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Participating Frequently
October 18, 2022
Answered

Color Matte Not working - Disappears

  • October 18, 2022
  • 9 replies
  • 7970 views

Hi - I've been trying to add a color matte to my composition, and everytime I attempt to, it simply disappears.

I'm on a new 2022  16" Macbook Pro, M1 Chi p running the latest premiere.


Ir'a happened a couple times now on different projects. I open premiere, and use File\new\color matte, the color picker comes up, I select a color, assign a new name...click ok and <poof!> gone.

 

Any idea what's going on? I'm not running a ton of graphics or anything.

Correct answer Ann Bens

Reset preferences

9 replies

Inspiring
March 24, 2025

I changed the workspace, then reset preferences - neither worked, created a new project imported old into the new and it still takes 2 attempts each time I want a color matte. Built-in obsolescence. In breaking certain basic features - they force you to stay on their "update" train until your system can't handle the latest version. Then, you must go out and buy new hardware. Apple loves this. Adobe keeps you thinking that they are heros for putting out a fire that they started. This is only one of the reasons why thousands are jumping ship to other software like DaVinci Resolve which is free and fully functional - none of these profit-driven games.

Pat Finnegan
Known Participant
March 10, 2025

The project panel must be the active panel when creating a color matte. That's why one of the "workarounds," using the New button in the project panel, seems to work. I say "seems to" because it's not that button that is working, it's the fact that it automatically sets the project panel to active when you click it because it is actually ON the project panel. 

Hope this helps.

Participant
September 9, 2023

Always happens to me as well. My solution was to not give custom name. Just left it with the default "color matte". And then, just then, it appears!

Participant
June 14, 2023

Ok this is wierd for me too...  Its like adobe skips a step and then I don't get my color matte.

bellow are the two steps from my school work that show what I need to do. It goes directly to the second image and I never get the first image.  I have tried resetting my prefferences and I still get the same thing. Before it would do this and Iwould try again a few times and then it would work but now it will not work at all.

 

Participating Frequently
June 26, 2023

Same problem for me. I only get the pick a color screen, then a name it screen, then nothing.

Participating Frequently
March 13, 2023

Same here - M1 MBP Max 64 - PP 23.2

Some mattes appear black which is ruining the project - Does anyone from Adobe have a workaround?

Participating Frequently
March 13, 2023

Reset Preferences did not work - Exporting within PP occasionally gets most of them, and Exporting via ME misses lots of them. - It's a 30-second project with 3 video tracks used (Background Matte, Video, Title)

Participating Frequently
June 26, 2023

Just an update of a possible workaround I have found if you have a color Matte under your video layer

i.e

  • V2 Rec 709 video scaled to 80% to give it a border
  • V1 white colour matte 16x9

Workaround 

- Adjust the exposure a touch on the video layer and it comes back - also you have to export it within premiere rather than send it to media encoder (Media Encoder misses lots of them)

 

I hope this helps somebody.

Adobe Please fix this 

Peru Bob
Community Expert
Community Expert
February 6, 2023

Try resetting the Workspaces:
Reset a workspace
Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Workspace menu icon and select Reset to Saved Layout.
• Choose Window > Workspace > Reset to Saved Layout.
from here:
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/workspaces.html

If that doesn't work, try creating a new project and import the old one into it.

Pinky Productions
Participant
February 22, 2023

Ok, I was having this problem for ages. I ditched the preferences and then created a new project and imported my current one into it and ..color mattes are back! 🙂 

Participant
February 6, 2023

Same problem here too....

Participating Frequently
February 3, 2023

I am having this same problem, even after resetting preferences - any suggestions? Did it work for you?

 

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Ann BensCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
October 18, 2022
Participating Frequently
February 3, 2023

Just replied to my own commment...yikes...but I tried resetting and nothing. Any further suggestions?