Error 86 :: 1 Could not open source file. Please check that file exists with correct permissions.

[Jack5DD4]

When trying to import .mov files to After Effects CC 2020, I get the following error: 

 After Effects error: Could not open source file. Please check that file exists with correct permissions. (86 :: 1) 

This is then followed by:

After Effects error: file 'filename.mov' cannot be imported - this 'MooV' file is damaged or unsupported.

I am using After Effects 2020 v 17.1.3

My OS is: macOS Catalina v 10.15.6

My QuickTime version is: 10.5

I have seen windows users who don't have QuickTime installed run into similiar issues remedy it by downloading QuickTime. As I have QuickTime installed, this doesn't work. I have uninstalled and reinstalled QuickTime and AE, both to no avail. I also downgraded to the previous version of a AE which gave me the same error. Moving the files to the desktop, renaming them and moving them back to their original folder seemed to work for other people who have encountered this problem, but not for me. 

The files in question were exported from iMovie by another team member offsite, but I am still able to import and open other .mov files that were edited and exported iMovie too with the exact same codecs and specs as the ones causing me trouble when compared in Finder, so the issue doesn't seem applicable to all .mov files.

I have been looking for answers for 8 hours now and am incredibly frustrated. With deadlines looming a solution would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jack.

[Rick Gerard]

Catalina dropped support for several Quicktime formats. I would try adding the movie to the Adobe Media Encoder and rendering a Pro-rez version of the file. If AME does not work, and you can't get QuickTime Player to open the file, you may have to find a system with an earlier version of Quick Time on it and render the file to ProRez. 

[Angel25417791z7io]

That seems like an insane work-around? I have to find a system that will run an earlier version of Quicktime just so I can edit my iPhone footage in 2022? All because I wanted a new iPhone. What's up, Adobe, why can't I import my Iphone clips?

What's the point of spending all this money on Adobe if it doesn't work and they never help in these message boards. Hello? Anyone out there to help?

[inkystains]

Rick, I'm going to chime in and echo Angel - for Adobe to push updates every other day and continue to break our professional projects, reinstall all of our plugins every time, forcing us to manually change a variety of settings, log files, and presets with Adobe Support, just so AE can launch properly with the last couple updates, and now this last week it looks like (at least with Angel's and mine) Adobe is no longer supporting quicktime movie files from modern iPhones??
I have been late twice this week with client work because of these bugs and overnight changes!

[jeankelsey]

I'm having the same problem, and I've tried all the mentioned solutions. My mov file cannot be imported by Premiere, After Effects or Media Encoder, but it can open and play just fine in Quicktime and iMovie. I tried exporting them from both Quicktime and iMovie as new files, but that also didn't work. This is so confusing - what's going on!?

[jaydude-wb]

Same here. I rendered a file to ProRes with Morph Age Pro - but After Effects wont' import. It opens and plays fine in Quicktime Player, and a saved copy will import in some cases, not all...

[steveny76654216]

I've just been having the exact same problem. The solution that I've used is converting the mov file to an mp4 using VLC.

[jaydude-wb]

That's not really a solution - since it is downgrading material.

[Rohan Hill · Accepted solution]

SOLVED!!

What you want to do is rename the file you want to link in Finder. Right click on the video file you want to reload in AfterEffects > Hover down to 'Replace Footage' > Click 'File...' > Select the renamed video file!

I am using Adobe AfterEffects 2023 on MacOS Monterey 12.6.

[Marcos22724890x8po]

Rohan! You saved me 🙂 Thank you so much! Have a great day!

[RynoBucket]

This worked for me. What an odd issue, but thank you for taking the time to share the insight and help out others who are struggling with this issue. You're the real MVP.

[jaydude-wb]

It seems that After Effects remembers which files it could not import before, and keeps refusing to import those, even when the files are okay again.

I encounter this when I rerender a clip in Cinema4d while the After Effects project containing that is open.

After Effects tries to import/update the clip that is being rendered, which logically fails, and then, in stead of marking it offline and try again later, it bans the file forever. Even closing and reopening the project, or clearing all caches does not solve this. Renaming is a workaround, but means a lot of chaos in the project.

I hope that one day After Effects wil be milder, and just keeps the file offline to try reloading it later.

[Sam5F84]

I can see you've found the solution but I'm just going to put this here in case anyone else has had a similar issue.
I had the same error but it was for a project with over 100 linked files. Very frustrating.
It was actually a project I inhereted from another designer who had created an extra folder in the (footage) folder between the assets and the project. It worked fine when I first used the file but when I came back to it months later all the footage gave me this error.
Moving the folder of assets up a layer, into the (footage) folder, and removing that extra layer between the project and the assets seemed to fix the problem.
You would have thought that simply replacing one piece of footage in the slightly buried folder would have set AE on the right track but it didn't. Seems like it really just wanted that old traditional file structure.
Hope this helps someone.

[LJam]

Thank you for the advice. It still won't work for my project and I have same issue, around 100 files not linking to source file despite all of them working and not corrupted. 

Seems mad that After Effects can't recognise the file pathway? Is this a permissions issue on Mac OS? 

Also did you move the file up in your folder on your desktop/HD or do you mean in the project window? Thanks

[LJam · Accepted solution]

Ok I figured out a work around.

Make sure all files are accessible on the same pathway, clean cache and reset preferences, save project and restart AE.

Seems like AE holds the pathway attempt in the cache, even if the files have been re-located it doesn't reset unless you clear or change the file name (Hense it recognises it as different from previous link attempt). 

Adobe should address this issue and create a reset link when you replace footage.