Using Media Encoder 2017 with AE 2018?

Question

I am trying to encode some compositions made with AE 2018, and need to use Media Encoder 2017, and can't seem to find a way. I get a Dynamic Link error every time I try to either export from AE, or just by dragging a composition into ME.

Encoding .mov with a third party codec is my primary workflow (HAP or .h264 codec within a .mov wrapper for media server playback), and of course Adobe decided no one needs that functionality anymore, which makes ME 2018 completely useless for me. To have to encode into an intermediate codec, and then import into ME 2017 is not a fix - as it almost doubles my render time.

Is there any way to do this? Why would Adobe break things so badly?

Kyle Hamrick · Accepted Answer

I don't believe it's possible for dynamic link to work across versions like you're attempting.

Adobe didn't haphazardly make this decision just to inconvenience you.
Apple stopped supporting these older Quicktime formats, which means that eventually that would have repercussions for other production software. Dropped support for Quicktime 7 era formats and codecs

If you must continue using these formats, AfterCodecs may be a good solution for you.
Alternatively, you could keep an older version of AE + AME installed for projects requiring those formats.

Roland Kahlenberg · Answer

"Also, I feel like Dynamic Link backwards compatibility would be a waste of development resources."

Incompatibility with newly created MoGRTs and FFX is a huge PITA in the past and continues to be so - just look at how important backward compatibiltiy is with AEPs, where saving a version down has become a mainstay in AE for decades.

"I would argue that most people are on the same versions of Pr, Ae, and AME—not necessarily the same version as everyone else, but on their own machine each is more likely to be the same than different."

Agreeable on this but time and time again we know it is never wise to upgrade/update in mid-project. And there are projects that run for months and it is prudent for many companies not to update until the smoke has cleared and this may take one or more updates - for the clearing of smoke.

"disconnecting those codecs from everything except AME" The confusion is the lesser of the issues - the bigger issue is the inability to convert unsupported files to a suitable format; using Adobe DVA products. Actually, there is no confusion when your files can no longer be imported - it's as straight as it gets. The real issue is how to make these files importable/workable.

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