8 Replies Latest reply: Dec 15, 2013 1:17 PM by jjjhixon RSS

    I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update

    jjjhixon Community Member

      II have had to shut down and restart PP CC about 5 times when just creating a very simple sequence of clips from a family get together for Thanskgiving.  I had to shut down since everything just quite responding.  Fortunately, when I reopened the project, I could resume.   I finally got my sequence created, but, now I can't export the sequence.  The encode has failed 8 times in a row.  I've tried direct export, and exporting to the AME queue.  Sometimes I get the error sound and the absolutely useless error message "Error compiling movie.  Unknown Error." Other times it just stops making any progress in the encode with no message at all, but there are zero CPU cycles being consumed by PP or AME.  It just plain stops, wiht no eror message.  That happened 3 times when used the Media Queue approach, and in the preview window in AME, it just stopped encoding at very different places in the sequence.

       

      AME Fail.jpg

       

      It appears as though I can no longer encode a movie.  And I'm paying big bucks for this every month?  What a sap.

       

      I'm glad I'm not a Pro, whose income and life depends on these tools!  But, I have a full time job, and only a very small amount of free time.  I do not want to spend my small amount of free time as an Adobe Beta Tester.  I've been using Adobe tools for years, which is why I signed up for CC, but...at this point: I can't even encode a simple sequence!

       

      I can't express my disappointment.  I wanted to be loading the encoded MP4 onto VIMEO for my friends and family to see by now, but.....I can't even encode a very simple sequence.  And, I not a newbie.  I have hundreds of videos on VIMEO, and many more on Youtube and Smugmug.  Every one was produced with Adobe PP (from v4 on).

       

      But now:  I'm dead in the water.

       

      I gurantee you that i will not 're-up' when my CC subscription expires, and, I guess right now, I have to start from scratch with my raw clips and find some other tools to use?  I wish all my expensive plug-ins (like MB Suite) would work in whatever the tools I will move to...but...I guess I'll just have to write them off as a loss, just like the next 8 months of paying for my Adobe CC Software that no longer works.

       

      I wish there was a way I could take the Thanksgiving Project and its sequences I've created in PP CC and convert the Project to PP 6.0, since I never had  any issues with it PP v6.0.

       

      But, from what I understand, if you make a project in PP CC, you are lost.  You can't go backwards.

       

      And, you know what?  I'm done.  I quit.  I won't even try starting over in PP 6.0.  I'm going to find some other tools.  I know they won;t be as full-featured as Adobe's, but...I'm not a pro.  I just need something that works reliably.

       

      Disgusted beyond words.

       

      John

       

      Win 7 Pro

      24 GB Ram

      NVidia GTX 470

       

      PS:  So, does Adobe have any kind of disaster recovery plan when an update like this fails?  Can you please send out a "new update" that rolls me back to the prior version on PP CC?

        • 1. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
          jjjhixon Community Member

          As an update, I just opened up one of my most compicated old PP 6.0 Projects, and Exported the most complicated sequence with no problems.  The MP4 output was encoded with zero issues.  So, if I was more rational, and not so disgusted, I would bite the bullet and spend the hours it would take to create my T-Day project back in PP v6.0.

           

          I did try to open up several PP CC Projects in PP V6.0.  As I suspected, you can't open up PP CC projects in PP V6.0.  You just see a message "The project appears to be damaged, it cannot be opened". 

           

          PP CC sucks Snap1.jpg

           

           

          Thanks, Adobe for not allowing a fall-back when you screw up a new release to your flagship video editing product.  That's very thoughtful (not).  I'm sure it makes your programmers life much easier to not have to worry about backwards compatability with the last stable release of yuour product, but...it is a stupid decision, since you've lost a customer in me.  And, I can't believe I'm the only one?

           

          I *could* go back and start over with my T-day Project in PP V6.0.  But, I *won't*.  I'm too disgusted with Adobe right now.

           

          I have the free version of Resolve 10 Lite installed.  I can barely do anything in it, since I've never used it.  It has FAR less features than PP, and one thing I will miss greatly is the ability to insert hi-res STILLS in a timeline, and then pan and zoom within the still ('The Ken Burns Effect') but...I guess I'll have to sacrfice that ability.  I also hate that all my PP plugins are now money thorwn down the toilet, too.

           

          But, I have 10 days of no work over the Christmas shutdown at my company, and, during those 10 days, I will learn how to get the best that I can out of Davinci Resolve Lite v10.0.

           

          I also see that Avid Media Composer 7 is availabe for $999.  That's a lot of cash, but...if it is stable, and has most of the power of PP, I may forgoe my nest lens purchase and move to MC7?

