Participant

Answered

missing sequence presets or codec

Forum|Forum|13 years ago
June 16, 2012
10 replies
167964 views

I cannot open saved projects! Instead, when I open a saved Premiere Pro project I get the error message: "This project contained a sequence that could not be opened. No sequence preview preset file or codec could be associated with this sequence type."

I am running Premiere CS6 on a MacBook Pro 10.7.4. I am not subscribed to creative cloud. I do not have any previous versions of Premiere installed (ie. CS5, CS5.5).

This message seems to be a pretty common problem among CS6 users. Here is a recent thread for creative cloud users experiencing this error message: http://forums.adobe.com/message/4496308 Like others, I am unable to open old projects, but I can still start new projects. However, when creating a new project, my sequence settings seem to be missing presets:

any ideas?

adobe-software

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Todd_Kopriva

There is an offline activation option. You don't need to be connected to the Internet. There is more information about offline activation here:

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-deactivation-products.html

For issues with activation, this forum is very useful:

http://forums.adobe.com/community/download_install_setup

If you're having problems with sequence presets and codecs missing from Premiere Pro, see this document for solutions for this activation issue:

http://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/kb/features-presets-missing-premiere-pro.html

This document relates to the following problems:

- missing sequence presets when creating a new sequence

- Encore error: "Encore will not launch in non-royalty bearing mode. The application needs to be serialized with a royalty bearing serial number."

- When opening a project in Premiere Pro: "Error Adobe Premiere Pro: This project contained a sequence that could not be opened. No sequence preview preset file or codec could be associated with this sequence type."

- When importing footage, the footage is missing audio or video.

These failures are all because Premiere Pro and Encore use some codecs that require activation before they can be used. If activation of these codecs has failed, these codecs will not be available to use.

G

grantlee3000

Participating Frequently

If you get the following message try these steps:

"This project contained a sequence that could not be opened. No sequence preview preset file or codec could be associated with this sequence type."

Step One: Do not empty your Recycle Bin (but it might already be too late for that) hit restore on Recycle Bin.

Step Two: Make sure you have the internet. Open you Adobe Apps box, click on the Gear Wheel on the top right. Sign out then sign back in.

Step Three (if necessary) Restore your entire computer to the last updates or to the time right before the Codecs went missing,

C

capt_kilgore

Participant

I can't be bothered being polite because this problem has happened far too many times. Fix the problem. Don't tell us we need to de-activated, re-download, re-install, or whatever. Once the software is installed and working it should stay that way.

You have enough mechanisms in place to staunch pirates as it is; this bullshit "activation" of codecs is simply a kick in the shins for those of us who pay for the products. I'm sick of crossing my fingers when I open my projects hoping that the codecs haven't randomly disappeared.

Fix the problem.

S

Shadreck Rukweza

Participating Frequently

I still get that in CC and I think I might not renew my membership because I waste a lot of time about these missing codecs, especially, MTS files and HDV mpeg.

C

conferhawks@gmail.com

Participant

I had the same problem, same message. Finally after reading through all these post it began to sound like an activation issue to me. Sure enough, it was. For some reason my folks forgot to talk to their folks and tell 'em I paid. . . or come sort of cyber equivalent. I just opened a new project and deactivated (under the HELP tab) which closed the program. I then restarted and all was good as new. Hope your fix is as easy.

H

Hiddenpictures Ltd

Known Participant

I am a Creative Cloud member and I am also getting the same hugely time-wasting nonsense error message: "This project contained a sequence that could not be opened. No sequence preview preset file or codec could be associated with this sequence type". The solution seems to be to deactivate and the reactivate but it is not obvious WHERE that can be done - using the help menu - register, licence, license, deactivate produces no results - the Adobe answer is to use 'deactivate' - OK so WHERE is that on the menus - how do I get to that screen?

After wasting a lot more time I did get it to come up but not sure how. I reactivated and now it works again - but not sure for how long. I also don't know whether I am now running a trial version or not.

So in summary - very confusing, total waste of time, gives me a lack of confidence in the product - hello Avid

E

excited_Genie16B8

Legend

the Adobe answer is to use 'deactivate' - OK so WHERE is that on the menus

Help>Deactivate...

D

Dan from Atlanta

Participant

This is still an issue as of this morning. It's happened to me twice in one month for no apparent reason.

From what I'm reading, it's happening more often with the Creative Cloud.

Both times, I had to uninstall Premiere Pro, reinstall it, and install the latest updates.

During the failure, it renders existing projects, that worked minutes before, completely ununsable. And even after a reinstall, some video clips within a project will work, but some identical-type (AVCHD) clips stay "offline," and won't render.

Today's solution was a complete uninstall of all CS6 products, running the cleaner and rebooting twice, reinstalling, and updating. But then, Dreamweaver was missing a dll file until I installed and updated another CS6 applicaion.

Many hours later, everything's back to "normal," and my original Premiere Pro projects now function properly.

This is a very serious bug that shouild be addressed immediately, please!!

X

xTLS

Inspiring

I felt pretty brilliant when I thought maybe I could edit the .prproj file in a text editor (Premiere Project files are actually just XML) and edit the sequence settings, tried it, and it actually worked. Then I found out other people had figured that out.

To repeat: in an emergency, where you can't or don't have time to reinstall Premiere repeatedly, you can manually edit the XML file and change all of the sequence settings to common codecs - it's actually pretty easy.

