Repeated Formats in Output Module Settings

If I click on Output Module in the Render Queue and pull down "Format" to change it from say, a JPG to a Quicktime movie, why is it that each format is repeated twice? I'm runnning CS3 on Vista.
Now, to be clear - my TEMPLATES aren't repeated .. just the FORMATS listed for what the templates could be.
Adobe Clip Notes
Adobe Clip Notes
Adobe Flash Video
Adobe Flash Video.
H.264
H.264
Windows Media
Windows Media
You get the idea.
Thanks
Marc

Mmh, still strange. Even if it looks harmless, it may cause issues eventually, if AE attempts to also load a specific output module twice. I'd keep an eye out for it. I forgot to mention that some of these modules also are hooked in the registry, so may be that's where this nonsense comes from - identical settings under different keys or redundant user-specific vs. systemwide keys.
Mylenium

Similar Messages

Setting format and format options in Output module settings for render queue item

Hello,
I am unable to set the "Format" and "Format options" for video in output module settings programatically using After effects apis.
I referred the after effects cs3 sdk guide for the apis.
I find apis for all other options in the "outputmodule settings " like :
AEGP_SetEmbedOptions
AEGP_SetOutputChannels
AEGP_SetStretchInfo
AEGP_SetSoundFormatInfo
But there is no api listed for setting the options available in the "Format" tab and "Format options" tab.
The "Format" tab and "Format options" tab is available in the dialog that opens when user clicks on the Output module settings for the render queue item.
The format tab when clicked shows a drop down list with aff different formats. By default "Video for Windows" is set.
The drop down list contains following format options
Adobe Clip Notes
Adobe Flash video
Quicktime movie
Video for Windows
I need to be able to set the "Quicktime movie" option in the Format tab programmatically and then set the compression type as "Animation" in the compression settings programatically using the api functions available in AE CS3 SDK
Please suggest the suitable api to do so.
I need to write my own plugin to export to Quicktime movie using the after effects apis.
I follow below steps to do so.
1. AEGP_InsertMenuCommand and add export option to AE with my own plugin name
2. In the command hook, select active item using AEGP_GetActiveItem
3. Add it to render queue
4. Set the output module settings for 0 th output module using
suites.OutputModuleSuite1()
5. Use different functions from suites.OutputModuleSuite1() to set the output module settings like EmbedOptions,StrechInfo etc.
6. Till this step, I am doing it right. But I am not able to find any api for setting Format options using suites.OutputModuleSuite1()
I also checked all other suites available for setting FormatOptions but no luck.
Please help.
Thanks,
-Namita

Hi Namita,
I am experiencing the same problem.
I am using AE CC SDK, and I am unable to change the outputmodule format to any of the other movie format types (mov, mpg, flv, etc.).
It is always set to "avi"
I even compiled and ran the Queuebert example in the SDK, and there I get the same problem: the path extension is always left on ".avi"
Does anyone know how to change this?

Comp settings vs. Output Module settings

Oh geez I hate to even ask this question:
What the heck did I do? Maybe I'm losing it here...
I've been rendering HD videos in H.264 for some time, but all of a sudden I'm getting "settings mismatch" in output module settings.
And my animations are always 1920x1080
Could somebody give me a refresher on selecting comp settings versus render settings? Please?
If I know I'm going to use output module setting of H.264, what size should my original comp be? Does comp setting have to be 1280x720? Cause I've been using 1920x1080.
I've cycled thru just about every output module setting and every render is all grainy and unusable.
Maybe I changed something somewhere and not aware of it?
My Comp Settings:
Preset: HDTV 1080 29.97
width: 1920 px
height: 1080 px
What's got me stumped is the fact that the video/graphics look so crisp and clear while editing and previewing, but rendered video is all grainy and blurry.

H.264 renders out as progressive scan, but 1920x1080 is typically upper field first for most editing applications.
What's the field order you're using? Add the comp to AE's Render Queue and check the Render Settings.
How are you viewing the rendered file? In an editing application? In a viewer?
Personally, I'd be tempted to use 1280x720, 59.94 frames/sec if I had a choice.

