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Participant
Nov 3, 2026 10:24 AM UTC
Open for Voting

After Effects becomes inaccessible when switching applications during Stabilize Motion tracking

When using the "Stabilize Motion" function in the Tracker panel, After Effects becomes inaccessible after switching to another application while the tracking process is still running.

This happens both when using Alt+Tab and when simply clicking on another application's window to bring it to the foreground.

Once switched away from After Effects, it is no longer possible to bring it back to the foreground until the entire clip has been tracked.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Open a composition containing footage.

  2. Open the Tracker panel.

  3. Select "Stabilize Motion".

  4. Start the tracking process.

  5. While tracking is still in progress, switch to another application using either Alt+Tab or by clicking on its window.

  6. Try to return to After Effects using Alt+Tab or by clicking on its window in the taskbar.

Actual behavior:

After switching to another application, After Effects cannot be brought back into the foreground. The application remains inaccessible until the tracking process has finished completely.

Expected behavior:

After Effects should remain accessible and allow users to switch freely between applications, even while motion tracking and stabilization are running.

Additional information:

The issue occurs regardless of how the user switches applications (Alt+Tab or clicking another window). After Effects becomes accessible again automatically once the entire clip has been tracked. No restart is required.

    1 reply

    Nishu Kushwaha
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    Nov 3, 2026 1:42 PM UTC

    Hi, thanks for the clear reproduction steps. Could you share your exact After Effects version and build, operating system, and system specs? If possible, a short screen recording showing the tracking and the app-switching issue would help us investigate.

    Looking forward to your response.


    Thanks,
    Nishu

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