           

          In the next 8 months, every time my e-mail from Adobe arrives that tells me that my payment has been made to Adobe for CC, I will send a repeat of these forum posts, along with an update on my progress in using anything else but PP.  I will curse Adobe for taking my money every month for nothing, and then  get on with my life, composing our family videos in some tool other than PP.

           

          I can't tell you how disgusted I am to have to waste my time writing this post to let you know that on my system, you have broken PP CC.  I know there will be no response from Adobe, and all you'll say is "Oh...there must be something wrong with your system configuration."  That's the typical Adobe non-answer.  But, again...I just opened an old PP 6.0 project, and successfully encoded one of the most complex sequences I ever created, and I had zero issues.  So, no, there is nothing wrong with my configuration.  It is PP CC.  You've bollixed it up, and there is no way to revert back to the prior stable release.  How STUPID is that?  No way to revert? 

           

          So: I quit.  I'm done.  I will move away from PP.  I don't have the time to spend trying to fix problems with introduce with 'updates' to your software.

           

          For anyone esle out there who may have not yet installed the Dec 2013 PP update, if you are wise, you will avoid it like the plague!

           

          John

          • 2. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
            Ann Bens CommunityMVP

            Does not necessary have to be the update:

            http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/906/cpsid_90670.html

             

            Thanks, Adobe for not allowing a fall-back when you screw up a new release to your flagship video editing product

            You can download a trial version as the are the first build

            http://prodesigntools.com/adobe-cc-direct-download-links.html

            Updates:

            http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=98&platform=Windows

            http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=98&platform=Macintosh

            • 3. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
              jjjhixon Community Member

              Thank you, Ann,  This is very helpful.  So, I can download the original release of PP CC as a 'trial', then install the updates (but only through Oct 2013), and I'll be back where I was before this bad Dec 2013 update? Hopefully, as a CC subscriber, I won't run into a bunch of licensing issues?

               

              This is still quite a PIA, because besides unistalling PP and AME et al, I'll have to reinstall my various plug-ins etc, but, if I wind up with a working version of PP CC as it was before the Dec update, that would be great.

               

              So, There *is* a way to revert to a prior version.

               

              I've learned my lesson and will *never* install a new update until a month or so passes and 'all is quiet' on the foums!  :-)

               

              I'll let you know how this goes....but...I'm going to look over some other tools first.  Right now, in my current mood, I don't have the patience to uninstall/reinstall PP and fight whatever other issues that might entail (licensing etc?). 

               

              I'm sure I'll calm down and give this path to revert to a rpior working version of PP a try later, when I've calmed down, and I find the limitations of other tools too much to take. 

               

              Thanks again for th rapid reply.  I feel much better knowing I should be able to revert te PP CC before the Dec update.

               

              John

              • 4. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
                Ann Bens CommunityMVP

                I rolled back only the other day, no licensing issue.

                • 5. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
                  JSS1138 CommunityMVP

                  If the old project exported fine through CC, that shows that there is nothing wrong with CC itself.  It's just that sequence in that project that is the issue.  It happens sometimes, and with an Unknown Error, we have no way of knowing why.  There could be any number of reasons for the failure.  The timing with the 7.2 update is more likely coincidental than causative.

                   

                  Before moving back to an older version, you might try to trouble shoot that one sequence.  Copy/paste the clips into a new sequence in the same project, import than one sequence into a new project, open that sequence in After Effects and try exporting from there, etc.

                  • 6. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
                    jjjhixon Community Member

                    OK.  I have successfully encoded this very simple sequence, but, I *can't* get it to encode using my "standard" custom H.264 preset that I have been using for years.

                     

                    But, I was not able to encode in many plain vanilla codecs either, but, I got a notice that there was a CC update for AE, so I took the time to install those updates, and, as I always do, I re-booted after the update of AE.

                     

                    But, of course I had re-booted a couple times last night when I couldn't get the sequence to encode.  That's somethinf I always try b4 writing to a form.

                     

                    So, here's the sequecne of events this morning:

                     

                    1)  Try to encode sequecne to uncompressed AVI (Cineform AVI 1920x1080).  It SUCCEEDED.  But, even though the AVI was large > 3.6 GB the quality was horrible, I did not pay much attention to the quality settings.

                     

                    2)  Try to encode to Quicktime H.264 codec.  FAILED.

