Premiere Pro 2020 Crashes when deleting a mask point. Really? Seriously.

Report · Dec 02, 2019

Why did I upgrade?

OK, doing a simple mask, (standard def video) Got a mask point I want to delete, I hold down the Ctrl key and get that - sign, and click on the point to delete it, and KABOOM!!!! TOTAL CRASH.

I've freshed booted, twice, same problem. Reinstalled the latest 2020, and same nonsense.

This must be a bug.

Ryzen 8 core, 32GB, GTX1050Ti , Windows 10.... solid system.

Was working fine before v2020.

Now, if I want to mask, I have to do it without being able to delete anything. Annoying.

Report · Feb 20, 2021

I've resorted (for my purposes) masking almost exclusively AE and Mocha. 🤷🏻‍:male_sign:

Report · Jun 26, 2021

I'm track masking a blur frame by frame... now and again a rogue extra point appears and I have to CTRL delete that extra point... well now I can't... it's crashing...

I'm on Premiere Pro 2021 - Version 15.2.0 (build 35)...

Looks like this problem still exists... sadge.

Report · Jun 26, 2021

Please tell us your system specs: OS version, Premiere version, amount of RAM, Hardware specs including graphics card and your source properties and sequence settings.

and by any chance, are any of your sources from a smartphone or a screen recording?

Report · Jun 27, 2021

OS version : Windows 10 Pro

Version : 21H1

Installed on 14/09/20

OS Build : 19043.1052

Experience : Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0

Premiere Version: Adobe Premiere Pro

Version : 15.2.0 (Build 35)

RAM : 32GB

CPU : Intel Core i9-9900K

GPU : ASUS Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Source is BlackVue DR900-S Dashcam - 4K mp4 footage

Sequence Settings :

custom / 30fps

1080 x 1920 : scale = on

square 1.0 pixels

no fields

30fps

Rec 709

=========================================

Notes:

I deleted that mask and did it all over again

It's a 14.3 = second sequence

I'm masking with a gaussian blur 3 number plates.

1st two were a few seconds, but the 3rd one was for all the frames,

It's the 3rd mask that the problems begin.

It only begins towards the end... yes... after hours of work... problems start happening at the last two seconds!

I notice that it's not me that's creating the extra point (all masks have a square mask = 4 points)

Towards the end, I find the next framce adds a point = I did not add it at all

I ignore and work around it... and more frames later, a 5 appears.

It feels like the program can't handle what I'm trying to do... maybe there's a limit of some sort.

Does not feel like a hardware issue/type of file/type of sequence...

Hope the extra info helps.

Also... after starting... the "hand" action to move the entire mask is not available... it is only the pen tool that shows... I've tried to resize the mask to a huge size and the hand icon does nt show... = I have to move each of the 4 points manually = time consuming.

Report · Jun 27, 2021

"a 5 appears" = sorry, not correct...

i'm trying to say is that it is a 4 point box... and when the problem starts, a 5th point appears (top right point) when i advance a frame... i then work around it and then a second later, a 6th point appears (also top right).

I initially Ctrl-Z to undo and re-check next frame and it reverts correctly to 4 points... but it happens again and CTRL-Z does not fix... so I persist and workaround it.

Report · Jun 27, 2021

not familiar with dashcam footage, but it is possible it's variable frame rate which can cause hard to predict issues.

https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo/Download

drop a media file into mediainfo and view in text or tree view. If it is variable frame rate, post back and I'll send on the instructions on how to fix it.

Report · Jun 30, 2021

Yes, it reports as variable

Report · Jun 30, 2021

Ok. I'm out to lunch... Will get you the info in half an hour or do some
searching on using handbrake to convert variable frame rate to constant
frame rate

Report · Jun 30, 2021

Converting videos with Handbrake - YouTube

Report · Jul 04, 2021

I managed to finish that project with the workarounds I advised.

Transcoding using handbrake isn't an option... I want to minimise the quality loss - I can afford to re-mux (using 3rd party app)

I have noticed a variable rate screen capture off google Pixel phone can't be edited in Premiere (reports some crazy fps), but am able to in another program (that's a lot cheaper).

Hope one day you guys will figure out a way for us to do tasks without us using 3rd party apps...

Report · Jul 04, 2021

If you set the quality slider in the video panel in handbrake to the highest quality, I doubt you'll lose any visible quality. Did you actually try it?

