Media Encoder 26.3.1 – ProRes 4444 exports black/transparent video while Premiere Pro exports correctly

Summary

Adobe Media Encoder 26.3.1 fails to export valid video when encoding a Premiere Pro sequence to Apple ProRes 4444.

The exported file contains valid audio, but the video is either completely black or appears as transparent (empty RGB channels).

The exact same sequence exports correctly when exported directly from Premiere Pro.

The issue only started after updating to the 2026 versions of Premiere Pro and Media Encoder.

System Configuration

Operating System
macOS (Apple Silicon)

Hardware tested

• Mac Studio M1 Ultra
• MacBook Pro M2

The issue is reproducible on both systems.

Adobe versions

• Premiere Pro 26.3.0
• Media Encoder 26.3.1

Source Media

• Apple ProRes 4444
• Generated by an animation software
• No alpha channel in the source footage

The sequence also contains a few graphics/images with transparency, but those are rendered correctly when exporting directly from Premiere Pro.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open the Premiere Pro project.
2. Send the sequence to Adobe Media Encoder.
3. Choose Apple ProRes 4444 as the output codec.
4. Start the export.

Expected Result

The exported ProRes 4444 file should match the result obtained when exporting directly from Premiere Pro.

Actual Result

• Audio exports correctly.
• Video is completely black or appears transparent.
• Export finishes successfully without any error message.

Additional Testing Performed

The following tests have already been completed:

• Reset Media Encoder preferences.
• Deleted Media Cache.
• Tested on two different Apple Silicon Macs.
• Exporting directly from Premiere Pro works correctly.
• Exporting from Media Encoder to ProRes 422 HQ works correctly.
• Exporting from Media Encoder to H.264 works correctly.
• A simple test sequence (10-second red color matte) exports correctly as ProRes 4444.
• A sequence containing only a single original ProRes 4444 clip also exports correctly.

The problem only occurs with the complete production sequence.

Regression

The same project exported correctly using previous Adobe versions before updating to the 2026 releases.

The issue appeared only after upgrading Premiere Pro and Media Encoder.

Notes

This appears to be a regression affecting the ProRes 4444 export pipeline inside Media Encoder.

Since:

• Premiere Pro exports correctly.
• Media Encoder exports correctly using ProRes 422 HQ and H.264.
• Media Encoder exports simple ProRes 4444 projects correctly.

The issue seems related to a specific interaction between Media Encoder 26.3.x and more complex Premiere sequences containing ProRes 4444 animation media.