Output module settings in AE disappears when activating Creative Cloud

I have been using Creative Cloud a little year now. Sometimes one of the programs en the suite asks me to activate the software. Then I (again) type in my adobe id.
After that the output module settings in After Effects disappears and I have to rebuild them manually. Very annoying.
Why am I asked to activate? And where do the settings go?

HI Blues67,
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. I've experienced the reactivate behavior and it is something I know we are working to improve. I haven't experienced the output module issue before. I searched the After Effects forum for "output module" and read through all the posts and didn't see similar reports from other customers, so wondered if it was something unique. I think the the output module preferences are saved as part of the regular After Effects user preferences. I wondered if you were on Windows or Mac. If you've had to reset your user preferences that might account for the output module settings being reset too. I'd test recreating them by moving the original to a new location, and if they do get reset, you can save a backup for future reference if needed. I think
you can get more info about the location from here:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS37cb61f8f3397d86-164c9f19127035dd253-8 000.html
-Dave

Output Module Settings for QT?

I am trying to set the output module in AE CS3 for HD in Quicktime but cannot find any combination of settings to make the final movie come out as HD. Details, original footage *.m2t (1440 X 1080 p30). The render seetings are Best Settings using the defaults. In the output module, I select format as QT Movie, video output as default which is compression DV/DVCPRO-NTSC, progressive, 16:9. I get the same results if stretch is checked off or on. If off, it comes up 1440 X 1080 custom, lock aspect ratio to 4:3. If on, I have tried HDV 1080 29.97 which changes nothing, and HDTV 1080 29.97. I note that the later does change the module to 1920 X 1080 lock aspect ratio to 16:9. IN EVERY CASE, the QT movie comes out as a 4:3. When played in the QT Pro player is it 4:3. When reinput to AE it is 4:3. When a single frame is saved and opened in photoshop, the canvas size is 16:9 but only partially filled with a 4:3 image (i.e., it has white columns on the sides). So is there anyway (or set of settings) that will give me a genuine, 16 X 9 movie that I can use in QT. I note that I have no trouble getting exactly the right output when I set it for *.avi. Help...Thanks, dale

Thanks Rick, I understand your ideas. My ultimate goal is personal
entertainment using BD disks and my HD TV. Eventually, possibly entering
amateur contests such as sponsored by Videomaker Mag or Muvipix.com. The
reason I'm pursuing QT is simply there is no better way to learn than to
work a problem until it is solved. I am using AE CS3 to implement visual
effects vignettes which is where my real interest lies. To get to BD, I use
Adobe PE4 as my NLE which is more than adequate. In so far as I know, AE
and PE work equally well with avi as with QT so I'm OK. On the other hand,
I also use PS CS2 which is married with Image Ready which seems to prefer
QT. PS is great to roto with it's many tools. I realize the new PS has
incorporated the Image Ready functionality and Image Ready is no longer
supported. Nonetheless, It's what I will have for the foreseeable future.
If worse comes to worse, I can always use AE (or PE) to output a sequence of
stills that can be imported into Image Ready and then shifted to PS for
work. If I had QT available, QT Pro outputs image sequences more quickly.
Image Ready, however, only outputs QT as footage. Dale

Output Module Preferences

If you need to be able to export these formats directly from After Effects, you can re-enable them by setting the preference Show Deprecated Formats In Output Module Settings in the Output preferences category. How do I do this?

The Show Deprecated Formats In Output Module Settings is only available in After Effects CC. That option was removed in After Effects CC 2014.
Even before they removed the option (but especially now), here's what you should be doing: using Adobe Media Encoder to create H.264, MPEG-2, and WMV videos from After Effects
However, if you really want to encode h.264 directly out of AE (which is not recommended), you can choose to Save As CC in CC 2014 and open your projects in the older version and do it there.

Default file location render settings and output module - Windows 7?

