Dynamic Link breaks EVERY TIME with After Effects into Premiere

[j_mro]

This is one of the most frustrating things I've encountered from Adobe Premiere. The Dynamic Link breaks every time I save a project in After Effects. I will save my "linked" After Effects project, go back to Premiere and it breaks the link EVERY TIME. This has been going on so long I just re-link it every time and say "Im switching to Da Vinci". I have the most up to date Premiere and After Effects. 

This doesn't happen just once, or right after I open the program. No names are changed, no locations of projects or files change, just every time I hit save....boom, Premiere blows up.

This is unacceptable from a company like Adobe and I can't believe this hasn't been fixed. 

See link. Screen on the right in AE and then left is PP. You can watch it happen over and over and over again, just like I do!

[Moderator note: moved to Bug section of forum posts.]

[aarons19137213]

Same issue is happening for me! Happens in the middle of a project, so I'm not sure if it's some other issue but it's so incredibly frustrating.

[Trisha2633718511f6]

I've encountered this problem a couple of times on the latest version of AE/Premiere now, and my hypothesis for this is as follows:

If all of your Dynamic Linked comps are created the same way (and I think within the same AE project file), e.g. FROM Premiere into your AE project by highlighting a segment in the timeline in Premiere, right clicking and choosing "replace with After Effects composition", then you can have all your linked comps updating in real time every time you save with no issues. However, the moment you introduce a linked comp via another method, e.g. File > Adobe Dynamic Link > Import After Effects Composition, even if it's from the same project, it will cause all the linked projects except for the comp added by the new method to go offline and you have to relink them manually until the next save. If anyone can try recreating this issue with these conditions to make sure it's not just a problem on my machine, that would be nice.

[MyerPj]

Hi Trisha, I just tried to duplicate what you have said, but it all appears to be working. I really like the dynamic link features of 'real time' updates.

• I created a new PP project and put in a couple of clips and did some cuts, and moved the clips around.
• I then, right-clicked an edit and used 'replace with Ae comp', all was well.
  I named AE project and saved and when I went back to PP all was well.
• Did another one, new comp, within same AE project. OK
• quit both
• Back i PP - I rendered and replaced, both those quit went back in and undid both (Restore unrendered), and then 'edit original' it went to AE all was good.
• Then I created a new AE comp in the same aeproject and dropped that AE file into PP and added the new comp. It was working good. 
• I've never use that 'Adobe Dynamic Link' menu option (didn't really notice it!) but added a comp using that, and it seems all was well.
• quit a rebooted my system, loaded up only PP and everything was there. opened AE and could change any one of them and it update properly.

I doubt if anything in this folder affect the process, (the highest number folder inside that is the one is use). I thought it's OK to delete it, as it will be recreated. But I just renamed it and fired up PP, then AE and it didn't recreate or give a problem, and all linking was OK. I then tried exporting to ME and that worked fine also.

%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\DynamicLinkManager

[Trisha2633718511f6]

Huh, weird. After this reply I decided to try recreating the issue per my hypothesis in a new project too, and haven't had any linked comps break on me thus far, even after importing the same comp that caused the problem in my last project. I guess that debunks the hypothesis, which makes sense since I only formed it after causing that issue twice that way. 

Guess we'll have to keep looking for the root of the problem 😞

[Laura_2358]

Hi Trisha, 

I have the same problem with a colleague's project. 

I normally drag & drop AE comps into PP and they work just fine. But everytine I got projects from my colleague who is following the method: File > Adobe Dynamic Link > Import After Effects Composition -  the AE linked comps break all the time when I make some changes. So I ending replacing all the AE comps - drag & drop method - and then they are fine. 

Does anyone know whay is this happening? Thanks!

[R Neil Haugen]

I wonder if there are cache files in the Ae files on the other computer you don't have, therefore it breaks?

I'd also ask on the Ae forum, as that's where the True Experts on Pr/Ae workflows ... work.

Neil

[Vitor30793322g0d3]

It worked for me, thank you! 

[SkillCapped24767403znz2]

I hope this may help someone. This has happened to me before, it hasn't happened in a while, but it started happening like 20 minutes ago for me. But I actually noticed a pattern.

I never turn my pc off, as we all do, so when I came back this morning to keep working on my project I noticed Premiere was pretty buggy so I re-started it.

And that's when it started happening. I first noticed that when I would click "Edit original", Premiere would put the After Effects window in front, but it wouldn't actually take me to the comp I requested. This was weird, but I didn't bother and just searched and opened the comp I needed.

I hit save on my changes and that's when it happens. After a quick search online I thought, what if the problem was re-starting Premiere? What if there's some sort of issue with the session time? what if the thing that —the Dynamic Link up is having AE open already when you start Premiere? What would happen if I close both, open Premiere, and then open AE through "Edit Original"?

However, I can tell you it worked for me. "Edit Original" works as it should and my links are not getting broken every time I save.

Moderator note: Edited for content. Please do not use profanity. Please do not disparage community members, including Adobe employees. 