                    3)  Try to encode to Quicktime Codec=Uncompressed 4:2:2.  FAILED

                    4)  CC UPdate notice for AE CC and AE 6.0

                    5)  Perform update

                    6)  Reboot

                    7)  Try to encode to Quicktime Codec=Uncompressed 4:2:2.  SUCCEEDED - but ENORMOUS FILE SIZE *very nice quality though*  :-)

                    8)  Try to encode to Quicktime Codec=H.264.  SUCCEEDED.

                    9)  Try to encode to my 'usual' H.264 Preset FAILED, just hung up during the 2nd of two passes.  My preset is a VBR with 2 passes, see bitmap below. In this particular case it got 'hung' at this frame.  But, It never 'hangs' in the same place?

                    OldStandard_Preset_Fails_Snap1.jpg

                    So, I don't know why I was able to encode the sequence using the Quicktime Wrapper and botn Uncompressed and H2.264 Codecs after updating AE CC and rebooting, but not before.  Surely there is no interaction between AE and AME?

                     

                    But, the re-boot should not have caused it alone, since I had rebooted several times last night, and I've installed nothing but the new update for AE since last night?

                     

                    So, I guess I'm OK now.  Please excuse my tone last night, I was very frustrtated.

                     

                    It is interesting that I still can't encode this particluar sequence using my "standard" H.264 preset.

                     

                    And, BTW Jim:  What I mentioned in my previus post was not that I had brought and old PP 6.0 sequecne into CC and encoded it successfully, but that I just re-encoded one of my most complex sequences AGAIN in PP 6.0, just to wanted to make sure nothing was haywire with "good old" PP 6.0.

                     

                    But, I did just re-encode a sequence from PP CC from before the Dec 13 update using my "standard" H.264 preset, and...yes...it DID encode.

                     

                    SOOOOO...Jim, you were correct.  My inability to encode was not due to the DEC 13 PP CC update, but something very peculiar about this one sequence.  But, it is a very simple sequence.  The only effects applied is some light color grading using MB Colorista, and Warp Stabilizer to a stabilize a few hand held shots.  No other effects.  And...the encode that fails using my standard preset, never fails at the same frame.

                     

                    But...at this point I'm OK.  Instead of an encoded file in MP4 I have an ecnoded H.264 rendition in the QuickTime MOV wrapper.  At least I've got that sequence done and can move on to the ton of others I need to get to (without having to learn an entirely new tool).  :-)

                     

                    John

                    • 7. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
                      JSS1138 CommunityMVP

                      What I mentioned in my previus post was not that I had brought and old PP 6.0 sequecne into CC and encoded it successfully, but that I just re-encoded one of my most complex sequences AGAIN in PP 6.0,

                       

                      Ah, I did misunderstand.

                       

                      Have you tried deleting and 'rebuilding' the MP4 preset?  Also I'd recommend 1 pass over two.  More often than not, the only thing 2 passes will add is time.  I think you'd be very hard pressed to find any quality difference between 1 and 2 pass.

                      • 8. Re: I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update
                        jjjhixon Community Member

                        Thanks for the good advice, as usual, Jim.    I never really compared the quality difference of a single pass over two, but, the time element isn't too important to me, I usually queue up a few sequences and then go do something else for awhile.  I've just assumed that there must be something to be gained from a second pass?  But...I have never tried to test if I can see any differences.

                         

                        Plus, in this excercise with my 'bad sequence' I've found out that encoding using the QuickTime-based H.264 codec is orders of magnitude faster than the native H.264 codec.  I wind up with a final MOV file instead of an MP4, but...it sure is faster (probably because my clips come from a Lumix GH3 and they are *.MOV files using Panny's 50Mbs 24p encoding?)

                         

                        So...I may stick with using the QuickTime H.264 codec in PP CC?  It has no option for 2 passes, but, it does allow the specification of a Max bitrate.  I assume the QuickTime H.264 must also be a VBR codec, and uses the Max VBR only when needed to capture complex detailed scenes, but I'm just guessing.  Maybe it is a fixed bit rate?  I encoded that one sequence with a max bit rate of 30Mb, and it results in somewhat larger files than my 'standard' H.264 with Target=25, Max=50.

                         

                        But, because the encode is SO much faster using the Quicktime H.264 codec, I'll be looking into using it going forward.

                         

                        I wonder when PP CC will have the upcoming H.265 codec? 

                         

                        Thanks again, Ann and Jim.  I'm good now. 

                         

                        Ann: it was your link to the "What to do if you get this message: 'Error compiling movie.  Unknown error' " that got me on the right track of using different codecs.  Last night I had tried reducing the bitrates and not using some other options in my 'standard' H.264 preset, but, I never tried an entirely different codec.

                         

                        Cheers,

                         

                        John