Invisible box

[Hiu5ED0]

Im trying to follow the Youtube crossfire tutorial, but I am running into an issue where everytime I precompose something, it creates a box around my object, rather it be text, or a png. Everything does not have a background, is transparent. I don't know how to find this and I spent an hour googling to no avail. 

this is my 5


This is their 5


Is doing the same thing with my own logo.

[Warren Heaton]

Can you post what the source footage looks like?

[Hiu5ED0]

is not a footage, is just a text that I typed using the text tool in AE.

[Mylenium]

Start by checking that you haven't added a layer style or something like that on the source text already. Even the faintest of glows or drop shadows can cause this render bounding box to appear. Other than that there's always the chance that your hardware acceleration is not correctly handling transparencies, so you may need to switch to software-only rendering and/ or update your graphics driver and check this stuff.

Mylenium

[Hiu5ED0]

So, in the youtube tutorial, I followed every step he did. There is a inner glow, then I precompose it. But this box is on mine, and not his. I can't figure it out.

[Mylenium]

Post screenshots of your timelien and comp(s) along with a link to the tutorial. You may have missed a step or a critical setting, but we have no way of knowing any of that without the original at hand.

Mylenium

[Hiu5ED0]

I know I followed the instruction to a T. I check all the options selected, and even numbers I copy. I just want that weird box gone, but I don't know what is causing it. This is the YT video I am following step by step on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5O0U8ck2GU

[Mylenium]

It seems you missed the track matte stuff and your layer order is also not the same as in the tutorial. This stuff matters, especially as many of of Andrew's tutorials exploit very specific finer points of how the AE render pipeline works.

Mylenium

[Rick Gerard]

You are getting the box because when you pre-compose you are not moving all attributes to the new comp. This makes the Pre-comp the same size as the layer, not the same size as the comp. Just make sure you are moving all attributes. You don't need to watch out for that if you use a text layer because you don't have that option in the latest AE versions. 

If you just go into the Pre-comp and make the size match the main comp you might have to reposition the logo to line things back up. The easiest solution is to just delete the pre-comp, position your logo, then do it again.

[Hiu5ED0]

I did set it to move all attributes to the new comp though. I tried the track matte thing you said in the other reply also, but the box is still there 

[Warren Heaton]

Something in the latest AE 18.4 is different in how the CC Glass effect sees a target layer with an Alpha Channel, resulting in an "invisible box" around the visible pixels.

To work around this, go to the "Bevel Profile" Comp and add a Black Solid layer at the same size as the Comp behind the nested "Text Edit" Comp.  With the transparent black of the Bevel Profile Comp filled with RGB black, the "insible box" will go away in the containing "Crossfire" Comp.

If you were use CC Glass in AE 16, you'd see what you see in the tutorial.

Of course, this changes steps that follow in the tutorial as the transparency that was just filled with black to fix CC Glass is used as a Track Matte set to Alpha.  You'll need a duplicate Bevel Profile Comp, maybe "Bevel Profile 2" that does not have the Black Solid to use instead in the next step.

[Rick Gerard]

That box will also go away as soon as you set up the track matte. If you add a black bg solid to the pre-comp you'll have to use Luma Matte. Unfortunately Luma Matte will also foul up when you start adding textures. 

My workaround is just to ignore the extra profiles and use Alpha Matte. Everything then works just fine.

[Hiu5ED0]

This fixed it! Thank you!

[Hiu5ED0]

nevermind.... Now Im having whole lot of other issues...

[Hiu5ED0]

Heres my normal attempt. I can see that box the moment i switch the glass to text layer

[Hiu5ED0]

I found out that this box only appears when I use the inner glow, and then pre compose. But in the video, they didnt have that box. What could be causing this?

[Rick Gerard]

You are obsessing over the box. When you add the texture to the pre-comp Text Edit comp, the problem goes away. This is a new behavior. You might call it a bug that only happens with CC Glass. It does not happen in 17. It does not affect the final outcome. It is not a problem with the tutorial. 

[Brettn64]

I am having the same issue now in the 2023 version with no workarounds. Absolutley pathetic After effects still having this and so many other issues. Adobe really needs to get theor crap together.

[Warren Heaton]

@Brettn64 

Actually, the Video Copilot tutorial should be updated for the current version.

[Brettn64]

Not about the tutorial, thats fine. The software is just making problem where they shouldn't be. Im simply shocked that this is still happening in adobe having worked on a similar project years ago with the same issue. Same goes for several other reoccuring issues in Premiere as well. Seeing other professionals have issues that serious shows that Adobe still hasnt fixed the majority of its issues. In the words of Niko from Corridor "Its like typing in word and the letters dont show or come up wrong". I recently had a crash that also deleted my auto saves. After several hours on the phone with Adobe they offered no solution and no compensation for the days of work I lost and trouble I was in at work due to their software. I am just beyond frustrated with their service and products but at the moment Im unable to switch like many others who want to.