Bug Fixes and Workflow Speedups in the June 2017 update for After Effects

[Szalam]

Looks like the "Cached preview needs 2 or more frames to play back" error bug is fixed! This should benefit a LOT of people judging by the number of threads about this I've seen.

There are also a number of performance improvements for importing Illustrator files, Dynamic Link rendering, and more.

See the blog post for more information: A June 2017 Update to After Effects CC Is Now Available | Creative Cloud blog by Adobe

[Szalam]

This also fixes the annoying issue with buttons in script UI panels. So thing like DUIK will look better again!

[mariog66443980]

Still do not solve the problem after the effects with their stuttering and lag on the workbench both the text selection, since its launch have not fixed this problem.

AMD FX 8350

GTX 1060 6 GB

16 GB RAM

Windows 10 Creators Update 64 Bits

[P.M.B]

Hopefully next time.  This time they were focused on changing the shapes of the button in script UI panels.  Can't get any work with round script UI buttons.

[Szalam]

Gutter-Fish  wrote

Hopefully next time.  This time they were focused on changing the shapes of the button in script UI panels.  Can't get any work with round script UI buttons.

If you think that's all they were focused on, you didn't read the blog post. The thing that I really like about this release is that the AE team took a bunch of mogrt examples from users that were rendering way too slowly and fixed the text rendering issues so that they now render four times faster. This is literally an example of them getting user feedback and solving a problem.

Even if that's all this update was, it'd be good, but they also seem to have nailed down a notoriously difficult to diagnose memory issue that was affecting a lot of people (greatly helped by bug reports from folks in this forum) which also has the benefit of letting RAM previews be longer. They vastly improved the import experience for vector-heavy AI importing. They also fixed a decent number of other bugs (like Lumetri scope issues on High DPI screens, Camera Shake Deblur effect in 32-bit comps, and several others) and they improved a lot of interoperability issues with Premiere Pro.

[P.M.B]

`It's like going to the movies and buying a ticket and they go:

"Get the hell outta here, go home"

"But I paid for a movie"

"No, you didn't pay for a movie you paid for a ticket, dummy.  Now get outta here. Get lost."`

-Louis CK

================

You're right Szalam.  So let me just say:

Gee wiz thanks Adobe & After Effects team.  You're the tops.  You show up & try & that's all anyone can ever ask of another, right? Everyone's winner

just for suitin' up. 

>>>>>Throwing money at monitor<<<<<<

And oh, Adobe?  Gee I hope it's not too much trouble for you if I mention the fact that text selection is still super laggy and slow.  I mean you said it's 4x better but I don't really know what that means, sorry.  I just know it's still slowing me down.  But no pressure.  I know you're a small team and your trying really hard and I wouldn't want to cause you any undue emotional stress or work related pressure.  Why don't you all go down to the Yoga room and relax & then play some volly ball & then, ya know, if you can get around to it..try and make the text selection a little more responsive. No pressure to succeed.  I would never put such cruel expectations on you.  I'm not asking you to succeed.  You've already succeeded at everything just by being born.  I'm just asking you to try.  If you fail that's, ok.   In fact, the word failure is not fair.  You can't fail because there's no thing as failure...... Just...if you get to it.   Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go write my Senator.

[Szalam]

To clarify, I don't work for Adobe.

Text rendering is faster - particularly in Mogrts.

Text selection in the UI (in some instances) is still clunky, yes. I've heard about it from numerous people (but haven't experienced it myself.) Keep filing bugs against every update if it is affecting you.

[P.M.B]

What ​is Mogrts?

[Szalam]

Motion Graphics Templates. It was one of the big new features in the 14.2 version of After Effects (and the corresponding version of Premiere Pro). Not my favorite new feature (I like the ability for effects that reference other layers to be able to reference the layer's masks and effects instead of just the layer source - and I also like the GPU-acceleration of Fractal Noise), but a lot of people were going nuts over mogrts. They're handy even if you're not handing your AE project off to an editor because it lets you put controls for layers and effects across your whole project in one place.

