Grey Blocks instead of Video after rendering and downloading the final result

[AugusteBa]

Hello,

I was working on a project combining different videos, music, text and everything looked great in After Effects. However, after rendering and downloading it, the final result comes in grey blocks. No videos are visible, and only the text that was added can be seen.

I will attach a screenshot of the settings that I've used and how the video mp4 looks when played.

[Mylenium]

Update your system's graphics driver and check your hardware acceleration settings everywhere.

Mylenium

[nishu_kush]

Hi Augustė5C73,

Sorry for your issue.

Is it happening with multiple projects? Did you use any third-party plug-ins? Also, please share your system specifications (CPU, GPU, RAM, OS).

We're here to help, just need more info.

Thanks,

Nishu

[AugusteBa]

Hi,

I've not used any plug-ins. As for other projects, I've just tried a couple of older projects - everything seems to be in place after rendering.

I don't know if it has something to do with this, but I've used free stock videos for this project. I've tested one of the videos (no special effects, just cropped it a bit and rendered) and it comes out with colour blocks as well. I'm not sure why, as I've not misplaced the footage, it is still in the same folder.

The specifications are as follows:

2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7
16 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M 4 GB
Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

macOS Big Sur Version 11.1

[Roland Kahlenberg]

Those 'blocks' look like AE's proxy image for missing footage. These are usually in color. Check that all footage are in order. The grey color may be due to  a color effect you've applied. You may also try rendering directly in AE.

[AugusteBa]

I've checked the footage and everything is still in the same folder (I've not moved the files from their original location and didn't rename them). I'll try rendering directly in AE, thank you!

[Rick Gerard]

I see Color bars with some kind of effects applied to change the color. Color Bars indicate missing footage. Check the Project Panel, then find and replace the missing footage. 

You either moved some files or renamed something before rendering.

[AugusteBa]

Yes, you're completely right about the colours, the bars are grey because I've used a black&white effect (they're coloured if I remove the effect).

As for the missing footage, I've not replaced nor renamed the videos used in the composition. They're in the same folder since I downloaded the (downloads folder).

[Rick Gerard]

You will find the missing footage in the Project Panel. Right-click on any asset that has color bars instead of an image and select Replace Footage. Footage can get lost if you rename anything, move anything, or move the AEP file to a different folder.