Inspiring
March 17, 2025
Question
Mouth Sync Speedup & Missing Audio/Icons in After Effects from Character Animator Export
- March 17, 2025
- 0 replies
- 187 views
I’m experiencing persistent issues when exporting from Adobe Character Animator (Ch) to After Effects (AE) via Media Encoder (ME). The main problems include:
- Mouth sync lagging or speeding up in Ch.
- In AE, the mouth animation moves too fast, and some audio segments are missing.
- Occasionally, AE’s timeline doesn’t show visibility or sound icons for the imported video.
- A “posterized time” error appeared earlier in AE but has since disappeared—though it may be related.
I performed a full clean install of Adobe apps, but the issue persists. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Issue Details:
- Character Animator (Ch): Mouth sync lags or speeds up inconsistently (24 fps project, using ElevenLabs audio, no live mic).
- Export Process:
- Exported a transparent video (QuickTime/Animation codec) via ME.
- Also tested direct import from Ch to AE.
- After Effects (AE):
- Mouth movement is too fast.
- Specific sections of audio are missing.
- Sometimes, visibility and sound icons don’t appear in AE’s timeline.
- Issue occurs regardless of whether I use ME or import directly from Ch.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
- Frame Rate & Codec Checks:
- Confirmed all frame rates are 24 fps (Ch scene, ME export, AE composition).
- Tested different export codecs (GoPro CineForm, Animation).
- A 5-second test clip played fine in Ch but broke in AE.
- Clean Install Process:
- Uninstalled Ch, AE, ME, and Creative Cloud (including Adobe Genuine Service).
- Used Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to remove leftovers.
- Manually deleted Adobe-related files from:
- C:\Program Files\Adobe\ and C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\
- %appdata%\Adobe\ (Roaming & Local)
- C:\ProgramData\Adobe\
- C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\
- Cleared cache folders for ME and Premiere Pro.
- Restarted PC after each step.
- Reinstallation & Testing:
- Reinstalled Creative Cloud, Ch, AE, and ME with default settings.
- Created a brand-new Ch project (no Save As to prevent corruption).
- Imported a simple puppet and ElevenLabs audio (WAV, 24 fps).
- Exported a 5-second .mov (File > Export > Video with Alpha, QuickTime/Animation).
- Imported into AE, created a new 24 fps composition, and previewed.
Current Problem (Post-Reinstall):
- In Ch: Everything plays correctly (mouth sync and audio are fine).
- In AE: The mouth still moves too fast, and certain audio segments remain silent. Visibility/sound icons sometimes don’t appear in AE’s timeline.
- This is the exact same issue I had before the clean install.
Additional Notes:
- No other Adobe apps were running during testing.
- To avoid project file corruption, I started fresh instead of reusing old files.
- I’ve seen similar missing audio/icon issues before but haven’t found a solution.
Request for Help:
Does anyone know what might be causing this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
