After Effects freezes when importing a Premiere Pro clip with a tracked circular mask

After Effects freezes when importing a Premiere Pro clip with a tracked circular mask

I am experiencing a serious freezing issue when using Premiere Pro and After Effects.

My workflow is as follows:

• Premiere Pro: FHD (1920×1080), 60 fps

• Video length: approximately 5–10 minutes

• I apply a circular mask to a clip and use automatic tracking so that the mask follows the subject.

• I then use “Replace With After Effects Composition” to send the clip to After Effects.

When After Effects imports the clip, After Effects freezes 100% of the time and becomes unresponsive.

I understand that Adobe applications can be relatively demanding compared with other video editing software. However, I find it difficult to work when a relatively normal 5-minute video causes After Effects to completely freeze.

I would like to know if there is a recommended solution or workaround to prevent this from happening.

Important: Splitting the clip into shorter sections is not an acceptable solution for my workflow. I need to be able to process the entire clip as one piece.

This workflow worked successfully with the 2025 versions of Premiere Pro and After Effects, so I suspect this may be related to a change or bug in the newer versions.

Could anyone suggest a solution or explain what might be causing this issue?

My PC specifications

• OS: Windows 11

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (16-Core)

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

• RAM: 128 GB

• Premiere Pro / After Effects: 2026