After Effects Error: missing data in file. (33::4)

[kleinbc100]

Is there any way to get After Effects to read this? Any way to repair it? Or troubleshooting methods? Unfortunately, I need this version of the file. I had done about a day's worth of work, and all the auto-saves give me the same error. I'm really not sure what happened. Everything worked fine, I did my renders, sent it off to the client and now a week later, it's giving me issues.

[Roei Tzoref]

1. try creating a new project and import (not open, but import) the old project to the new. if that works, track down the offending composition/file.

2. try changing the name/location of your footage folder to force Ae to misplace it and see if you can open the project file with unlinked footage material. a bad file could be the cause for it and by linking them selectively you could troubleshoot this.

for next time make sure you increment and save (auto save is not enough)

[kleinbc100 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the suggestions Roei! They didn't work, but after investigating the project files, the project that I thought I needed was very small compared to all my other project files. So something really weird happened. Don't know what. Luckily all of my files were backed up online as well, and I was able to download a slightly older version and am now up and running. Cheers!

[keegand64816415]

Seeing as this issue is popping up again with the new 2020 update, and this was the first result on google when troublshooting, i figure I'll leave my experience for anyone who stumble across this in future. This issue happened for me when I updated a premier project to 2020 and it broke the dynamic link to 2019 ae projects. After much fussing around I got it to work by doing the following:
1. Creat a new AE 2019 project

2. Import the old AE 2019 project that isnt linking

3. Create a new Ae 2020 project,

4.Import the new AE 2019 project

5. Profit. your new 2020 project should be relinkable to your PP project!

[Selma]

I the same probleme, i work on premiere pro and after effect and , when I imported my first pro media files impossible to read my after effect project error 334 same on first pro with my missing composition, I don't know what to do anymore, it's been twice that I start over each time and it starts again?! what should I do ?

[dominiqueb57454633]

Hi ! IT IS WORKING ! I had the same problem like : missing data file error (33::4) for about a week ! 

I got the solution ! I thought it was a bug from the AE 17.01 version as I read it , May be , it happened after using the roto brush ! then save to my file , than when trying to get back to work I was getting that same error (33::4)

As strange as It could sound I might have been updating or installing the program the wrong way !

here what i did , first uninstall the new version AE 17.01

I opened my Adobe rush program first than click help than all the way to the bottom click update which open my adobe account , than i went to the app After Effect and download the version 17.01 from there . It's now working  perfectly .it's might work from adobe premiere pro page too .

I just wanted to share this as i got frustrated for about a week trying to figure it out  , it's work for me and wish it work for you too.  D 

[martinb58810367]

Same problem, but reinstalling did not work for me. I had to go back to AE 17.00. But still, when I open Premiere, I must open AE too, othervise the replaced media with AE project through dynamic link would not work.  😞 Really annoying to fix these Adobe bugs.  

[niaalexo]

How were you able to reaccess 17.0? I don't have it available in my "Older versions" in Creative Cloud because they auto-ininstall. 

[ignaciob96409140]

Yo have to open Creative Cloud Desktop, and in the three dots below the app select "other versions"

[sequence W4]

I have the same problem! - missing data in file. ( 33::4 )

I updated to version 17.01 because of the preview error in version 17.00

When I saved the version 17.00 project as a 17.01 file it has become corrupted. All links to Premiere fail.

It won't import into a fresh 17.01 project 

The project did open in version 16.1.3 but I will have to re-import all the links into my premiere project to playout for broadcast.

Let me know when this is fixed.

[sequence W4]

Luckily the 17.01 project did open in version 16.1.3.

I saved it and then it opened in version 17.01. I then deleted the corrupt file and saved and renamed the new file. The links were restored to Premiere for playout.

When I closed After Effects 17.01 and tried to reopen my new file it wouldn't open! again - missing data in file. (33::4 )

The programme was transmitted last night so I will get paid for this edit. However, I have lost many days of work this last year trying to keep After Effects and Premiere working properly. Thanks to this community for helping us out.

