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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!