[schnudiesounds]

Thank you very much! It's the fix for it. Technically absurd as it opens the same file i am relinking to, but then Dynamic Link gets aware where to go. Guess this should be a little line of code, that fixes this issue....Interesting that we have to solve it by our owns....

[MyerPj]

I'm pretty sure I did all those things and it still works just fine. I think it's a bad idea to leave your computer always on. Save energy, give your computer a rest at night and a fresh start in the morning.

PPv23, Win11

[Henrik73311483]

That's not how computers work sadly.

[Surion]

It's happening to me too. As soon as I save in AE the link gets broken in PP. If I right click on the composition in PP and select Link Media and then click on Locate button, I see that the "Last Path" starts with "/Users/my_user_name" but the "Path" is actually "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Users/my_user_name".

I tried to replicate this several times, it replicates every time. 

[Johan29627211c9jj]

As of this date I still have this problem. Has been with me for quite some time. Actually coming ang going in different projects for a few years as I can remember. I now have this issue with a project that involves a complex edit, with times motion grahics animations. And man. It really makes life, well.. not so fun,

[Havana30065535fq9n]

I have this problem all the time. It's been happening for over a year. I use "Replace with After Effects Composition" for all the links. Then when I make any small edits in my AE file, every clip in premiere unlinks. It's soooo annoying. 

It's easy to relink because when I click "Link" it takes me right to the file to select, but then all that I had rendered isn't rendered anymore.  

I don't think it's my laptop, because I have a new one and the problem happened on my old device too. 

[AlexanderVAM · Accepted solution]

Just as someone mentioned above here is what helped me too, hopefully, it saves someone too 😄

- Save your AE project and close AE.

- Relink your comps, so it shows in premiere as linked.

- Then instead of opening the project through AE open it by using right button on one of the comps in premiere (on timeline) and press "Edit original".

Then it seems like dynamic link recognises the path and it starts working with saving again, at least in my case.

Good luck!

[Michael Grenadier]

thanks for posting your solution in a clear and concise manner...  

[krstrobe]

@AlexanderVAM, thanks very much for the solution! This worked for me.

[Marcus Sjo]

Unfortunately this doesn't work for me. I've tried opening new files then the link works perfectly. But everytime i save my AE project all other comps gets offlined.

One wierd thing i've seen though is when i right click one comp and choose "edit in after effects", AE looks like it's opening a new file, even though the AE original file is still open. 

[R Neil Haugen]

I've seen other reports and heard of Ae users limiting the number of comps in an Ae project. There's apparently something that if there's more than X number of comps, the two apps have more difficulty keeping proper connections.

I know it's not possible in a lot of active situations, but personally, as soon as I've got an Ae comp that is 'finished' to my needs, I export a clip from Ae to replace the comp in Pr. Less computer strain/overhead, and no chance of the dreaded unlinked comp thing.

But again, in a lot of team situations, with changing needs every couple hours, that isn't an option.

So perhaps keeping to something like 2-3 comps per Ae project file might help somewhat.

[Michael Grenadier]

I definitely had this problem when I had too many linked comps in the same ae project...  However, if I opened the AE project I was able to render out the comp and bring that into Premiere...   so  if you're rigorous in your AE project and comp naming, you should be able to work around the issue...  Unless I'm missing something....  Can't say this was simple for me dealing with a seriously complex restoration project with intense image dvstabilization but I was able to get it done...  This was at least 4 or 5 years ago, so I may be having a senior moment...  

[krstrobe]

I think you need to select "Edit Original," from the top of screen menu, not "Edit in After Effects." "Edit in After Effects" is going to create a new comp. "Edit Original" should open the linked comp in ae.

[Marcus Sjo]

Sorry but i was writing in a hurry. I'm selecting "edit original" and the comp does open in AE. But when I save that comp ALL comps changes to offline in my Premiere project.

But i Do think that the ammount of comps has something to do with it. There's alot in this bad boy. So i've started a new file with the remaining ones, maybe not best practice (especially for delivering to someone else) but it works this time.

Still think it's wierd that you're not able to have unlimited comps linked to your premiere-file. 

[krstrobe]

Gotcha! So, I think your problem may be having the after effects project open when you re-link. Try closing the project in after effects before you click "Edit Original" in premiere and that should open the project again. Normally after doing it that way, I can save in ae and it doesn't break the link to the comp in Premiere. Sometimes it randomly breaks again and I have to repeat this process.

[leakuslokus]

This is not working.

I have 1 Comp in my AE Project, 1 Comp in PR.

My guess is the usual: "ThIS wiLl bE fiXeD iN BeTA"

[Michael Grenadier]

many people are using this workflow without issues.  If you want help troubleshooting:  Never easy to troubleshoot premiere problems from a distance so please tell us your system specs: OS version, Premiere version, amount of RAM, Hardware specs including graphics card and if you have any 3rd party plugins installed for Premiere... Also, sequence settings and clip properties can also help. Although you can throw almost any format into premiere, some formats can be problematic, particularly on an underpowered system.