If you're worried about a potential quality loss, you can buy editready

https://www.divergentmedia.com/editready

which will transcode to a lossless format like prores

Report · Jul 04, 2021

I and others have done conversions in Handbrake with the quality set to the top ... and then taken those into PrPro on a track above the original, setting the blend mode to difference. And seeing a totally black screen ... no difference. Or a pixel here and there.

You won't see a difference in one generation if you set the quality to "near placebo" or whatever they call it.

Pro video work for movies especilly often includes numerous generations of re-coding. And they at times have to work with the camera that fits into a gosh-awful space. So yes, they can have less than Arri or RED media, and still need to convert or t-code it. One generation if done well should never be an issue.

If they can do it for 60 foot wide screens ... your stuff bound for a computer screen is safe.

Neil

Report · Dec 04, 2020

If I'm doing complicated masking and tracking, I do it in AfterEffects... Simple stuff or just need to do "proof of concept" to show a client, premiere is fine... I haven't seen crashing in premiere but I think you'll find the interface and controls much easier to use and adjust in AE.

Report · Dec 05, 2020

Mocha keeps crashing on me as well. I've re-installed, tried older versions, cleared cache...

Report · Sep 07, 2021

any answer to this? It feel slike the only thing Adobe has developed is a reputation for instability.

Report · Sep 07, 2021

Premiere is a pretty amazing program, but it's perhaps not realistic to expect it to do everything perfectly. If you have AE, I suggest you give it a try. Not sure if it will take your mask info from a Premiere clip in the timeline when you "replace with AE comp" but worth a shot. Generally the interface for effects controls in AE is much more responsive and the previews are pretty quick.

Report · Sep 11, 2021

suspiciously absent from the marketing and official information.

Report · Sep 12, 2021

What's "suspiciously absent from the marketing and official information."?

That is doesn't work always perfectly with VFR media? That's been pretty heavily discussed including in their docs. It can sorta work with it, but it's better if you convert to CFR.

Or that the vfx app Ae has far more "muscular" masking and tracking capabilities?

Which is also very heavily discussed 'here' and in their docs. PrPro is an editing app. Ae is a vfx app ... and yea, it's a heavy-lift app for quite a few things PrPro was never designed to do at that level.

Neil

Report · Aug 02, 2022

Zoom in 150 or 200% in your program window, then press ctrl. When the - sign appears besides the pen tool click to remove the point. Kind off a temporary solution but worked for me after a lot of trial and error. Hope it helps!

Report · Aug 23, 2022

its 2022 and i am having this very same exact problem. It was workig perfectly fine for me. Did abut 2 videos worth of masking. Then suddenly it stops. Crashes everytime i try to delete a mask. Is there any updates on how to sort this out?

Report · Jul 10, 2023

I'm having the same problem. It must be a known issue that Adobe has no clue how to fix. It is insane. I literally have a square with an accidental point added on one edge. If I ctrl+click it immediately crashes the program. Not a crash where it freezes and tries to think or anything. Immediately, dissapears. (quite impressive how fast it dissapears) This is on a high end media workstation with dual cpu (20 cores) and an RTX 4080. Shockiing.

Report · Jul 10, 2023

Hi @PureIllusion,

I saw your message. I can't reproduce it, though. Can you try the same on a new project? See how it goes. If you can reproduce it, can you furnish us with more info about your system and media?

Thanks,
Kevin

Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community & Engagement Strategist – Pro Video and Audio

Report · Jul 22, 2024

Mid-2024 here and this is still happening. Try to move a mask and sometimes instead of moving, it creates new, identical control points to the existing points, one new point over every preexisting point. So now you can no longer reshape your mask. Try to delete one of the new point and it instantly crashes. It's 100% repeatable.

Report · Jul 23, 2024

This is one of those things that a few users have had troubles with, and it may have mulitple causes. It's reproducible on your machine, but for another example, I can't on either my desktop or laptop.

Some of the people having this have been working with VFR clips ... variable frame rate, typically produced by screen recording apps and phones. Converting the media to CFR outside of Premiere before importing, fixed the issue for them.

A few have had many point masks with also numerous video tracks and other effects going. At which point the mask point change may simply have been the last straw that overloaded their system.

Premiere's masking is not nearly as hunky as AfterEffects, and as it's seen as pretty easy to jump a clip to Ae, that's not going to change.

So ... VFR ... convert to CFR, re-import. MANY mask points on a complex sequence, try it in Ae.

Maybe one of those can help. BUT ... if you have a relatively simply sequence, and only a few points and you're getting this, PLEASE add your details for hardware and media, because that would need checking out.