After Effects on mac hates Dropbox

[E-Cube]

I use the dropbox app to store and share files.

Like Onedrive it creates a folder in which multiple people can access, add, modify and change files. You can see every file in the folder but they are just proxies that takes up no space. To use them you have to download them locally onto the computer, replacing the proxy file (on your end).

The issue arrives when you open a project another person has created and you haven't downloaded all the files used in the project. After Effects gives the error "The source compression type is not supported. ( 86 :: 1 )" following up with another error window "file 'file_name.mp4' cannot be imported – this 'MooV' file is damaged or unsupported."

One would think you just have to locate the files, download them and reopen the project. But After Effects will now hold a grudge against these files and give the same errors even though you have them downloaded locally. Trying to use 'replace file' or just reimporting them will give the same errors.

This issue only seem to happen to image and video files. And the only way I've found to get around this issue is to either rename the file or move it to a different folder. This will let you import it with no issue but this will screw up any other project using the file, having to relink it. Making a copy is not really viable either as some files can be very big in size and having one for each project file is dumb.

Purging all memory and disk cache doesn't help. This isn't an issue on windows computers because it'll automatically download all the necessary files for the project using its 'Smart Sync' feature. This feature seems to be broken on newer versions of macOS and has been for a very long time now.

This is the only post I've been able to find on exactly this problem https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/View-download-and-export/Adobe-not-downloading-online-only-files-fro...

Having Smart Sync work would fix the issue – but it wouldn't be as big of an issue if After Effects would just not hold a "grudge" after you've downloaded the files. Does anyone have a solution to this? Or is it just to wait for an update on either Adobe or Dropbox side?

[jenkmeister]

Try clearing the Conformed Media Cache, see the image below from preferences on where to do that.

When AE attempts to read a video/audio file, it will store a separate file in the media cache that helps speed up file loading. My guess is that a matching conform file is being found and then that's being used and is causing the issues you are seeing. 

[E-Cube]

Didn't work.

Also noticed After Effects sometimes makes a "..._AME" folder next to the project file. I honestly don't know what that folder is but I deleted it and tried again but still got the errors.

Did get a slighty different error message while trying out your suggestion and other things. Still the same error code though.

[defaultr4fluhed7ewu]

Also experiencing this same exact issue.  The workaround has been to duplicate the files in question, but this is a tedious process and is very inefficient.  This is an issue that almost everyone with MacOS and Dropbox has been experiencing at our studio.

[E-Cube]

I've been in two Adobe support chats and tried out their suggestions (until they just disconnected out of the blue)

I'll list them here – nothing have worked so far.

1. Give After Effects 'Full Disk Access' in system settings

Gave After Effects Full Disk Access. Errors still occurred.

2. Photoshop export and replace

Opening an image file in Photoshop (which gives errors on import in After Effects) and then exporting and replacing itself will fix the image. Though this is not a viable solution for After Effects projects that contain many images and videos with this issue.

3. Reset application preferences

I've reset After Effects preferences following the steps of Reset background preferences. No luck.

I want to emphasize – this is an After Effects problem. The easiest way I've found to replicate the problem (if you have dropbox) is to try import an image or video file when it is in proxy state. This will give errors which makes sense. Then 'Make available offline' (download it down locally) and try re-importing it. Now it will keep giving errors until you rename, re-export or move the file. Trying the same thing on photoshop will give an error when trying proxy but work perfectly fine after downloaded down locally.

[jenkmeister]

The _AME folder is created when you're exporting a composition via Adobe Media Encoder.

[E-Cube]

I've finally found a solution. Dropbox for macOS on File Provider is an update for Dropbox on macOS.

It'll move all your files on the computer to a new location but makes browsing and opening files a lot smoother and fixes the issue! After Effects will now halt loading while it's downloading all the required files. Even when I tested it and a single file was still missing, it didn't give any errors after downloading and re-importing.

I still think the issues that happened before updating to this version of Dropbox are still relevant and shouldn't be happening – but at least now there is a fix.

[defaultr4fluhed7ewu]

It's good to know that the File Provider version fixes these issues, unfortunatley if you have a large number of files (30k+) then the File Provider option doesn't appear to be available at this time.

[Ecem230756007hca]

Is there any updates on this?  I'm having the same problem with Dropbox and After effects.
Here's a quick summary: 
MacOS Sonoma 14.1
Adobe After Effects 24.0.1
I'm not using File Provider - Dropbox file path is in users. (seems like I'm not eligible for FP and I'd rather not do that now since it requires to move all the files to a different location, which will cause a whole lot of missing footage)
I've fixed permissions and hardlinks.
I've given full disk access to Dropbox.
I've cleared the conformed media cache and restarted the DB app, AE and the computer multiple times. 
All the missing footage is available offline and green.
---These are all the solutions I could find online. Tried them and they don't work for me. 