[jennylek]

I was having the same exact problem. What I did was I went to the project file that had the error and opened it with after effects 2019 (16.1.3), and it loaded with all the footage and worked fine, did not have the error. So I saved that one as a different file name and then opened that one in after effects 2020 (17.0.1) and it worked! 

[dgresh]

This worked for me too.  Definitely an issue with 17.0.1  Thanks!

[Sevenmine]

Yeah hooray, this has fixed my problem aswell. Thanks for the tip. It is definitely in 17.0.1. 

[keegand64816415]

Sounds like you found the same solution as i did above, glad to see its working for multiple users!

[ignaciob96409140]

I also had this issue last night after hours of work. Thanks for the workaround, I installed v16.1.3 of After Effects, and was able to open the project that seemed corrupt. I used rotobrush on that one, maybe it has something to do with it, since I read dominiqueb57454633 had the same issue

[zachfb]

Almost lost 3 entire days of VFX work thanks to that roto brush bug, did what you did to fix it as well. I expect better from Adobe

[timothyr21736329]

It's just absurd that this hasn't been fixed by Adobe. I've lost days and days of work because of the buggy rotobrush tool and corresponding corrupt file problem (33::4). I'm going to try the 2019 suggestion and reimport back to 2020. Fingers crossed. I'm also running 17.0.1 and it only seems to occur after using the rotobrush.

[Letty2019]

Thank the Maker there are brilliant people like you Jenny that post solutions to the bugs in this software.

Worked like a charm.... but.....

Issue now:  Do I stop using AE latest version and stick with v. 16? 

I'm assuming any rotobrush work I do in AE 17 will crash and burn again.

Thank you for your solution!    

My prior rant still stands, but at least I can function again.

[marinoc76]

Yes! Same problem. I opened the corrupted project in AE 2019 and ... it works! Thanks!

[Letty2019]

SAME PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just finished 7 hours of painful rotoscoping in AE, only to have it become "missing data" when I tried to reload the file.

BUT, NO WORRIES, RIGHT?  I have 20 auto back ups of my work, because we all know how important it is to back up.

WELL ALL OF THOSE ARE CORRUPT TOO!!!!

THANKS AGAIN ADOBE FOR USING US AS GUINEA PIGS TO FIND THE BUGS IN YOUR SOFTWARE.

WHY AM I LEASING THIS CRAP???  WHY DO I KEEP UPDATING IT WHEN WE ALL KNOW UPDATES DON'T WORK AND TAKE MONTHS TO IRON OUT THE DAM BUGS!!!

SHAME ON YOU ADOBE FOR SCREWING PEOPLE OVER,  AGAIN.

AND SHAME ON ME FOR UPDATING YOUR SOFTWARE WHEN I KNOW IT'S A GAMBLE EVERY TIME.

BTW, THIS PROBLEM ONLY STARTED WHEN I STARTED USING THE AE ROTOBRUSH, SAVING THAT WORK, THEN TRYING TO RE OPEN THE FILE. 

UPDATE:

It seems to be a problem in v 17.01     When I re installed 17, the problem did not return.  Keeping fingers crossed.

[hunterp75995293]

Adobe better be reading this.....killing me here.....

[Damnengine]

Same issue here, almost gave me a heart attack this morning. I installed the update yesterday evening, they really should pull back this update, idiots.

[SteveC15660]

Same problem, installed 2020, got a missing data file when trying to open,  went back to 2019 and had to open an Adobe back-up file, I did loose some work going back to the backup but thankfully didn't loose the entire project.  

[ATKO2015]

YES its killing me too. I had the same error, even though nothing had changed since using last version. The real kicker is that it looks like it is my iphone footage (variable frame rate?) causing the problem. This is beyond annoying - got all excited about being able to get the new version and its been nothing but heartache.