Hi all,
Confession: I am generally confused about render settings and output modules, so forgive me if this question seems stupid.
Problem 1: Where does AE store the default render settings and output module files (I'm on Windows 7)? I want to backup a copy of these in case I mess them up, but can't find the folder. I think they are .aom and .ars files, but I just upgraded my CC 2014, lost all my custom settings, and want to save the defaults before I try loading my various customized files to see if I can get my settings back. When I search for *.aom or *.ars, I can't find any "default" settings from later than 2013 (I would think there would be a newer one somewhere.
Thanks in advance,
Lori

They're in the same folder as the general preferences file and the keyboard shortcuts file. You can open that folder by clicking the button at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.
But there is no need to back up the defaults. If you delete the render settings or output module settings file, After Effects will just recreate the defaults.

Output Modules Lost

I recently upgraded from CS3 to CS5 and I can't find the output Modules from CS3 to transfer to CS5 (the render settings are gone too). They are not in either presets folder. If I open CS3, the modules are there and I can use them but I can't find them. Spotlight can't find them either. Does anyone have any advice to help me find them?
TIA

Output Module templates aren't saved as separate files. (The data is embedded in your preferences file.) You can save your custom Output Module Templates from After Effects CS3 as a .AOM file, which you can then import into After Effects CS5. For more information, read the "Create, manage, and edit output module templates" section of the "Output modules and output module settings" article in After Effects Help.
Note that because of changes to how After Effects CS5 stores the data for certain output formats (including MPEG formats), some Output Module Templates from previous versions do not fully import into After Effects CS5. In this case you will receive a warning when opening the .AOM file, and the format-specific settings for those templates will be reset to the default values. You can change the template manually in CS5 to match the settings from the previous version.

Crash on Output Module

Hi,
Seem to have an ongoing issue.
When i go to render on an existing or indeed brand new project regardless of content my AE crashes.
I choose render, then go to output module settings. Click format options and it crashes.
A copy of your project was saved at: /After Effects Crash_1.aep.
Last log message was: <140735166022416> <ae.blitpipe> <2> Making New Context
Generating crash log, which may take a few minutes.
I then get this message - and the report crash window.
Apple Mac Pro (late 2013)
10.9.5

Wow that's quite a list of requirements.
Adobe After Effects CC 2014.0.2 release 13.0.2.3
Apple OSX 10.9.5
All adobe and apple updates are complete
Error message:
A copy of your project was saved at: /Documents/After Effects Crash_3.aep.
Last log message was: <140735207072528> <ae.blitpipe> <2> Making New Context
Generating crash log, which may take a few minutes.
Workflow to get error: Render, output module settings. Click format options and it crashes.
No idea what has changed on the computer but this is only a recent thing as i had been working on a project a few weeks ago and all was fine.
Multiprocessing is switched off
OpenGL is not supported on my graphics card
Processor 2.7 GHz 12-Core Intel Xeon E5
Memory 64 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 ECC
Graphics AMD FirePro D700 6144 MB
Quicktime is installed Version 10.3 (727.4)
Am just in the process of uninstalling the application and will reinstall clean with no plugins. Hopefully this will fix the issue.

After Effects "Output Module" render error & rendering advice

Hi all,
I've been working on an AfterEffects project for a few weeks and never had a problem with rendering it before, but in the past few days it has started giving me error messages every time I start a render.
After rendering about 48 - 60 frames of a 2 minute long composition (it doesn't seem to hang in the same place every time), the render freezes and I get this error message:
After Effects error: An output module stopped responding. The file may be damaged or corrupted. You may need to restart After Effects.
The project is really huge -- about 1022 3D layers, mostly all created in Photoshop, as well as some Quicktime movies. Motion blur is turned on for everything. Although the project is big, I have a 3D camera that animates through the scene, so not all the layers are onscreen at all times.
I haven't added anything significant to the composition lately, I've just been adjusting keyframes, so that would lead me to believe the render isn't failing because of a corrupted element.
I'm using Adobe After Effects CS5, Version 10.0.2.4. I have some 3rd party plug-ins installed (Trapcode, Magic Bullet Looks, Optical Flares), but I'm not using any 3rd party effects on this project, though I plan to in the future.
I'm running the project on a 2 x 2.66 Ghz 6-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro with 14 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM, using OS X version 10.6.8.
Here is some information about my project:
1280 X 720, Square Pixels, 23.976 Frame Rate, Rendering Plug-in: Advanced 3D. For my preferences, I don't have "render multiple frames simultaneously" checked, and I keep 4 GBs of RAM reserved for other applications. I also have OpenGL disabled.
And finally, here are some screenshots of my Render Settings and Output Module for this project:
I'd really appreciate any feedback or advice on how to troubleshoot this error. And I'd also love to hear if the experts on this board have render settings tips or advice on how to set up my render preferences for my particular machine.
Thanks and hope all is well,
Dan

