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everfae
Inspiring
February 22, 2018
Question

loopOut expression, getting black frame no matter what.

  • February 22, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 8484 views

I have a pre-comp nested in my main comp that i'd like to loop.
I enabled Time Remapping, went to the last keyframe, moved back one frame and made a new keyframe, then deleted the original last keyframe.
I also tried doing the same but replacing the original last keyframe with the a copy of the first one. However both methods have still resulted in the dreaded last black frame of the loop. The last frame is always black. I've gone through plenty of forum posts on this website and others and still haven't found a solution unfortunately. This is really doing my head in!

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks

    3 replies

    Multipasser
    Multipasser
    Inspiring
    May 21, 2025

    I have the same issue!  When I have a comp of 10seconds and it loops perfectly, I had that comp in another comp, add Time remapping and use 'loopout()' expression the LAST frame is almost always black. I need to make a time remapping keyframe just before the last frame and delete the  last timeremapping keyframe. Than it loops perfectly! why ? 

    Omar.Fathy
    Community Expert
    Omar.FathyCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 22, 2018

    can you give us a printscreen for your timeline ?!

    E
    everfaeAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 22, 2018

    fafavfx
    fafavfx
    Participant
    August 12, 2021

    Did you ever solve the black frame problem? Time remapping sets the last frame AFTER the last frame has played. Just use the J and K keys to bounce between the keyframes and you will see what I mean.

    To remove the black frame you have to back up one frame so you can see picture, set a new keyframe and then delete the last one. That is all there is to it. If the first and last frame is identical you will get a seamless loop with just 2 keyframes. If you want a repeating pattern where the first and last frames are different then you need to copy the first keyframe, move to the last keyframe, then use Ctrl/Cmnd + Right Arrow to move one more keyframe and paste.


    This is the solution. Remember to purge memory and disk cache.

      Roland Kahlenberg
      Roland Kahlenberg
      Legend
      February 22, 2018

      Is your last keyframe also at the end of the Timeline?

      Additionally, if you are nesting and wanting to loop and do not require Expressions to trigger specific properties in a layer within the precomp, then it is best to render out and re-import. Import and then use the Interpret Footage Dialog to set the number of loops - this option is at the bottom of the said dialog window. This workflow eventually allows for quicker previews and renders as you progress with your project.

      This workflow is also more productive even if you are looping a single layer if it is to be looped numerous times and is sufficiently heavy to render on its own.

      When rendering out, you are essentially committing to a pre-render - to create an intermediate file which will be used in your Timeline. Hence, ensure you pick a high quality format and setting. DNxhd and ProRes are good options.

      Very Advanced After Effects Training | Adaptive & Responsive Toolkits | Intelligent Design Assets (IDAs) | MoGraph Design System DEV
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      everfaeAuthor
      Inspiring
      February 22, 2018

      Hi!

      No it isn't, the duration of a single cycle is about 1 or 2 seconds and the main comp length is 10 seconds. I think it will be easier to follow what you said in this case. The loopOut "trick" sometimes works but it doesn't here, and its a very very simple loop so yep i'll just render it and put it back could I use a .png sequence? That's what I'd normally choose.

      Thank you very much

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