Adobe Media Encoder 2021 is not connecting to After Effects 2021 - Issue/Problem

[Anthony5C60]

I recently updated to the latest versions of AE 18.0 and ME 15.0, running on macOS Big Sur - 11.2.3 and I'm no longer able to export/render via ME, despite trying the below:

1. When clicking the Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue... it opens up ME but shows nothing in the queue to render.
2. I've also tried adding the comp to ME manually, but that seems to get stuck on Connecting to Dynamic Link server... (See attached) and eventually says Could not read from the source. Please check the settings and try again.
   
   Adobe, please can you advise?

[Burt5E61]

I am having the same issue but see no resonce from adobe.

[Youlittlebooty]

I am having this issue as well. I have rolled back versions and am still unable to send AE files to ME as before.
This is a high level issue that needs an immediate resolution.

[Joost van der Hoeven]

Sorry to hear you have this issue. Please try an uninstall, restart, install for both Ae and AME.

@Youlittlebooty Note that this is user to user forum where we users help each other. The Adobe engeneers do not always read everything here. If you feel strongly about a (new)feature or (bug) fix please post it on uservoice, as it will be read by the engeneers.

https://adobe-video.uservoice.com/forums/911308-media-encoder

@JohnColombo or @Kevin-Monahan Is this a know issue?

[JohnColombo]

Hi @Anthony5C60, @Burt5E61, @Youlittlebooty,

Thanks for the ping @Joost van der Hoeven! I'm sorry to see you're all experiencing this issue with sending AE comps to AME. We have received reports of this issue in the past, but we haven't been able to consistently reproduce it in-house and therefore get a solid lead on the root cause. Something to look at: in Task Manager or Activity monitor, are there are any processes for Dynamic Link Manager or aerendercore that aren't responding?

To give us a better idea of what is going on, please use the following steps to enable logging for After Effects:

1.  In After Effects' Help menu, select "Enable Logging" and restart After Effects. This will enable the creation of log files on the machine for 24 hours, but doesn't send anything to us at Adobe.
2. Attempt to send a composition to AME from After Effects, either from the Render Queue or by bringing an .aep into AME.
3. If or after the connection fails or the comp fails to show up in AME, inside After Effects select "Reveal Logging File" in the Help menu. This may open several Finder/Explorer windows, but the logging file you need is called "LinkLink Log.txt" and should be in a "logs" folder inside the preferences folder for the version of AE you are using e.g. 18.4. 

Please either post these LiveLink Log.txt logs here or DM them to me. Once we can take a look at the resulting logs, hopefully we can recommend next steps. If the LiveLink Log doesn't show up, please let us know that as well.

Thanks for any additional info,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team

[default71y12a73zafi]

I have this exact issue and for the amount of money I am paying, to not have a resolution quickly is just nonsense. Get a fix out for this Adobe I literally cannot export my videos anymore.

DO BETTER ADOBE THIS IS A DISGRACE!

[Joost van der Hoeven]

@default71y12a73zafi 

Your comment is not helpful to anyone. Note that this is user to user forum where we users help each other. The Adobe engeneers do not always read everything here. If you feel strongly about a (new)feature or (bug) fix please post it on uservoice, as it will be read by the engeneers.

https://adobe-video.uservoice.com/forums/911308-media-encoder

[default71y12a73zafi]

I posted this here because this keeps happening and Adobe appears to not care about actually fixing the issue or it would not keep happening with each update. They have read and responded above, so what you said is not accurate and thanks for trying to act like I said something bad when I did not. I really do not care what you think about what I said it has nothing to do with you.

[MTy25]

Same...

[Burt5E61]

I found solution for my issue. I opened activity monitor and force quit AE Core process. That soulved problem and restarting 4 times did not fix that isuue.

[deniz98A2]

I am having the same issue. The Clients don't wait. Pls solve this problem.
After Effects don't connect with Media Encoder

[Ko.Maruyama]

If you're like me - you might have multiple versions of After Effects and AME on your machine. I had to uninstall the AME that I wasn't using for best performance (Mac Big Sur 11.5.1) for Pr & Ae to see the right one

[Brenda5FD5]

I really need some help here. I need to export my AE project to use for social media. I am having a similar issue. In AE:

1. When I click Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue... my file does not show up on the list.
2. When I click Add to Render Queue AME and Queue in AME I do see my file in AME, but when I attempt to choose render settings, I get this message: Connecting to Dynamic Link server and Could not read from the source. Please check the settings and try again.

[Brenda5FD5]

Also:

I am on a Mac

OS Big Sur version 11.6

AE version 18.4.1

AME version 15.4.1

I have uninstalled and reinstalled both applications, and didn't change things.

[defaulty80t7h507zf3]

Omg, this is so sad. 

[defaulty80t7h507zf3]

I've unnistaled the after and media encore, restarted the macbook and instaled it again. It's working now. Good lucky!

[Brenda5FD5]

You gave me hope @defaulty80t7h507zf3, so I uninstalled both apps, restarted my macbook and installed them again, but unfortunately it didn't work for me...

[GilGoncalves]

This issue is not new and became exacerbated in this 2021 release.

The usual nag was to hang on "connecting to the link server whatever", which is a nonsense. The fortune you pay and you still don't have the resources you need locally. 

Now, ME doesn't even load any window, going completely black at occasion, or simply doing nothing.

Restarting ME (twice or more) helps, but, sending files from AE to ME is definitely not working for me.

Got rid of preferences and the all the junk from the user Library, to no avail.

Tried to use the menu "Add to ME queue", drag AE projects into ME, or even AE files into ME. Nothing works.

SOLUTION:

Render lossless files into AE and them drag them ME. That works, but it is utterly cumbersome.

TIP:

Don't try to call Adobe Customer disService for help. You will quickly realise that is your money that counts, not your satisfaction.

[VickyOns]

Hi, 

I'm having the same issue ever since I updated AE and AME. 

The workaround that @GilGoncalvese sugested worked but the quality isn't good. 

@JohnColombo I tried to send you a message with my log but it keeps crashing everytime I try to add it to the message. I have projects to export and nothing is working. I've un-installed everything properly, updated my computer, etc, etc, etc. But it's still not working and I've ran out of ideas. Can someone please find a solution to why this is happening? 

Thanks,  

Vicky

[papergrave]

Same problem here.

A couple of solutions

1. Save and close AE

2. Open ME, go to File->Add After Effects composition, find your AE file choose it then select the comp you wish to render

3. Done and an a faster render time

1. Find you video cache folder manually and delete everything in it.

2. Done