Found this link in another thread: http://schiho.com/2012/09/25/adobe-premiere-cs6-sequence-cannot-open/

4

44r0n_5

Participant

My "preset missing" problem seems to be intermittant. I started Premire this morning, got the message that "one or more 3rd party items were missing and your sequences will be modified, or quit Premire and reinstall all 3rd party items", and when I looked at my sequence presets, they were mostly gone.

I found this page and started to follow the easiest of the Adobe directions "unregister and reregister", but when I re-started Premire to unregister, I didn't get the "3rd party items missing" message and all of my sequence presets were back.

I'm currently using the cloud subscription.

T

thizzzordie

Participating Frequently

I have been trouble shooting this and I finally found something worked. (for the tl;dr go to Solution: Method 1)

Here are things I tried and observed

I opened up the Project within another project.

1. It wouldn't allow me to import the the full project because of the default problem of missing presets, but I could open single sequcences.

2. I eventually imported each sequence into the new project.

3. Unfortunately, after I closed the project, it wouldn't open again for the same previous problem.

4. I repeated step 2 and this time I created custom sequences. I created a dslr preset - 1920x1080, 23.973, progressive...

5. Using that preset I created a copy for all the seuqences.

6. I cut and pasted all the clips into the new sequence and deleted the old sequences.

7. This actually worked, and I can open the projects no problem.

But this is the most efficient and simple solution -

Solution: Method 1

Close Premiere Pro.
Open the project file in a text editor (e.g. Windows Wordpad) and replace all instances of "I-Frame Only MPEG" with "Microsoft AVI".
Relaunch Premiere Pro and test it.

Found Solution here - http://www.mediacollege.com/adobe/premiere/pro/troubleshooter/sequence-could-not-be-opened.html

E

excited_Genie16B8

Legend

Seems a lot easier to just fix the actual problem by using Adobe's solution.

T

thizzzordie

Participating Frequently

It took me less than 1 minute to edit the project files in notepad... Sounds a lot faster than re-installing it

Note: My deactivation was greyed out, so I couldn't do that.

F

Fluxcrou

Participant

Ugh, I had a problem importing AC3 audio that held me back from working on my already late project, and now I have this exact same problem out of the blue!

I cannot access animations I have saved in a project. I need to copy the animations into a project that is thankfully operational, but the dreaded error message appears whenI try to open it. Several other project files I have saved will not open either.

My sequence presets list is bare, exactly like the OP's screenshot. But, I can see the full compliment of sequence presets is still at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Pro CS6\Settings\SequencePresets. For some reason, only DV and Mobile&Devices presets show in Premiere.

I have uninstalled the CS6 suite, ran the Adobe cleaner, reinstalled and updated. No effect, whatsoever. The sequence presets are still in the folder, but cannot be recognized.

I do not have Creative Cloud.

B

browndoggin

Participant

I too am having this soul destroying message. I am running OS 10.6.8, no creative cloud and using CS6.00. I have now had it happen twice on projects all created using ProRes 422 files and had a reasonably complicated edit. all opens and closes fine and then just randomly wont open. Thought it would go away but hasn't. Has Adobe come up with a bug fix for this as its a pretty monumentally tragic fault. I have switched over form FCP and was stoked with CS6 until this. Luckily I had virtually finished both projects and could get around it with the draft mastered ProRes file.

I see no reply to Fluxcrou's last response so i wont get my hopes up.

My confidence in Adobe is at a low.

Todd_Kopriva

Inspiring

The underlying problem here is with the activation and licensing system. Several codecs and the sequence presets that they rely on must be unlocked by the activation and licensing system. The problem is that sometimes the activation gets messed up in some way, and these codecs aren't unlocked.

For most people on this thread, the issue should be fixed by a new version of the activation system that was release in late June.

Try this to get your activation back into the right state:

1) Fully deactivate your software (Help > Deactivate).

2) Quite all Adobe applications.

3) Restart your computer.

4) Restart the application.

5) Choose Help > Activate to re-activate the software.

6) Create a new project.

7) Create a new sequence.

The above should restore all of your codecs and the sequence presets that depend on them, and you should be able to work normally with all of your codecs.

If not, write back, and we'll see if we can figure out what's up.

J

Jesse Zibble

Adobe Employee

In the New Sequence dialog, if you go to the "Settings" tab is "Custom" an available choice at the top of the list of editing modes? If yes, what choices are available in the "Preview File Format" popup? I suspect that I-Frame Only MPEG is absent.

E

eday_2010

Participating Frequently

There isn't much under custom. I didn't see I-Frame Only MPEG, but what I did notice right away was the absence of all the AVCHD presets, which is what I had previously used.

D

David_V_Clarke

Participating Frequently

I had this and spent ages trying to sort it out. What solved it was going into Adobe Encore where it suddenly popped up demanding a serial number. I hae already done this when I installed my software (in may case the master collection) and had previously used Encore. I was getting no other information telling me there was a problem with activation etc.. However I entered my serial number again, got into Encore, and when I went back to Premiere I had all the presets. I fiddle a lot with my computers so I just assumed I had done something which messed it up in some way. Try opening Encore and see what happens. Unfortunately this is no help if you are running the trial version since you won't be able to open Encore.

Z

Zac Lam

Inspiring

Is the application still activated? If you start a new project, then go to the Help menu, do you see a Deactivate menu item? Or does the menu item allow to activate the application again?