[P.M.B]

So when does it stop?  If they keep adding new non essential modules and then keep having to kill the bugs in those new modules meanwhile working on still even newer non essential modules.  Then when are they ever going to get around to fixing the essential modules that use to be working in previous versions?   I know you're a smart guy..(although there are different types if intelligence) so I know you can see that this strategy is wrong.  It makes me mad as hell that ANYBODY attempt to defend these types of decisions.

It's like if you really needed a new pair of shoes so I bought you a pair of new shoes that didn't fit and by chance end up ruining your only pair of socks.  You tell me: "Hey these shoes don't quite fit & they ruined my socks".  So I go out and buy you a new shirt.  The shirt doesn't quite fit either.  You say:  Hey this shirt doesn't quite work for me, it's too small & there's a hole in the sleeve. And besides, I really need new shoes & remember my ruined socks?.  So.....now I go out and with my last $20 I buy you a pair of pants & wouldn't you know it, the pants don't fit and the seams are fraying.  Now you say to me:  "You know what?  I never needed a shirt or pants I needed shoes. But forget the shoes. Could you please at least replace my ruined socks.   So I come back the next day and I've patched the seams of your pants (sort of).   And you say: "What about the socks?!"   And I say:  "You know what I'm sort of short on cash and I've already been to the store three times this week".   What would you call me?

[Szalam]

Gutter-Fish  wrote

So when does it stop?  If they keep adding new non essential modules and then keep having to kill the bugs in those new modules meanwhile working on still even newer non essential modules.  Then when are they ever going to get around to fixing the essential modules that use to be working in previous versions?

You may consider Motion Graphic Templates a non-essential thing, but I can assure you that there are tons of people for whom this is a vital new feature. I'm not one of them, but I can certainly see the appeal. And I have certainly heard the rejoicing from my friends who use it. Seriously, look at the feature! If you hand graphics off to editors (especially editors who are scared of After Effects), this is a godsend.

Part of AE's strength (and weakness) is that it is a Swiss Army Knife. It has many tools that can be used for many different tasks. And lots of people use it to do all kinds of different things. This is a strength in that AE is flexible (and people can build on it to make it do more what they want, thus AEscripts.com and the like), but also a weakness in that development resources may go to something that is vital for a certain large subset of their users, but not useful at all for another large chunk of their users. Happily, yesterday's update fixed bugs and added improvements that should be seen by most folks who use AE.

[P.M.B]

You're missing The point.  It's better to get one or two finished and stable than to get 10 things half finished & unstable.  Obviously you disagree.  The convenient excuse always that the AE team is small team with limited resources.   Well then maybe they need to manage their resources a little better.  Don't build fancy new features and then tell me you lack the team members resources to fix a critical memory issue.   I understand you disagree with me.  That's fine. You're quite entitled to be wrong.

[Szalam]

I'm actually more on your side on this one. I was one of the people who voted for After Effects to have no new features added and for them to focus on getting it faster.

That being said, one could make the argument that the Motion Graphics Template feature does make things a LOT faster for a lot of people. I mean, as an AE artist, now I don't have to render anything. I don't have to spell all the names correctly in 40 different comps just to get lower thirds out. I just pass one file with one comp to the editor and move on. It's faster for the editor too since they don't have to wait for the motion graphics artist to make and render out 40 different comps. They can just alt-drag one lower third, type in the new name, and move on!

It's got to be a hard balance to manage developing something like AE.

[P.M.B]

Sigh...I am not arguing about what feature is useful or not.  I'm arguing about finishing what you start, not having too many pots on the fire & not making lame excuses.  Why do you think they're letting the community dictate their development model to begin with?   If they had a vision, If they had a direction, if they had a leader.  Problem is NoFX - Idiots Are Taking Over - YouTube

And with all due respect, you're not on my side. You don't even know what I'm saying.