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PhantomLimb_Arber
Known Participant
February 2, 2014
Answered

AE CC Mac: After Effects Collect Files not collecting some files, including project!

  • February 2, 2014
  • 37 replies
  • 61233 views

I need to send a client some collected projects, but the File > Dependencies > Collect Files command is not collecting some of the files (after the project has been reduced, so all the files in the project are required), including the project file!

I just end up with a collected folder containing a "Footage" folder that includes some of the files and not others. This is a nightmare!! There are hundreds of files that will take days I do not have to manually track each file down.

Any suggestions?

J

      This topic has been closed for replies.
      Correct answer ebelharw

      Hey everyone -

      Running CC 2014 on Mac 10.9.5

      I kept getting this error when trying to collect:

      After Effects warning: The file 'filename' could not be found.

      So I know this is going to sound crazy, but the problem was the mouse and Wacom tablet. Anytime I gave it input when it was starting to collect it would error out like that. Then i tried putting down the wacom pen and clicking enter on the save dialog and boom - worked perfectly. Really strange bug - hopefully Adobe addresses it soon. Props to chandra hope on creative cow for tracking the problem down:

      https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1052704

      hope this helps and hope the issue is addressed soon.

      Wes

      37 replies

      Show previous replies
      G
      Greg@Antifreeze Animation
      Known Participant
      October 21, 2015

      Nuts. I was hoping the 2015 release (using 13.5.1.48) would fix this issue, but I'm still getting it. Here's the info I gave the bug report:

      Steps to Reproduce Bug:

      1. Collect a project (using Selected Comps, Reduce)

      2. Move the mouse during collection

      Results:

      An error occurs on the file it was currently copying, and all subsequent (I assume) files are not copied to the collection folder. AE does not throw missing footage errors when re-opened, because it retains original global links. Check "Show in Finder" on a footage piece to verify problem.

      Expected Results:

      Collect files (Selected Comps) should copy all associated files, removing ALL global links.

      S
      sonka
      Participant
      October 1, 2015

      Seems like the keyboard trick is working... Adobe Adobe...

      MayDayMedia
      MayDayMedia
      Known Participant
      September 8, 2015

      Wow... Tried this suggestion (hitting enter on the keyboard instead of clicking with the mouse) and it worked! This problem had been plaguing me for at least two versions.

      Adobe, you guys should really be ashamed of yourselves for this terrible, terrible bug.

      Joshc
      Joshc
      Participant
      August 3, 2015

      Updated to After effects CC 2015 version 13.5.1 (bug patch released end of July) and it is still failing when moving a mouse or graphics tablet while waiting for AE to collect files.  Also still having problems with trying to export .MXF files as either a project collection or video render to another format. I am using OSX (10.10.4) on a mac Pro (2012) using NVIDIA Quadro 4000.

      tested same project on an older osx machine (OSX 10.8) running AE CC 2014-  collecting and .mxf files work fine! What is going on Adobe!?! Any one else experiencing similar issues?

      E
      editology
      Participant
      August 14, 2015

      Yup... Houston, we have a problem here too....   highly annoying, because it's the last thing I do to bring the project home... Please Mr. Adobe can we address this issue.   

      thanks.

      R
      Rebelski
      Participant
      August 15, 2015

      Hi Editology,

      Yes it's an annoying bug in the software. But what helps for me is:

      Note that after you click the final button to colllect files, your mouse isn't moving while collecting. It's not a final solution for the problem, but it works.

      TMS-Ian
      TMS-Ian
      Participant
      June 19, 2015

      This is insane. Failed the first time, was reading an article while it did it's thing. Then I found this thread and don't move my mouse. And Bam! it works... wow. Glad it's that simple. But just a bit crazy lol.

      red-beak
      red-beak
      Participant
      March 5, 2015

      Thank you for the workaround (using the keyboard rather than the Wacom tablet). I had the exact same problem - wanted to collect files on a project, and ended up with several nested folders containing only 2 of the 30 footage files, and NO copy of the AE project file. Upon reading your post, I opened the file menu using my tablet, then set aside the pen and proceeded to use only the keyboard to navigate the "Dependencies/Collect Files…" command and VOILA! My project and files were collected and copied correctly. Here is my software/hardware info:

      Adobe After Effects CC 2014.2 (Version 13.2.0.49)

      OS X Yosemite Version 10.10.2

      iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)

      •      3.5 GHz i7
      •      32 GB ram
      •      NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4096 MB

      Wacom Intuos 5 touch (L) Model PTH-850 Version 1.07

      My files were stored on a shared volume on a ethernet attached Mac Server with a raided storage array.

      Hopefully this bug will be sorted out shortly!

      K
      KGW Graphics 1
      Participant
      February 14, 2015

      I'm so glad I found this thread. I've been hit with this bug many times.

      Thing is, I distinctly remember some old version of AE (probably Windows, pre-CS) that wouldn't finish collecting files unless you DID move the mouse every now and then. Adobe likes to keep us guessing.

      T
      toneproductions
      Participating Frequently
      February 9, 2015

      I'm really loosing faith in adobe. What a ridiculous bug! True as day... hit collect files and leave the mouse alone and my files collect! WTF?

      A
      andrzejgoulding
      Inspiring
      February 9, 2015

      Still doesn't fix the fact that the mp3 files in my project won't collect and so stops the collection process making archiving my project unusable.

      Anyone else had any problems with mp3's? I'm going to try converting all the mp3's into .wavs and see if that helps.

      Stupid though.

      If After Effects can use the file it should be able to collect it!

      W
      whoeverjneijvrjhbejvr
      Participant
      February 5, 2015

      We've had at least 4 updates since the mouse bug was discovered. Adobe hasn't acknowledged it at all. This is what you get with subscription software.

      Todd_Kopriva
      Todd_Kopriva
      Inspiring
      February 5, 2015

      > Adobe hasn't acknowledged it at all.

      That is false. There are several threads on this forum on which members of our team have worked with people to try to reproduce this issue.

      We have been working on working around this bug in the Apple event handler for a while now, and we intend to release an update with a fix this spring.

        P
        PhantomLimb_ArberAuthor
        Known Participant
        February 5, 2015

        THANK GOD!

        I've had this bug for several years, on different Macs and OSs, and among my After Effects using friends, this is the number one head-scratching bug. "Wait. You mean if I touch the *mouse*, collect for output will fail...?? Whaaaaaa???"

        I will be *so* happy when this bug has been fixed. It was the bane of my life until I discovered the reason.

        J

        M
        M9_MHM
        Known Participant
        February 3, 2015

        This is super bizarre...I had to convert a SUPER old AE 6.0 projectile, so I installed After Effects CS5.5 on my system to do the conversion (AE CC is unable to convert AE 6.0 project files).

        When I tried to do a "Collect Files" of the project in AE CS5.5, I get the same "could not be found' error message when I move the mouse during the collection process that you get in AE CC 2014!

        Obviously, this bug goes deeper than AE CC.2014 itself.

        (This is on Mac OS X 10.9.5)

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