warning "RAM Preview needs 2 or more frames" after scrubbing audio in After Effects CC 2014 (13.0)

[Tim Kurkoski]

The After Effects team are investigating a bug in After Effects CC 2104 (13.0) where a memory leak occurs while scrubbing audio (holding down the CTRL or Command key while scrubbing). This memory leak can eventually consume all free RAM, which can lead to the warning message "After Effects error: RAM Preview needs 2 or more frames to playback" when you try to initiate a RAM preview.

While we investigate this problem, you can avoid the bug and memory leak by not scrubbing with audio. When the problem occurs you can resolve it by closing and restarting After Effects.

http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2014/07/warning-ram-preview-needs-2-or-more-frames-after-scrubbi...

[bsbeamer]

Is this problem only happening with NVIDIA cards then?  Has anyone with another card experienced this same issue?  That would at least narrow it down a little bit.  Sounds like it may be GPU related somehow...

Restarting the software seems to "solve" the memory leak issue temporarily.

[Todd_Kopriva]

> Is this problem only happening with NVIDIA cards then?

This has nothing to do with the GPU.

As I said above, this bug is due to a memory (RAM) leak when scrubbing (dragging the current-time indicator) to preview with audio.

[bsbeamer]

Is this going to be addressed with an update anytime soon?

[Todd_Kopriva]

> Is this going to be addressed with an update anytime soon?

We have a preliminary fix in testing now. The best estimate that I have for when an update will be released with this fix is more than one month and less than two months from now.

[Zorki400]

Ho do I explain that to my client, who needs the finished article this weekend? Brilliant.

[PhoenixRising]

This bug is not fixed. I am running a version past that update and still having massive issues. My system is kernel panicking as well, and everytime it panics it has to deal with the NVIDIA Graphic cards. One thing I have noticed is there are graphic cards that aren't supported by Adobe, and that is a fatal error, considering there are many people still using machines that date back to 2009. I have CC on one of my machines with an iMac from 2009. I never had an issue until CC 2014 came out, and I received an error about my graphic card no longer being supported. Maybe Adobe should consider a serious overhaul on supporting graphic cards that they know designers use.

There are a lot of bugs with the new Adobe Programs. This is only one of the serious issues that are causing many of us to lose money. Adobe makes tons of money off of us, you would think that Adobe would start having a little respect for people who pay the paychecks for everyone who works there. The fact is, all of these new releases, back to back, year after year with bug after bug, is doing Adobe no good. Especially ones like this that takes days of working around. Please, stop blaming everything on the computers, and consider that you are releasing new versions too soon.

The fact is, I am going to be late on a project because your software won't work. Just like you are "trying to tell us", we have to "tell our clients", and we all know that isn't always the easiest thing to do, when you have a deadline. Please, start thinking about the issues these kinds of bugs are going to cause and keep the program in Beta for longer, instead of causing your own company more frustration. It will also help many designers with having to lose money and clients.

[ThickOwl]

It's not just NVIDIA cards, it also happens on my ATI. It's not GPU related. It's a memory leak as Tim stated in the first post of this thread. And yes, restarting AE will get things working again, but only until the leak fills up all available RAM allotted to AE. Then the error pops up when you try to RAM preview, or worse, locks up AE to the point you have to force quit. You're best off going back to AE CC (v12) if you like to scrub audio. (See the comments above on how to do that.) Otherwise, you'll find AE CC2014 (v13) virtually unusable.  Looks like v13 was an unlucky number for Adobe.

[Mahmoud991]

Hi Tim

I just want to say that I'm experiencing this issue since 2 months ago. At that time I actually bought a new Mac Pro and was really excited to start using the powerful machine and produce some videos. Suddenly all my excitement changed to disappointment because of this issue!

So what is the alternative? Apple Motion 5? I actually bought it already and started to learn it. However, I still want to use AE and I hope you fix this issue really soon.

I think this issue is "a loosing customers issue" and needs to be resolved really quickly.

All the best fixing the issue and I'm waiting for the coming update.

[bsbeamer]

The "reliable" alternative is to go back to using CS6 or CC on 10.8.x it seems.  If you have a system clone and NEED to scrub audio constantly, then it might be worth considering.  If you don't have a system clone, you'll need to reinstall the OS and likely have to do a clean install to have success with it.

