Inspiring

This error again - Frame Substitution Recursion & Error Retrieving Frame

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
April 1, 2025
20 replies
3370 views

I've dealt with this error before but it now seems to be on steroids - Frame Substitution Recursion attempt aborting after multiple attempts on file...

Mac Mini M4 Pro

64G memory

Sequoia 15.1

Media Hard Drive - WD_BLACK 4TB SN850X NVMe SSDGen4 PCIe, M.2 2280, Up to 7,300 MB/s

1.9TB available of 4TB

Premiere Pro 24.?, 25.2 and 25.3 (beta)

I'm editing multiple footage files that I've used consistently since 2022. They are h.264 mp4 files - basically B-Roll masterfiles for work that have never given me any issue. Some of the footage is 59.97fps, some are 29.97. None are variable framerate, all have been exported into these file formats from their original sources and used without issue for some time, including on a much less powerful machine.

At the beginning of January I was using Premiere Pro (beta) - not sure which version - and every footage clip in the library started giving me the "Error retrieving frame" error. I couldn't get it to stop so I switched to the non-beta version 24.? Things were fine for a few months until today when all my exports failed and every timeline and clip started giving me the "Frame Substitution Recursion..." error. I had not changed any settings, no updates on software or OS, just halfway through the day errors started. Errors also occur in Media Encoder.

Things I've tried -

Clearing cache

Deleting rendered files (there were none)
Restarting Premiere

Restarting computer
Plugging the hard drive directly into the computer via different port.

Creating a new premiere file and importing the footage in fresh.
Upgrading premiere to 25.2
Uninstalling premiere and reinstalling 25.2

Uninstalling beta and reinstalling and trying on beta 25.3

Pounding my keyboard in anger.

Crying in the corner.

Nothing has worked, though for some reason I can't stop re-trying the last two.

RyanTheNTQ

Participant

This is happening endlessly with my PC. Was not a problem before.

Hayashi_Ryusei_

Participant

I had the same issue, what I did was convert the CRM files into a DPX file, through the “Canon RAW development App” on my PC. Then edit it on Premiere without audio and import the audio elsewhere. it still lagged sometimes, but at least it was slightly workable. Try to spread the word as I can’t copy or paste this messages too many times or It’ll be labeled spam.

jamieclarke

Community Manager

Updating Status to Fixed in Premiere version 26.2

A

abcdcm

Participant

god dang, It’s still error when I import .CRM from Canon R6 Mark III 😥

Hayashi_Ryusei_

Participant

I had the same issue, what I did was convert the CRM files into a DPX file, through the “Canon RAW development App” on my PC. Then edit it on Premiere without audio and import the audio elsewhere. it still lagged sometimes, but at least it was slightly workable.

combat films

Known Participant

Only workaround I have found is reexporting the clips. Not sure what is different about them but it works most of the time.

D

DigitalxxKnife

Inspiring

Has anyone come up with a viable sulution to this? it seems to still be happening even on the latest update here in 10/23/2025

Etienne de Durocher

Known Participant

I am getting this error on every file on a 150 file project!

combat films

Known Participant

Having the same issues as the other replies to this. I'm on the latest version 25.4.1 and it seems to be related to the DNxHR codec. However, some clips work completely fine while others don't. Please fix this, can't believe this is still an issue in this latest version.

O

Oliver36933338gcw7

Participant

I have the same issue. Need to deliver a project to a client. Have tried all the possible solutions recommended here. Adobe, will you fix this or are you gonna make everyone switch so Resolve?

J

JanJan32

Participant

I'm at a total loss and ready to switch to DaVinci Resolve. which might be easier to learn a new workflow than deal with nonstop errors. I've done everything Jeremy did included uninstalled and re installed an older version. But Still getting dropped frames. And the render is really slow.

I'm on a Mac M2 max with 64 gb of ram, and I moved the files to my hard drive from my ssd, and still all the same issues. I also tried this project on another computer (Mac M4, 64gb ram) and had the same issue. Anything I can delete from the library? I've got a 1/2 edited 10 minute video. It was working just fine until it wasn't.

JeremyAndrewDavisAuthor

Inspiring

I may have found some info that could point to what is causing the error. When I go back to my original project files with the errors and use 'replace footage' to link it to the new export... it offsets the timecode by 07:54:09. So the clip that started at timecode 00:00:00, now references the frame from the footage starting at 07:54:09.

Additionally, all the clips that are now grayed out because their timecode references are past the end of the clip, those are all the clips that were not working and throwing error codes. The earlier clips that reference timecode before the footage's end were not the ones that had errors.

It seems like the 'frame substitution' and 'retrieving frame' errors are caused by a bug that's trying to read the wrong point in the timecode.

And just as I'm typing this, the premiere project is starting to throw new error codes associated with a different footage clip. Interestingly, the clip that is throwing codes is not even open in any timelines - it is present in a timeline in the project, but that timeline is not open.

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