Background goes missing exporting video

[marks_07]

Hi, I have recently downloaded a timeline template for After Effects and im struggling on editting so:

• The original timeline footage is 1 min 15 secs
• I want to double this timeline footage to 2 min 30 secs
• I have duplicated all the layers again, but the background looks dark in the second set of layers and for some reason when exporting it the background graphics do not display after 1 min 15 secs at all (as soon as the original layers end)

Any ideas on how to keep the background continuing through all the footage?

Thanks

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

The Composition has transparency. Enable the Transparency grid, and you will see a hole in the background.

You have set the composition background color to gray, but that does not generate pixels. You need to add some pixels if you want a gray background that will render with all codecs. Composition background colors only render with a few codecs. The easiest way to add pixels is to add a Solid to the comp. The only reason to set a comp background color is if you need to create a movie with transparency and want to premultiply the alpha edges with a single color. There are very few reasons ever to do that. 

The workflow and organization in the template are not very efficient. It could use some serious cleanup.

The Grid layer (10 and 20) does not need to be pre-composed. You can apply the oval feathered mask directly to the solid layer and set the compositing options to have the Grid effect use the mask. That would simplify the comp and probably save a bit of render time. It would also eliminate the transparency problem you have with your project.

Another way to simplify the comp would be to delete layer 10, the duplicate Grid nested comp, then apply Animation/Time/Freeze Frame to the bottom Grid layer (20). and extend the out point. Freeze Frames also render very quickly. I use them all the time in multi-layered motion graphics projects. You would still need to add a Gray solid at the bottom of the comp to fix the transparency issues.

I uploaded a fixed comp for you to study. 

[marks_07]

Thats brilliant, thank you so much for amending it, really appreciate it.