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zachb65112750
Participant
August 22, 2026
Question

After Effects Exports freezes at one frame before 1 Second

  • August 22, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 22 views

When I export any video in After Effects, regardless of the composition settings, frame rate, resolution, or quality, the render consistently freezes one frame before the 1-second mark. The only workaround I've found is exporting as an image sequence, but there is an additional issue with audio synchronization, and it is corrupted.

 

Standard video exports freeze every time, while renders sent through Adobe Media Encoder (AME) complete successfully. I've already tested different compositions, export settings, frame rates, and quality levels, but the issue remains the same.

 

Any assistance in diagnosing why After Effects stops rendering at the same point on every export would be greatly appreciated. PS: I’m using the latest version of After Effects on my Apple M4 Max with 48 GB of RAM.

    2 replies

    Nishu Kushwaha
    Community Manager
    Nishu KushwahaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 25, 2026

    Hi, thanks for the detailed report.

    A few things that would help narrow it down:

    1. Your exact AE version (Help > About) and macOS version.

    2. Does the freeze happen in a brand new empty project too? Try a new project > add a solid layer > export via Render Queue.

    3. Can you try running After Effects in Safe Mode and see if that helps? Here's how: https://adobe.ly/3U8fyXp

    AME as an interim workaround is worth using for critical deliveries while we sort this out. Let me know what you find with the fresh-project test. Moving this thread from Bugs to Questions for troubleshooting.


    Thanks,

    Nishu

    Nataliia_M
    Nataliia_M
    Inspiring
    August 24, 2026

    Hi ​@zachb65112750 
    I guess the team members can give you a more precise answer, but in the meantime, have you tried reinstalling both AE and Media Encoder? Maybe the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool could be useful if something went wrong deeply with the installation. You can find some info here: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/apps/troubleshoot/diagnostics-repair-tools/prepare-to-run-creative-cloud-cleaner-tool.html

    Warmly, Nataliia
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