Hey Dan,
Really nice post in regards to info provided initially. It's rare to see that these days.
The weird thing in your screen shots that I see, is that in your Output Module Settings, the audio bit-depth settings seem to be grayed out for some reason. Are you using some sort of audio hardware that is customized, or perhaps some compressed audio in your project? Here's what I mean:
Thoughts? Aside from that, your project does sound as if it is pretty intensive, so I'm sure the problem could be occuring elsewhere...

Import Output Modules to render slaves with expired trial

Hello, I intend to launch network render jobs through the command line in Windows 7, ie., not with Watch Folder feature but by passing command lines directly to aerender.exe.
The problem is that I need to create new Output Module settings for the render job and pass it on to my render slaves. The slaves are installed in trial mode which now have expired, so I am not able to open up full After Effects and import an .aom file. And I have not figured out a way to do the same thing with just the Render Engine as the menu option is disabled no matter what I do.
I thought that copying the preference files from my workstation to the render slaves would give them the new Output Modules as I read that these settings are stored in the preference files somehow, but the render still complains about missing modules if I try.
I have 'almost' solved the whole thing by temporarily register the expired versions with my serial, import the .aom (or recreate the template from scratch), and then deactivate AE into trial mode again.
However I noticed a strange behaviour when doing this which I cannot figure out. I had previously put a ae_render_only_node.txt into \Users\Public\Documents\Adobe to force it into Render Engine mode, but it seems like the aerender.exe can no longer find the new Output Module I just created when ae_render_only_node.txt is present in that folder.
As soon as i remove ae_render_only_node.txt the aerender.exe renders fine, but with the file present it just won't find the new module on any of the slaves. I guess it works for as long as the "new" trial period is active (by registering and deactivating I got 30 days trial mode again.) But once this trial is over I am forced to use ae_render_only_node.txt to make the slaves render, no?
It is perhaps so that using the standard way of network rendering through Watch Folder will avoid this issue, but the reason is that we are designing custom network render tools that use aerender.exe because of simplicity, speed and reliability compare to Watch Folder.
In this case it would have been so much easier if Render Settings and Output Modules would have been stored as an ordinary XML or INI file which could be transfered between systems and edited with simple external text editing tools.
Right now it seems like this won't be a problem for me during these next 30 days, but after that I fear that my custom Output Module settings will no longer be recognized.
Is there any solution to this?

>The most likely culprit is the h.264 Quicktime. It should have never been included as an option. It doesn't even work well in Quicktime Pro or in Final Cut...
I'll come to Apple's (partial) defense here:
Their H.264 codec was written and released at a time when it was difficult to imagine that mainstream computers would have as many CPUs as they do now, so it's somewhat understandable that the severe failures that this codec has with large numbers of threads occurs. Of course, we may all wish that Apple hadn't decided to end development on the QuickTime platform, since this has meant that bugs like this are likely to persist.
That said, this is why we increasingly recommend that people use other H.264 codecs and not use QuickTime for such things. See the H.264 options currently in Adobe Media Encoder.

After Effects CC Audio Output Module

Hello.
I am running Adobe CC and for some reason, the default option in my audio output module is 8k, 16bit, Stereo, even though the project is set up for 48k.
This is the first time I've had to keep manually changing the kHz option to 48kHz. Any idea why this would have changed within the past week?
Also, it dosen't matter if I choose 48kHz. Even tho 48kHz is working properly and selected in the render queue, as soon as I REopen that Render Dialogue box, it goes BACK to 8kHz as the selection.
Glitch? Reinstall perhaps? Because my coworkers machines and my laptop are all default at 48kHz as usual.
Thanks.

