After Effects Templates: 5 Common Problems & Fixes For 1st Time Users!

Oh My Gosh! 

You have recently opened a newly downloaded After Effects template to accomplish your new 1st video project but face several quirks or issues?

Worry not!

Here, we have crafted a list of 5 common after-effect problems that a beginner user may experience and their proven solutions.

So let?s start!

1.  Effects Look Cut-Off or Masked
2.  Slow After Effects
3.  When I Export, I Can?t Find H.264
4.  Where Is My Layer Situated In My Project Panel?
5.  My After Effects Keeps Crashing

Moving forward, let?s have a deep insight into all the above-crafted after-effects issues:

Issue #1: Effects Look Cut-Off or Masked

The first and foremost problem that a beginner after effect user may face is the ?Effects Look Cut-Off or Masked.? This issue occurs when they try to apply certain effects such as lighting effects like Trapcode Shine or CC Light Rays to particular layers. In such a case, some effects will exclude the Alpha or the transparency of a layer. It means that the applied effect will only display on the visible part of the layer and not drift outside of its bounding box. 

Solution:

The precise solution to this very issue of after effect template is to 

• Right-click the layer -> Select ?PRECOMPOSE.? 
• Move or shift all attributes into the new composition (you have to perform all the steps before adding the effects).

Once you are done with all the steps mentioned above, you will see the transforms or layer?s bounding box expand to the full size of the composition window. 

Now, if you add the same effects again – they should extend beyond the layer?s visible part.

Issue #2: Slow After Effects

The slow speed of the after effect templates may be caused by multiple reasons such as:

• Slow Hard Drivers
• Insufficient RAM
• Slower Video Card
• Cache Problem
• An Outdated System

There are different system requirements for Mac and Windows operating systems. Therefore, it is good to fulfill minimum system requirements to run after-effects templates efficiently. 

Minimum System Specifications to Run After Effects Templates Effortlessly.

Starting with Window Operating system

Minimum Specifications for Windows OS

• Processor: AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) Or Intel Multi-Core CPU/Processor.
• OS: 64 bit Microsoft Windows 10 ( versions 1903 and later.)

Note: Win version 1607 is not supported.

• Random Access Memory: Minimum 16 GB (Recommended: 32 GB)

• GPU: 2GB GPU, VRAM. (4GB or more recommended)

• Adobe demands the latest NVIDIA driver 451.77 or later when using After Effects. Drivers before this have a known problem that can lead to a failure or crash.

• Hard Disk Space: 15GB of already available hard disk space; apart from this, extra space is required during installation. Cannot install it on removable flash storage devices.

• Additional disk space for disk cache: 64GB+ Recommended

• Monitor Resolution: 1920×1080 or greater display resolution

• Internet: A strong internet connection or Wifi network is necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.

Minimum Specifications for Mac OS

• Processor: Intel and Apple Silicon (Rosetta2 Supported) Multi-Core Central Processing Unit.

• Operating system: MacOS Big Sur 11.0 and later. 

MacOS versions 10.14, 10.15.

• Random Access Memory: Minimum: 16 GB (Recommended: 32 GB)

• Graphical Processing Unit: 2GB of GPU VRAM.

• Hard Disk Space: 15GB of already available hard disk space; apart from this, extra space is required during installation. It cannot install on removable flash storage devices and also on the systems that use case-sensitive file systems.

• Additional Disk Space for Disk Cache: (64GB+ recommended)

• Monitor resolution: 1440×900 or greater display resolution

• Internet: A strong internet connection or Wifi network is necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.

Issue #3: When I Export, I Can?t Find H.264

Mainly, there are two sure-shot methods to export from After Effects.

1. Add To Render Queue: It is used to export directly out of After Effects. 
2. Add To Adobe Media Encoder Queue:  This method is used to export via Media Encoder.

By using the first method, i.e., ?Add To Render Queue?, you will get an abbreviated list of file formats. These are the formats that you would use to archive your animation in a high-quality format or output to other applications. If you want to use H.264-you would need to select QuickTime and then make the codec H.264. On the other hand, to output to a real MP4 (H.264) for any other purposes or social media too, choose ?Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue.?

Issue #4: Where Is My Layer Situated In My Project Panel?

While creating large projects, it is common to miss or lose any of the layers. In such a situation, the following is a short breakdown of the most popular ways to locate your media source.

Find A Layer In Project Panel: 

In the Timeline, right-click any layer -> Choose the ?REVEAL LAYER SOURCE IN PROJECT.?

Search A Composition In Project Panel:

In the Timeline, right-click any layer and Choose the ?REVEAL COMPOSITION IN PROJECT.?

Find A Layer On Your PC:

Right-click any layer in the project panel, and choose ?REVEAL IN EXPLORER (Win)? or ?REVEAL IN FINDER (Mac).?

Issue # 5: My After Effects Keeps Crashing

The fifth issue is the continuous crashing of software. This problem occurs due to multiple reasons, such as:

• GPU Acceleration/Video Card Issues,
• Corrupt Codecs
• Hard Drive Issue
• Video Card Drivers 
• Plugin Corruption or Incompatibilities

It is good to check all these points. And one shortcut method to get rid of this issue is to re-install your software or uninstall the current software and download completely new after-effects templates.

If you are using any kind of plugin, then don?t forget to check its compatibility with the downloaded software.

Final Verdict

I hope you found this article on the 5 common problems of after-effect templates and their solutions useful.

To get all the latest updates on video after-effect templates, stay tuned!