Why do I have weird distortion in all of my after effects compositions after rendering?

[kylee6101111]

After I render and export AVI's of my After Effects compositions, I get this strange distortion every time. It doesn't appear inside of After Effects, only in the video after rendering. Here's a screengrab of what it looks like

It's definitely in the video itself, as it appears this way in VLC and Premiere Pro. I'm using the latest version of CC.  Heres a video sample

Please help me out, and thank you!

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi KyleE,

Looks weird, but reminds me of the patterns you see when your GPU is not working correctly. I would first try rebooting the computer. If that is not working, try a new project and comp. Still giving you trouble? Please try reinstalling GPU drivers for your GPU.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Szalam]

Also, out of curiosity, what codec are you using in these AVI's?

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi KyleE,

Did you ever solve this weird issue?

Regards,
Kevin

[kylee6101111]

So this is not resolved. I reverted my GPU back to the original drivers and it seemed to work at first, but I was still getting this same problem. Eventually with Adobe's help I found a workaround, which is if I export through Adobe Media Encoder an h.264 file (which has to be a GoPro codec to maintain Alpha Channel for some reason) I can export without the strange artifacts/distortion. So there's a way around it for me, which is fine, but it'd be nice to be able to export directly from After Effects.

[kylee6101111]

So I guess its semi-resolved... I'm grateful I can workaround it which is the biggest issue I suppose.

[Dave_LaRonde]

kylee6101111  wrote

... if I export through Adobe Media Encoder an h.264 file (which has to be a GoPro codec to maintain Alpha Channel for some reason) I can export without the strange artifacts/distortion.

That's interesting.  H.264 doesn't support alpha channels.  Are you making matte and fill files?

And why does it have to be in a GoPro acquisition codec?  How is your work being used by the next person?  I suspect there's a judgement problem in this project's workflow.

[kylee6101111]

The workaround was essentially found by the Adobe support who I let take over my computer. I could be wrong on the h.264, maybe its some other type of mp4. (It has been a few weeks since I've had to deal with this problem so my memory is foggy on this) I work on two different PC's, and only one seems to have the issue. But as far as I can tell, the only way I've been able to maintain alpha channels is through the GoPro settings, which was also suggested by Adobe Support.

I'm essentially making small animations with transparent backgrounds and importing them into premiere projects, but I still get the problems whether I need alpha channel or not. So basically I'm completely unable to export through After Effects. Which like I said isn't the end of the world, but strange.

I appreciate the continued help. Since it is only with the one PC it seems believable it could be a problem with my GPU, but I just don't know enough about all the technical nuances to understand why or if there is a solution. (If its the GPU I'd try to avoid that type in the future.)

[Dave_LaRonde]

Well, are you getting files with transparency in PP?  It doesn't sound like you've checked yet.

Does your comp have transparency in it?  Have you checked by turning on the transparency grid?

And I'm just weirded out by that choice of GoPro codecs by an Adobe staffer.   I have never, EVER heard of an H.264 that supports alpha channels.

Did you make both matte and fill files?  You didn't say.

[kylee6101111]

Yes when I export through media encoder I'm getting the transparency I need. That's why I'm okay with the workaround, because I'm able to do what I need, albeit through some extra steps. HOWEVER, I can get back on that PC and double check everything to give all of the accurate information to make sure I'm not misremembering something. I'm not sure what you mean by matte and fill files (excuse my novice grasp.)

Once I can get back on that PC, I'll go through everything you've suggested, including confirming my export settings and report back so I can give a more accurate representation of what's happening.