After I import a .swf's into After effects the content disappears!

[stevedup]

I have been using this work flow for sometime. I hand animate a sequence or a still of a character in Flash Pro on a single timeline, no scipts, etc just clean keayframe animation or a single frame.

Then export the sequence as a .swf.

Then usually import it into After Effects and use the vector output in my AE scene.

After completeing an animatic for a client last week all the swf's in my AE project are EMPTY. I tried re-exporting from flash and reimporting into AE and again they show up 1st time but if I close and reopen the project they are GONE again!!! Help I have been doing this same process since CS4 and I have master animations in AE files that I'm now scared to death to open because AE will make my work vanish...  

[Mylenium]

Anything from AE CS6's notoriously flakey disk cache to some updated Flash Player component. Well, since you failed to provide even the most basic information, we cannot be any more specific than that....

[stevedup]

I have no idea what this response is trying to relate? I have the latest version of Flash Pro and AE (CS6). I export swf's from Flash - Import into AE.

I can place them (swf's) and manipulate them on the timeline in AE as vector images or sequences. I close AE reopen the same project and all the swf in the project folders have NO Content - the content goes away, vapor... empty files....

[BenjaminMarkus]

We need to know a lot more to help you. Please provide answers to the questions listed here: "FAQ: What information should I provide when asking a question on this forum?"

[mable]

I'm having the same issue since updating to cs6. Have always used this workflow seamlessly until now. Some info:

• CS6 Production Premium
• All lastest updates installed - yes
• Windows 7 home Premium
• Processor: Intle core 2Duo CPU E*400
• 6BG RAM, 2 drives (AE running off ssd)
• No external HD attached
• Sometimes, but usually not running Flash and AE at the same time
• No error messages
• .swf's play fine in their own right outside of AE
• No special filters, effects of third part plug ins operating

On save, some (not all) swf's lose some content. Its always the same content. Every time AE is closed and reopened the the same stuff is missing. Only fix so far (which becomes extremely annoying) is to rename the .fla and export a new .swf. It lasts until the next close/open.

As far as I can tell, it targets non-symbol assets moreso that symbol assets, but converting the problematic parts to symbols in Flash does not rectify the problem once it has presented itself.

Suggestions?

Amy

[Mylenium]

Are there any extranuous keyframes on the componewnts perhaps? Remnants of scripts (including inert stuff like comments)? also  do you use some odd naming convention on the layers perhaps? Flash's blend effects? And again: Does this get better when turning off AE's disk cache?

Mylenium

[mable]

No, the timeline is always clean. In some instances, as with the tree axample attached, it isnly one frame. No scripts. Yes - overlay is being used on the texture, within a mask on the top section of the tree. I tried turning the cace off with no improvement.

Amy

[BenjaminParis]

Same issue here. Any solution?

[JoeBarkBark]

Same issue here, and this particular swf problem has only started happening since I installed cs6. Previous versions of AE had a lot of buggy swf problems that I could usually work around. For example, sometimes it would show a size of 72x72 and be blank. The actual size was 1920x1080. This could be fixed by transferring the files to another drive. I have a SSD drive that I keep swf's on, and that works. But now that I've added cs6, some swfs work, some don't, and one was missing part of the color. This problem is also happening cs5 and cs4 now. I'll update if I come across anything else, and I'll also be checking back. I love working with animation, and compositing swf's from Flash in AE is my workflow...I hope this can eventually be fixed.

[Todd_Kopriva]

Be sure to submit detailed bug reports here:

http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

That is the only way that the people who can fix the problems can be made aware of the problems.

[JoeBarkBark]

Report submitted. Thank you!

I will be happy to provide files or additional information. This is a big problem for the animation industry, and I want to keep the Flash to AE workflow stable so I don't have to switch to an alternative workflow.

[Chris_de_Castro]

I think i found a solution on creative cow:

Re: swf problem in After Effects by Brendon Eldridge on Nov 12, 2012 at 8:55:40 am

I think I've found a solution to this rather annoying issue (in CS6 at least, haven't tried with 5.5 or lower): You just need to disable "Write XMP IDs to Files on Import" in Media & Disk Cache preferences. I'm not sure how important this setting is, but it seems to stop swfs from being wiped when you reload/update them.

[Todd_Kopriva]

Ah, good catch, Chris.

Yes, we have seen cases in which the insertion of the XMP ID on import does damage to the SWF file. Certainly turn this preference off until we can address this bug.

[Z-Stoverpix]

I was having the same problem and because my Flash file is a simple frame animation I changed the publish settings to V8 Player and AS2 — That worked perfecto. It may work to select later publish versions, but I'll leave that to someone else to troubleshoot.

[JoeBarkBark]

That's what I work with, frame animations. The advice from Chris has solved my problems.

"You just need to disable "Write XMP IDs to Files on Import" in Media & Disk Cache preferences. I'm not sure how important this setting is, but it seems to stop swfs from being wiped when you reload/update them."

Good to know your solution too. I hope this has/can be addressed on both platforms.

Thanks!

[Z-Stoverpix]

Dear Adobe... The CORE solution for my problem is to fix the Quicktime export in Flash CC.

[Todd_Kopriva]

> Dear Adobe... The CORE solution for my problem is to fix the Quicktime export in Flash CC.

That's something to tell the Flash team through a bug report:

http://adobe.ly/ReportBug

[flyry1]

My solution to this problem was to rename the FLA and the SWF that it exported out.

For example, when my SWF content was disappearing, my swf name was "cartoon guy.swf" - It seems as though the space in the file name may have been the issue. When I renamed, my SWF content appeared on the timeline.

It was either the space in the name being fixed or a new SWF file that corrected it.

Hope this helps

[VL!]

Yeah, my problem seems more complex:

• I enable the optimize to after Effect in Animate

• I try disabling the advanced layers options in Animate

• No special characters anywhere

• My layers do not have any scripts of any kind nowhere.

• I disabled the XMP option in AE

The problem really seems to come from the fact that I export an item for the library instead of a scene.