Participant

Bug: Adobe Media Encoder is shifting color when rendering to h264 codec MP4

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
August 1, 2022
18 replies
6948 views

After Effects and Adobe Media Encoder 2020 are rendering h264 codec MP4s too bright. The colors are washed out slightly and what I'm assuming is a gamma shift. I'm using Windows 10, After Effects v17.1.4, Adobe Media Encoder v14.4, and Nvidia driver 451.77.

This issue does not exist on After Effects 2019 and Adobe Media Encoder 2019. The MP4s look as you would expect, using identical settings for export.

One additional finding was that using After Codecs plugin, I'm able to export an MP4 using the x264 codec and the colors are correct. That is also using AE and AME 2020. So, from what I'm gathering there is definitely an issue with AME 2020.

I find this annoying issue with nearly every release of AME, and have had it pop up off and on since 2004. This is not an issue with playback between video players, but specifically a color shift in the actual render. I'm not using any display profiles, and have After Effects set to not use a Workspace color profile in Project settings. Have also tested rendering the files with and without Hardware encoding turned on.

Would be happy to send additional info or files if needed. Thank you!

Formats

Frostoman

Participant

Workaround: import the .aep directly into Media Encoder instead of using Dynamic Link

Ran into this exact same issue, so posting a workaround in case it helps anyone else landing here.

If you send a comp to Media Encoder through the render queue / Dynamic Link (Composition → Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue), the output can come out with dull, washed-out colors. The fix that works for me: don't use Dynamic Link at all. Instead, drag the .aep project file directly into Media Encoder and pick the composition you want from there. Same project, same export settings — but the colors come out correct this way.

You can see the difference in the attached image: the washed-out result from the Dynamic Link / render queue method is on the left, and the correct colors from importing the .aep directly are on the right.

So if your renders look off, try the direct-import route before you start tweaking color settings.

That said — how many years has this bug been around now, and it's still not fixed? Two different paths to the same render giving different color output is not something users should have to discover and work around on their own. It's an embarrassment for a paid pro tool. Please, Adobe, sort out the color management between Dynamic Link and direct import so we get consistent output regardless of the method.

Frostoman

Participant

Oh, I finally figured this out!.

If your comp looks right in AE but dull/washed-out after sending it to Media Encoder — it's a gamma mismatch, not an export bug.

Dynamic Link expects Rec.709, which is gamma 2.4. Fix it in the project, not the export: File → Project Settings → Color and set Assume Working Gamma to 2.4 (Rec. 709). This makes the queued render match a direct export.

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olivial65460117

Participant

I agree. I work on a MacOS setup, and renderinfg first in AE (ProRes), then converting to MP4 (H.264) in ME retains the color. Otherwise, all renders in AE to and form of H.264 shifts color.

T

trainofthought

Participating Frequently

I found @axelk15601774's solution worked for me: Composition > "Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue" results in no colour / brightness shift whereas "Queue in AME" from the Render Queue does. A dreadful and obvious bug that has been going on through multiple versions of After Effects / Media Encoder (2024 included) and one that Adobe needs to fix ASAP. It's so completely unprofessional.

D

dylman3001

Known Participant

Ahh, so glad to see this is a bug, I was worried my knowledge of colour management was wrong or that I was missing something. My workarounds for this are:
Turning off colour management and ensuring all my source assets have the sRGB profile embedded
OR

Exporting a MOV from After Effects, then converting that file in Media Encoder to the output settings I require.

E

Edward Kwok Media

Participant

I had the same problem. To solve it, I created a "MOV" file from After Effects and then adding it to Adobe Media Encoder to create the "MP4" file. Alternatively, make sure the "Working (Colour) Space" is set to "None" in the "Project Settings" in After Effects. Hope this helps. 🙂

V

Vipera

Participant

I am having the same problem. When I submit encoding to H.265 from AfterEffects to MediaEncoder, I have color shift. The output is brighter and colors are washed out. If I render output directly from AE to TGA sequence the output colors are fine. If I load this TGA sequence to Media Encoder and make H.265 MP4 file then output is fine. Color connection between AfterEffects and MediaEncoder is broken.

L

lume360

Known Participant

I don't know if it helps, but I found the solution to my colour shift here:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects/after-effects-is-exporting-vector-file-animation-pixelated/td-p/10545209
"Try to change VBR to CBR and/or bitrate to at least 20mbps"

M

marg43956372

Participant

Same issue, plus now my files are not looking HD. I am working with vectors, continuously raster is on. I don't get it.

A

Adbul Gafur Kalburgi5FCE

Participant

Same issue here please help, its taking **** lot of time to export , export from after effects and then re export from premier to get h264

vjsaw

Participating Frequently

Same issue. Same issue. Same issue. Same issue!
ITS INSANE! I Hello Adobe, are you still alive!? Im going to switch to Davinci Resolve as soon as possible,. Im not taking this mismanagement any longer! And because AE is rendering now and blocking me from working on it,, I got a lot of time trying out Davinci Resolve.

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