The only way to workaround this problem is highly unsustainable for me and my team:
It works when I duplicate and rename the file, then import it separately, then replace the layer inside AE.
Or when I collect the files on After effects (which will duplicate all the assets on a separate location and result in an unnecessary folder size)
But we're collaborating as a team on many project files with a huge number of assets and this workaround is impossible for us to do on a daily basis. 
Any recommendation is much appreciated!

[richs14129608]

I'm having the exact same issues. Any solutions yet?

[Ecem230756007hca]

After a conversation with the Adobe Support, I think I've got a solution: Opening the project file with Beta version! So far it works well. 
Normally I tend not to use Beta version on a daily basis, but I believe it'll be my go-to until the next update of AE. 

[nishu_kush]

Are you saving your files in the Dropbox folder? Have you tried contacting Dropbox support to see if they can help? If not, can you try?

Let us know how it goes. We'll be investigating further.

Note: Moving this thread from Bugs to Discussions for troubleshooting.

Thanks,

Nishu

[lennartl23768687]

An After Effects re-install also fixed the error messages. Only works if the linked footage is available offline.

[KalaniP]

Was there any firm resolution to this, or was it just the Beta version that fixed it?  (And has that beta version's fixes gone live into the production versions yet?)

[Andy_951]

Ditto on having this issue on my end, I found it coincided with the dropbox update to be compatible with Apple Silicone. Around that same time dropbox began to warn MacOS users about its lack of functionality when it came to offline files. After effects holding a grudge against the files is the best way to put the issue - incredibly annoying!

I had no clue they pushed an update for File Provider, sounds like the exact thing everyone with this issue needs!

[jimathook]

This one has been a pain point for my motion graphics colleagues and after a bit of deep diving, I've found a solution that works for me and them, hopefully it will work for the broader community too.

In short, the fix is to trash the folder ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Media Cache Files. Read on for detailed steps.

Standard disclaimer: this does send you into a normally-hidden folder that macOS uses to keep it and other apps working, so follow these steps at your own risk. Though It should be a low risk if you only go into exactly the folder mentioned here. Still, it is wise to keep backups before following online advice to delete files. These steps should not require an Administrator password.

•  Switch to macOS Finder (click its Dock icon, command-tab to it, etc)
•  Choose Go menu > Go to Folder…
•  This should display a floating text entry box. Type or copy-paste the following text into it, then press return or enter:

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common​

•  This should present you with a folder window titled Common.
• Locate the subfolder called Media Cache Files and move it to the Trash. (File menu > Move to Trash, Right click > Move to Trash, Command-delete, etc)
•  Ensure the problem media file has been made available offline. This is not just a potential issue when using Dropbox, but any cloud sync app that creates empty 'stub' files that stand in for your online-only files.
• Try importing again - this should work now.

[jimathook]

Some details for the curious / kanban at Adobe HQ:

• Preferences > Startup & Repair > Empty All Caches… does not fix the problem, because "Media Cache Files" is located under a "Common" folder rather than "After Effects", and this button only seems to affect After Effect's own caches. To nitpick even further, Adobe should really be storing a folder called "Media Cache Files" under ~/Library/Caches, not Application Support, according to Apple's own technical guidance .
• Preferences > Startup & Repair > Reset All Preferences To Defaults… does fix the problem, at the expense of doing what it says - resetting the user's preferences. This is too disruptive for anyone who has invested time in setting up their working environment.
• Preferences > Media & Disk Cache > Clean Database & Cache - the pinned solution at the time of writing - does not fix this particular problem. This button doesn't seem to make any changes to the Media Cache Files folder at all. It may clear other caches, but they seem to have no bearing on this issue.
• This problem only applies to certain types of media files. In testing, MOV and MP4 files exhibit this problem, but MXF files work fine after an accidental attempt to import an online-only file. Still image formats like PNG and PSD also work after downloading. Not all media files get a corresponding Media Cache Files entry - the ones that do are susceptible to having a "grudge" held against them
• The reverse problem can happen as well. If you successfully import a susceptible media file, then remove it from your project, then make it online-only (thus making its file size 0 bytes), and try to import it again, After Effects will add it to the project without any apparent complaint - but the media will not render when trying to play it back or adding it to a comp.

[rich sutton]

This has worked for me. Thank you! Such an annoying issue. Very grateful for your sharing.

[HARRY367255926stw]

this worked for me! thank you so much, you've saved my bacon.

[TGeht]

Brilliant, worked exactly as described, thank you Jim! Hoping Adobe can roll out a proper fix for this AE-Dropbox workflow soon?

[danielbg]

Thank you!

This is the solution to the problem and not the pin comment