Proxy layers render slower than original. Video layers in general are extremely slow.

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
September 23, 2021
1 reply
3564 views

When I'm exporting a composition, using proxy layers of simple elements, it takes a lot more time than disabling the proxy and having it render 'from scratch'. Or it's barely any faster.

If I'm adding a single video to a new composition to render it out again as a test it's extremely slow.

In this case AE only has to read the videoframe and rerender it without doing anything, and I'm getting 2-3 fps.

Shouldn't proxy layers always render quicker than the original, regardless how sophisticated or simple the composition?

Is there any codec that handles video better/faster in AE?

I'm using prores 422/4444.

It's such a shame, since old versions (pre 2014) handled video much faster.

We have faster computers with slower AE performance.

Performance

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R

Rick Gerard

Community Expert

Check the frame size and frame rate of the Proxy. It's easy to get that fouled up.

Some system details and workflow details would help us diagnose your problem.

G

Gijs_Author

Inspiring

It's a 1920x1080, 60 fps composition.

I'm using a M1 macbook pro, though it's faster than my old workstation(W10, 6700k, 32gb ram) in 3d and most AE motion, it seems far slower in AE with video. I'm hoping this is contributed to not being a native Apple Silicon app yet, so a future release might fix this.

I did a test on my old workstation in Windows 10, and it rendered @ 20-40 fps (can't recall specifically).

The same composition with one video layer on the M1 got only 3 fps, which regardless of lacking a native version seems tremendously slow.

G

Gijs_Author

Inspiring

After Effects always takes longer to render than Premiere Pro because of the way the layers in AE are combined. Render time in AE depends on everything you do in After Effects and the format you choose to use when you render.

If you embed an AEP file by importing or by using Dynamic Link to create a comp from a cut in the Premiere Pro sequence and you export (render) using Premiere Pro, another copy of After Effects opens in the background and that renders the video before Premiere Pro can render the layer in the sequence. The slowdown can be monumental. If your render time for a full resolution/full effects ram preview in AE is 1 or 2 frames per second, which is not uncommon for a 4K compositing shot with a couple of layers and some fairly simple effects, the render time in Premiere Pro for that embedded comp can easily be one or two seconds per frame instead of 1 to 2 frames per second.

Any time I have complex effects to add to a Premiere Pro sequence I render a DI (digital intermediate) using a visually lossless, frame-based format like ProRez, DNxHR, EXR sequence use that rendered sequence to replace the linked comp in the Premiere sequence timeline. The only time I ever keep the dynamic link active for rendering is when my AE comp will render at about half the frame rate or better. That means that if I use Dynamic Link to create a comp, and I do that all the time, The only time I do not replace the linked section is when the AE comp will preview at full resolution at half the frame rate or better.

One more thing. I would love to know what kind of external thunderbolt drive you are using so you can match internal drive read write speeds. I did a ton of research and I'm using the very latest and fastest external storage that I can buy and as you can see, my read write speeds are very close to the published best speeds for any external storage. I'd love to match the read/write of my internal drive if I could.

ORICO Thunderbolt 3 Nvme M.2 SSD Case.

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