? Do you have multiprocessing enabled in AE? When QT Player is open, does it have a file open? Is it a file referenced by the open AE project? What codec are these files?

Sorry to repeat myself, but this smells like a new forum thread. [Branched the relevant post. Benjamin previously replied: In a rendering, tweaking marathon for delivery. Awaiting progress bar now, and will unplug my monitor and thoroughly reinstal after delivery.]

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Explorer ,
Jul 26, 2013 Jul 26, 2013

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Aaaaaaand. . . it's back.

Reading from and rendering to a prores file has caused the same "reading frame from file" error.

Premiere was also open at the time.  Shut down Premiere and restarted AE CC and could then render.

Any timeframe that we might expect a bug fix?

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 29, 2013 Jul 29, 2013

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We've made some good progress on this problem in the past week. Thanks everybody for your patience. My next task is to write up our findings and explain what's going on in detail, which will be posted on the blog: http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects

Until then, a couple of questions for anybody experiencing the problem:

  • Most of you have remarked that the problem will go away for a while and come back. When it comes back, we want to know if the last action you took in AE was to switch from AE to the Finder or another application. There's a chance that this problem is triggered when you leave and re-enter AE while it is running.
  • Do you enable Video Preview in AE's preferences? This usually applies if you have a Blackmagic, AJA, or other hardware, but AE can also use FireWire DV (standard-def only) devices. If you do enable this preference, regardless of which hardware you use, please tell us.

Graham Hutchins wrote:

Any timeframe that we might expect a bug fix?

I'll have more information in the blog post.

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Contributor ,
Jul 29, 2013 Jul 29, 2013

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Thanks for staying on this Tim. I'll make sure to track the what I do last before I get the error, but it's generally launching AE with a project that contains a QT... or Rendering to a QT output.... Not sure what steps make the intermittency fall in one direction or another after trashing prefs & cache, shutting down, etc...

... As for previews, I use Output Device: Computer Monitor Only

I did switch my audio output from "Display Audio" to "System Default" the other day... and that gave me a few minutes of being able to use QT in my timeline... But then when I tried to render, I got the QT error... And then the project threw an error for having a QT in it.

Thanks again. I'll look forward to your follow up.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 29, 2013 Jul 29, 2013

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I have a new request for anybody experiencing this problem: troubleshoot your QuickTime components. We would like to know if these are related to the problem.

  1. Go to the Library/QuickTime folder on your OS hard drive (the root of the drive, not the Library in your System or user folders).
  2. Take a screen shot of this folder for me.
  3. Move half of the files in this directory out to a folder on your desktop.
  4. Reboot, launch After Effects CC, and try to work with QuickTime files as you normally would: import, play back, and render. (Note that you may have removed some codecs in the previous step, so some files may not work.)
  5. If the problem still occurs, move the other half of the QuickTime component files and reboot.
  6. If the problem goes away, move the files back into the Library/QuickTime folder one by one, reboot and test again.
  7. When the problem happens, the last component you restored is a culprit. Remove it, but continue to test the rest of the files. There may be more than one culprit.

Please post your results back to this thread, including the screen shot you took in step 2.

Thanks much.

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