Adobe After Effects ExtendScript API Non-ASCII Character Path Setting Issue

[Edward_0616_2614]

Problem Description

The ExtendScript API operation renderQueueItem.outputModule().file = has a character encoding problem: when setting output paths containing non-ASCII characters (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, European special characters, etc.), these characters are replaced with dashes (-----). Testing shows that manually setting the same paths in the AE interface works perfectly, and the API can correctly read manually set non-ASCII paths, but after setting through the API , it displays as dashes, indicating the issue occurs during the API's write process.

Note: This functionality worked correctly in After Effects 2024.

Version Information

• After Effects Version: 2025 (latest version)
• Platform: Windows 11
• OS Version: 24H2

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use ExtendScript to create new render queue items
2. Try to set output paths containing non-ASCII characters via API
3. Observe the display result in the render queue panel

Test Script

Simply create a new project and run this script directly:

// Create three test compositions with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean names
var testComps = [
    {name: "测试合成-Chinese Test", path: "C:/输出文件夹/中文视频.mp4"},
    {name: "テスト合成-Japanese Test", path: "C:/テストフォルダ/日本語ビデオ.mp4"},
    {name: "테스트합성-Korean Test", path: "C:/테스트폴더/한국어비디오.mp4"}
];

// Create render queue items for each composition
for (var i = 0; i < testComps.length; i++) {
    // Create composition
    var comp = app.project.items.addComp(testComps[i].name, 1920, 1080, 1, 10, 30);
    
    // Add to render queue
    var rqItem = app.project.renderQueue.items.add(comp);
    
    try {
        // Set output path
        rqItem.outputModule(1).file = new File(testComps[i].path);
        
        // Read back the set path for verification
        var setPath = rqItem.outputModule(1).file.fsName;
        
        alert("Comp: " + testComps[i].name + "\nOriginal Path: " + testComps[i].path + "\nActual Path: " + setPath);
    } catch (e) {
        alert("Error with " + testComps[i].name + ": " + e.toString());
    }
}

// Reminder: Check the render queue panel display
alert("Please check the Render Queue panel to see how the composition names and output paths are displayed.");

Expected vs Actual Result

• Expected: Path displays correctly as "C:/输出文件夹/测试视频.mp4"
• Actual: Path displays as "C:/?????/-----.mp4"

Test Findings

• :white_heavy_check_mark: Manually setting non-ASCII paths in AE interface → Works normally
• :white_heavy_check_mark: API reading manually set non-ASCII paths → Displays correctly
• :cross_mark: API setting non-ASCII paths → Displays as dashes

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi,

Thanks for filing this issue. I hope a product team member appears shortly to assist you with the bug. Sorry for the problem.

Thanks,

Kevin

[John33530031tf8u]

Same problem here. Dear Adobe, fix this issue please!

[Andrew38500259ezb7]

Please fix this issue.
The problem started with version 25.3 and continues until the current version 25.6.
There is no problem in version 25.2.2.
Thanks in advance.

[JohnColombo]

Hi all,

Thank you for reporting this issue. A fix for the string encoding is now available in After Effects (Beta) build 26.1.0.11 or later. We've confirmed that testing with the attached script assigns the correct names and displays the correct characters. Please install the latest Beta build and let us know if you continue to encounter the character replacement.

Thank you for reporting this issue,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team