I'm working around it, but it's really interfering with my typical workflow.  These same issues are present in CC for many people (as well as CC 2014), so I'm not sure if simply going back to the old version will do the trick for you.  Not really sure if this was introduced with a 10.9.x update, or if it's completely related to the CC 2014 release.

Would agree that it's a pretty serious issue, however as the critics say - we're all locked into the subscription model now, so we're kinda stuck and at the mercy of updates and patch releases.  Hope it's released sooner than the around 6-week time frame that they're expecting.

[ThickOwl]

This post turned out longer than I expected, so in short let me say that:

1 - I understand everyone's frustration

2 - Suck it up, don't scrub audio as much or just go back to CC(12) if you need to, and your frustration will go away.

I disagree that the reliable alternative is CS6 on OSX 10.8 as bsbeamer states above.  And MAB991, Apple Motion 5 will never be considered an alternative in my opinion, but good for you for trying it out.

I've been using CC (12) on 10.9 once I saw that combo was working, and it's always been stable for me.  Once I saw this thread, I've switched back to CC (12) from CC2014 and I feel like a normal human being again and my wife has even started talking to me again.  I get it.  The bug sucks and it sucks the productivity from your ability to work.  But seriously, just go back to using CC (12), it should still be on your computer after the CC 2014 install.  And if it's not, just download it from Adobe and install it.  There are instructions above on how to find it.

I understand everyones frustration, I was there myself.  I broke the cardinal rule of "NEVER UPDATE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PAYING PROJECT."  I only have myself to blame for that one.  I knew about the rule and I broke it.  I really wanted to use some of the new keying features for my project.  I did, and they were awesome.  But once I got into the more motion graphic intensive areas of my project and audio scrubbing, the bug became a problem.  I had already done a lot of work in CC2014 so opening up my older version of the project was not an option.  Use the "Save As CC (12)" option in the save menu to get your project back into CC (12).  More info on that in the comments above by Szalam.

And weren't we "stuck at the mercy" of Adobe for updates and patches before the subscription?  I certainly know I wasn't writing code for AE to make it better.

Adobe dropped a shiny new tow in front of us to play with.  Some of us grabbed it, started playing with it, and it cut our finger.  We cried for a minute.  Then went back to our old, trusty toy and started having fun again.  You can play with the new toy now if you're careful; or you can wait for the sharp edges to be removed and play with it then.  It's your choice.

[eliezerventura]

No, not in my case the problem is occurring in CS6 CC and CC 2014!

[eliezerventura]

No, not in my case the problem is occurring in CS6 CC and 2014 CC.

I am already in contact with the support in my country, but this not working.

If 30 days go by I will file lawsuits against Adobe.

I'm avinsando it makes time already opened a post about the problem and the Abode is silent.

Moral damages will be great, and I will ask compensation proportional to the values ​​I charge my clients.

[Szalam]

EVentura wrote:

No, not in my case the problem is occurring in CS6 CC and 2014 CC.

Wait, has After Effects ever worked for you? If so, what changed?

If you're having the problem in all three programs, something is wrong with your system and not with Adobe's software. Most of us are using CS6 and CC without the problems you're describing.

[Mental Image Productions]

I am having the same problem on the new CC 2014 version. RAM preview requires 2 or more frames.... Have to restart AE every 20 minutes. What a pain. I used to have this problem when using CS6 but CC seemed to get rid of it to my relief. Now it's back! So I tried to take it home to work and guess what - it won't open on my older version of CC....So I downloaded CC 2014 on my new Mac laptop and exactly the same problem. It's unworkable. What a waste of time.

I agree that we should be compensated for the time wasted. I am managing an animation studio and trying to stay on top of new technology has become a huge issue especially when it doesn't work. Adobe I love you but you're bringing me down...

[ThickOwl]

Try this:

- Open your file in CC2014

- Go to "File"

- Save As

- Save a Copy As CC (12)

Close AE CC2014, then open your new file you just saved in AE CC (12)

Word has it, the bug will be fixed in the next month or 2.

[Todd_Kopriva]

The update fixing this issue is now live:

After Effects CC 2014.1 (13.1): what’s new and changed in this update

[VERVE_Broadcast_Design]

Nope. This bug is still present and if anything, has gotten worse since the 13.1 update.

What can we provided to Adobe to help diagnose and fix this problem?

