Timecode and playback issues with After Effects

[jarredh27814680]

Yes hi I'm creating a new project in After Effects on my iMac and the timeline is showing the seconds as 5-digit numbers like 00002, 00004, 00006, etc as opposed to 01s, 02s, 03s, etc. Also, when I preview, it plays SUPER fast. The whole animation is only 30 seconds.

I've attached 2 screenshots. The one labeled "right" is how I want the timecode to look, the other one is how it looks now. 

Can anyone help me? Adobe support has already tried to help me twice.

[Rick Gerard]

Your comp timeline is set to frames, not timecode. It looks like your comp is only 28 or 29 frames long.

Check the comp settings and Ctrl/Cmnd + click on the timeline time display to switch between frames and timecode. You can also use the Project Settings panel.

Cropped screenshots are usually not very useful and posting to the forum is very easy. Please do that in the future. It looks like you also need to spend some time with the User Guide learning the basics: Learn AE

[jarredh27814680]

Hi Rick I've done that and all that does it switch from frames to seconds, or vise versa, seconds being the 5-digit numbers I'm referring to which I dont want, and I also dont want frames. I just want normal seconds counting by 1's or 2's.

[jarredh27814680]

I've also done many of those tutorials but sadly none of those refer to my timecode issue, all those videos have the righr timeline and timecode already showing 01s, 02s, 03s, etc...or 02s, 04s, 06s, etc...none have 00002, 00004, etc.

They also play at normal speed and mine plays lightning fast.

[jarredh27814680]

One more thing to add is that this issue only happens on my iMac, not my macbook pro

[Rick Gerard]

The comp has to be longer than a few frames and you need to expand the timeline to see seconds.  Your problem comp is less than one second if the frame rate is 30 fps. What are the composition settings?

This is not a bug, this is just not having the comp and the UI set up properly.  

[jarredh27814680]

These are my current settings. I'm trying to make a 15 second video for Instagram. 

[jarredh27814680]

Apparently the issue is my timeline is showing miliseconds from what I understand, not seconds, but can't get it to show any other way. 

[Rick Gerard]

You have created a 15 frame comp. Look carefully at the settings. Duration clearly says 00015 Frames at 29.97 fps.

Go back to the timeline and Ctrl/Cmnd + click on the time display in the timeline to change the display from frames to timecode, then open up the composition settings and enter 1500 and you will see 0;00;15;00 in the Duration panel.

When you return to the timeline you are only going to see the first 15 frames. You will have to expand the timeline to see the entire 15 seconds using the icon on the bottom left of the timeline layers section or by using the top bar in the timeline. 

Please spend some time with the User Guide. Everything you need to know about creating a composition and changing the time display is in there. 

You should also check the specifications for adding video on Instagram. 640 X 640 is awfully small. Follow their guidelines.

Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Video Specs ...

[jarredh27814680]

When I do that all that happens is I get miliseconds on my timeline. 

I either get frames, 02f, 04f, 06f...or if I Ctrl/Cmnd + click on the time display in the timeline to change the display from frames to timecode, then I get seconds, but it's miliseconds...00001, 00002, 00003

[Rick Gerard]

What are your project settings? What is the comp frame rate? 

If the Comp settings say duration 00015 frames then the duration is 15 frames. 

Try setting the Project Settings to timecode by clicking on the Project Settings at the bottom of the file menu:

Then create a new composition that is 10 seconds long. This one has a starting timecode of 15 seconds.

That will fix your problem. 

[jarredh27814680]

I did everything you just said, with the only difference my dimensions being 1080x1080, and my timeline still not showing proper seconds

[Rick Gerard]

You are just not understanding what you are looking at. Maybe these screenshots will help:

To get the hash marks to show seconds only you will have to shorten the layers part of the timeline or make the comp longer. This is a 4-second comp that starts with a timecode of 15 seconds.

Usually, you want your comp starting time to be zero or to match the timecode of the source footage used to create the comp.

The only thing wrong is that you have not explored the user guide and looked at the description of the timeline. Pay close attention to how the timeline hash marks change as Brian Maffit zooms in and out of the timeline at around 47 seconds into the presentation.