timeline panel disapears with custom layout

Report · Jan 27, 2022

I thought I was going crazy, but this must be a bug.

In the after effects beta - with a custom layout - I am losing my timline panel - and there is not an option to reopen it.

Every time i choose my custom layout i lose the timeline and there is no menu option to re open it.

This seems to have started when i accidently saved over the default layout when trying to restore the default layout. I had to delete the beta and re install to get the default settings to reset. I think my settings were also syncing to creative cloud so there was a feedback loop keeping me from fully resetting them. I've lost track of the details - but ive fully lost the default layout, and when i choose the all windows layout - i have this same issue losing the timeline panel and no way to restore it.

Report · Feb 10, 2022

guess im the only one w this issue.

any suggestions? do i need to trash prefrences or something?

Report · Feb 10, 2022

Hi @cmatts,

Thank you for reporting this. It does appear to be a bug; the Timeline should still show up in the Window menu even if you have closed all compositions. Does it return if you create a Composition and use the Mini-Flowchart to select it in the Composition panel? Ideally, we would really like to know the steps which got you into this state, but first let's see if we can get you out of it.

I would recommend moving the folders containing the workspaces out of the preferences in order to generate new ones:

Close After Effects (Beta)
Go to /Users/yourUserName/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects (Beta)/22.3
Move both the "ModifiedWorkspaces" folder and the "OriginalUserWorkspaces" folder out of the "22.3" folder.
Relaunch After Effects (Beta)

If this allows the Timeline panel to return, then you can re-introduce your own workspaces back into the newly-created folders while AE (Beta) is closed.

Please let us know if resetting the workspaces in this way helps, and also let us know if this happens again.

Thanks for any further information,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team

Report · Feb 10, 2022

Thank you for your help.

I have been able to get out of the missing timeline by choosing a workspace that was not broken.

I trashed the workspaces and was able to build a new custom workspace with the time line disapearing.

how ever, I am missing most of the default workspaces now.

I believe the root of all this was when when trying to go to the default workspace - all panels - instead of choosing - reset all panels - as intended, i hit - save changes to work space - overwriting the default — all panels.

from the start - my custom workspaces from the non beta versions didn’t work in the betas - which i chocked up to being beta, deleted it and rebuilt it.

Between when this started and now, ive gone though a bunch of things, and dont remember all the steps i took.

I prev tried to trash my workspace settings and when i was missing the default workspaces, i tried copying non beta workspace settings in the beta prefrences.

I also searched on adobe forums where to redownload the default workspaces (no luck).
I also found that I had my setting syncing to creative cloud which was fighting my attempts to reset things.
Trying to get back the default workspaces i previously deletes the beta and re installed (no luck i think … lost track.)

as i mentioned i lost track, but i believe this issue also migrated to of the other versions of ae i have installed. But can not confirm at this point.

if it matters i am on os x 10.15.7 beta 22.3 build 49, but also have been updating the beta daily since the issue started.

Report · Feb 17, 2022

I am having this issue in ae 2022 now.

trashed the workspaces, (again missing the default all palets workspace) - built a new work space but when i reset windows to that work space the timeline dissapears.

i can get out of it by using another workspace but then its not the layout i was trying to use.