This is a bug in After Effects CC (12.2). My apologies for this. We're working on a bug fix release.
You can avoid the bug by double-checking the audio sample rate value, and changing it if necessary, as your last action before you click OK in the Output Module Settings dialog.
For more detail please see my response in this other thread:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5938627#5938627

Quicktime Export Error: "An output module stopped responding."

I'm experiencing an odd export error whenever I use any Quicktime codecs:
"After Effects error: An output module stopped responding. The file may be damaged or corrupted. You may need to restart After Effects."
Similarly, Adobe Media Encoder hangs when outputting to Quicktime codecs. Neither program makes any progress at all before the hang occurs. At that point, I have to manually "end task" to exit. Also, it doesn't seem to matter what I try to export. In AME, for example, I can simply try to convert one video format to another and have it hang, so I don't think the problem is due to a problem with the source settings or effects. Also, I'm not attempting any multiprocessing since I don't really have enough RAM for that. Other output modules work, so I'm just exporting image sequences for the time being.
System specs:
Windows 7 64-bit
Intel i7-2600k processor
8 GB RAM
GTX 580 GPU
Software:
Adobe CS6
AE Plugins include Tracode Suite 12 and Optical Flares
Quicktime 7.7.3
Any thoughts on this? I've seen very few references to this error in other places, and not really found a solution that seems to apply to my situation. Thanks in advance for your help.
Josh

Thanks for setting me in the right direction. Clicking through to the 25 :: 101 error page (http://myleniumerrors.com/2013/01/06/25-101-4/) led me to a reference about other software, such as remote access software, using the same ports that AE needs for communication with its various processes. In my case, LogMeIn was the culprit. I had no idea that AE even used TCP for these types of operations, so that's very helpful to know.
*EDIT*
That worked temporarily, and now it doesn't work. I ran into a similar effect when I first disabled the Windows Firewall. But of course, as I type this and piddle around, it works again. It SEEMS like if I open AME and click into the output settings and scrub through the video preview, it makes everything work when I go to actually export. That's exactly the type of thing I would say is completely unrelated under normal circumstances, but at the moment all I know is that it is currently working and I don't want to test anything else until I finish the rendering I need to accomplish today. I'll work on it more later and post an update at that time.
Thanks,
Josh

An output module failed. The file may be damaged or corrupted.

Whenever I try to render something in After Effects CC 13.1.1, an error message pops up, saying "After Effects error: Rendering error while writing to file '[not going to disclose]' An output module failed. The file may be damaged or corrupted (-1610153464)."
Screenshot of the error message:
I tried reinstalling QuickTime (7), repaired it, updated After Effects to the latest version(as I am writing this), checked firewall software, and used other formats such as AVI.
Adobe Media Encoder (CC 2014-latest version) won't work with me, either.
I sent the composition to Adobe Media Encoder, and this is what I got, no progress here.
Screenshot:
It took a while to connect to the dynamic link server, and failed.
This is a log of what has happened in Adobe Media Encoder.
- Source File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Documents\not done\pinkcoverart_AME\tmpAEtoAMEProject-Pink Intro1.aep
- Output File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Documents\not done\pinkcoverart_AME\Pink Intro.mp4
- Preset Used: YouTube HD 720p 29.97
- Video: 1280x720 (1.0), 29.97 fps, Progressive
- Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz, Stereo
- Bitrate: VBR, 2 pass, Target 5.00 Mbps, Max 5.00 Mbps
- Encoding Time: 00:00:12
06/29/2014 02:29:14 PM : Encoding Failed
The Operation was interrupted by user
(no need to worry about the above part)
- Source File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Documents\not done\moddedchill_AME\tmpAEtoAMEProject-montage1.aep
- Output File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Videos\chilledup.wmv
- Preset Used: Custom
- Video: 1280x720 (1.0), 29.97 fps, Progressive
- Audio: Windows Media Audio 10 Professional, 96000 Hz, Stereo, 24 bit
- Bitrate: CBR, 2 pass, Max 10000.00 kbps
- Encoding Time: 00:01:42
11/22/2014 12:24:39 AM : Encoding Failed
The Operation was interrupted by user
- Source File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Documents\not done\moddedchill_AME\tmpAEtoAMEProject-montage1.aep
- Output File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Videos\chilledup.mpg
- Preset Used: Custom
- Video: 1280x720, 29.97 fps, Progressive, Quality 75
- Audio: MPEG Audio, 384 kbps, 48 kHz, Stereo, 16 bit
- Bitrate: VBR, 1 Pass, Min 4.00, Target 15.00, Max 18.50 Mbps
- Encoding Time: 00:00:11
11/22/2014 12:52:11 AM : Encoding Failed
The Operation was interrupted by user
- Encoding Time: 00:00:51
11/22/2014 12:53:51 AM : Encoding Failed
Export Error
Error compiling movie.
Unknown error.
- Encoding Time: 00:00:46
11/22/2014 08:39:46 AM : Encoding Failed
Export Error
Error compiling movie.
Unknown error.
- Source File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Documents\not done\moddedchill_AME\tmpAEtoAMEProject-montage4.aep
- Output File: C:\Users\Default.BronyGue\Documents\not done\moddedchill_AME\montage.mpg
- Preset Used: Match Source - High bitrate
- Video:
- Audio:
- Bitrate:
- Encoding Time: 00:00:00
11/22/2014 10:06:45 AM : Encoding Failed
Could not read from the source. Please check if it has moved or been deleted.
I need some help! Any solutions?.
Computer Specs:
AMD FX-6300
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Windows 8.1 Update 1(with latest updates)
EDIT(11/23/2014 8:31PM PST): For some reason, other projects work for me just fine. I am not sure why it is not working on one project.
Screenshot of a new project other than this I am rendering at the time of writing this edit:

Can other projects can output to the same output location? Yes
Can other projects render with the same render settings (codec, format, etc.)? Yes.
If you create a new composition and just add a solid layer to it with no effects in the same project does it render? No. I still get the error.
Can you render that brand new comp with the same render settings, output settings, output location etc.? Yes.
If so, what effects are present in the offending comp? Twixtor Pro in all the cinematics/clips, Motion Tile and Transform for pan/crop & wiggle, Magic Bullet Looks and Bad TV Warping preset with just Wave Warp & Venetian Blinds for color correction, Gradient Ramp for text, Bad TV Warping preset with everything for effect, Transform for fade in/out, and ReelSmart Motion Blur v4.1.2 for motion blur.
Also, what scripts are you using? Just the Move Anchor Point script I found from one of Mt. Mograph's videos, Summit 16 - 2.5D Minecraft Steve - After Effects - YouTube.
Have you ever installed any third-party codec packs? (I've heard of some codec packs causing weird issues like this.) Yes, (not everything I have, just everything I can think of and find) I have K-Lite codec pack, Fraps, x264vfw, and Xvid MPEG-4 codec.

AE Output Module Getting Whacky

Hi, all. My coworker just had CS5.5 Master Collection installed on a 64bit Windows 7 OS. Last week he was able to export our 720 x 1280 project in an MPEG2 format with no problems whatsoever. Today, we're getting an error message when we try to do exactly the same thing. The little yellow alert triangle appears in the bottom left corner of the output settings dialog box, clicking on which yields the message:
Why are we all of a sudden restricted? Why would such restraints be put on our MPEGS after we've been using them with no problems for years? Any insight would be appreciated.
Thanks for your time, great and powerful Adobe community.

Why are we all of a sudden restricted? Why would such restraints be put on our MPEGS after we've been using them with no problems for years?
You are merely mistaking some changes in the handling of this stuff. In short: You simply cannot recycle your old settings from previous AE versions as in most cases they will be reset to new defaults every time you open a project, but instead will have to create new output module presets specific to CS5.5 and assign them from there. This is quite explicitly mentioned on the help pages, BTW. Other than that there hasn't been any major change here - as Todd already mentioned, many MPEG types are constrained to specific framerates and resolutions, it's just that the aforementioned change in behavior resets your output to DVD specs.
Mylenium

Repeated Formats in Output Module Settings

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