[Szalam]

The error can be caused by many things. The issue the original post was describing (scrubbing audio invoking a memory leak) has been fixed. There are, however, other things that can cause this error. Unless your error is caused by scrubbing audio, it's probably very different and Adobe (or us forum folk) would need a lot more information. As much as possible. What you are doing when the error occurs and prior to that. What sort of assets are in your project (format and codec of footage, etc.) Plugins, scripts, etc. that you have installed. Computer specs. Etc. Etc. Etc.

If you can reliably cause the error to occur, any and all steps leading up to it would be ideal.

[VERVE_Broadcast_Design]

The error code only pops up when I'm scrubbing audio in AE. Otherwise I wouldn't have posted it in this thread.

It takes about 4 minutes of audio scrubbing before AE is out of memory and needs to be quit and restarted. I'm using the newest build of AE CC 2014.

I'd prefer if an Adobe employee can provide me with info on the actual things they need to help diagnose the problem.

[Tim Kurkoski]

VERVE Broadcast Design wrote:

I'd prefer if an Adobe employee can provide me with info on the actual things they need to help diagnose the problem.

The best thing would be for you to provide a screen recording that demonstrates the following:

1. Open the About box to show the exact build of After Effects.

2. The Activity Monitor app should be open at all times with the After Effects process and the Real Memory column showing.

3. The Audio panel in After Effects should be open.

4. Scrub audio in a composition.

5. Then use Edit > Purge > All Memory & Disk Cache.

6. Repeat 2-3 times the steps in 4 & 5. This will demonstrate repeated memory usage and freeing of that memory.

VERVE, the known memory leak with audio scrubbing was fixed in After Effects CC 2014.1 (13.1), and very thoroughly tested. I find it highly unlikely that what you are experiencing is the same bug. Besides the confirmation above, Szalam is correct that more general information about how you get into this state would be helpful. There may be a specific set of steps, files, or project conditions that are leading you to a different cause for the "RAM preview needs 2 or more frames" warning message.

[VERVE_Broadcast_Design]

Screen capture video recorded.

Is there a specific place I should send it to or should I just post it to YouTube and provide a link here?

[Tim Kurkoski]

VERVE Broadcast Design wrote:

Screen capture video recorded.

Is there a specific place I should send it to or should I just post it to YouTube and provide a link here?

Your choice, though YouTube or other streaming services are more convenient than having to download a file.

[eliezerventura]

Szalam

What has changed is the following, I have another iMac with OSX Lion, where the CC and the CS6 work perfectly.

The problem appeared on my Macbook with the Mavericks installed, the computer I use for working on the go.

I'm unable to downgrade the Macbook to Lion OSX version. I'm pretty sure the problem focuses on the Mavericks. Anyone else have this problem at Mavericks?

[bsbeamer]

Yes - it seems like this RAM preview issue starting happening with one of the 10.9.X updates - I'm not positive which one since I held off on updating to 10.9.X for awhile and think I started with the 10.9.2 update.  It's impacting CC 2014, CC, and CS6 for me.  I'm working around it for now, but really hope the fix is released early.  I needed to update for other reasons, so downgrading to my previous clone isn't a great option for JUST this issue.  If there were other issues I couldn't work around, then I likely would feel differently and would have a dual-boot system for awhile.

There are ways to do a clean install of 10.8.X even on an older machine, FYI.  You can download a .DMG of the OSX installer and create a bootable USB flash drive then do a clean/fresh install of the OS.  If you're working on a MacPro that can swap out drives/SSDs with ease, then it's not a HUGE deal as long as you have a spare around.  If you're working on a "non-removable" drive, then setup a clone before you do anything.  I have a clone with a working CS6 on 10.8 (think 10.8.5?) so would load that if totally necessary.

[Todd_Kopriva]

The bug under discussion on this thread is not specific to one operating system. The bug under discussion on this thread is a memory leak when dragging the current-time indicator with the Ctrl/Command key pressed to also preview audio (scrubbing audio). This bug is specific to After Effects CC 2014 (13.0).

This bug is fixed in an internal build that is undergoing testing now.

If you want to discuss any other cause of the message about After Effects needing two or more frames for RAM preview, then please start another discussion thread.

There are many valid reasons for that message to come up, including operator error (because the RAM preview is requested when the current-time indicator is already at the end of the work area) and other, different memory problems.