Premiere will not render

[mayah65592633]

I am having a frustrating time with premiere. This is my third or so time doing a combination After Effects + Premiere workflow--and I only have one Ae composition on the timeline. It should be fairly simple to render, and it has rendered simpler Ae compositions in my timeline before in the past.

But now, suddenly, it doesn't want to render this specific composition. Or it does, but only on every 12th time I ask it to render--then miraculously, it WILL render. Then, if I make ANY change to the timeline--add a cross dissolve, move things over slightly--it will go back to not wanting to render. It will simply say "Rendering Files..." forever. Like I mentioned prior, some freak-accident times happen, and it does decide to end up rendering, and I can finally watch back the timeline. But for the most part--no render, it just freezes. Sometimes it has even crashed. 

It's only a short clip. I'm really confused and don't know where to go from here. I have tried resetting preferences and clearing my cache. I also made a new project with the same Ae clip and this keeps happening. This is not happening in any of my other Premiere projects. So there must be something wrong with this Ae composition.

I am by no means an Adobe or Premiere expert, so I would greatly appreciate any help here. Where can I start?

[Peru Bob]

Delete the Media Cache and Media Cache files:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/faq-how-to-clear-your-media-cache-in-30-seconds-in-premi...

If that doesn't work, try resetting the preferences:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/faq-how-to-reset-trash-preferences-in-premiere-pro/td-p/...

If that doesn't work, 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 Preferences > Audio Hardware and set Input to None.

If that doesn’t work, try updating or rolling back your graphics driver directly from the video card manufacturer’s site. If NVIDIA, do a clean installation of the latest Studio Driver (NOT the Game Driver).

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

[mayah65592633]

I am sorry to report none of these solutions worked. 

[John V Knowles]

Hi there,

Can you provide some specs?

• Versions of Premiere Pro and After Effects
• Computer information (Mac or PC, OS, RAM, etc.)
• Sequence settings -- size, frame rate, etc.
• Important: sequence preivew codec
• Describe the After Effects comp. Any effects used, expressions, etc.

[mayah65592633]

-Premiere Pro 24.2.1 & After Effects 24.2.1

-Mac

-Sequence settings: 1920x1080, 23.976, rec 709, 48000hz

-Preview codec: quicktime, apple prores 422 LT, 1920x1080, composite in linear color

-After effects comp: Many different effects used, but these all render just fine within After Effects. strobe light, several drop shadows, color control, opacity and scale changes, Glow. But there are different precompositions within precompositions within precompositions...., so I wonder if all that nesting (IDK a term here to describe this, this is one of my first tinkerings w/ after effects) could be causing problems. Still--all of these render a-ok within After Effects. 

[John V Knowles]

There are plenty of good opinions in here regarding next steps (@Neil in particular seems to have you sorted). I'll just add that it's very possible that the comp IS too complex for Dynamic Linking to work effectively. Premiere does not share the same render engine with Ae, so depending on the comp it could easily render fast in Ae while totally dragging in Pr. If you want to do a quick test to make sure your software is otherwise working okay, send a clip to Ae from Pr and do ONE really small change -- quick position animation, reduce saturation, Fast Box Bur, etc. -- then render the linked comp in Pr. It should render pretty quickly. If not let us know.

And while a 2020 iMac is no slouch, the newer Apple Silicon Macs have exponentially more power than the last generation of Intel Macs. If you find yourself doing a lot of heavy graphics work and bouncing back and forth to After effects you might consider an upgrade. Even an older M1 Studio Ultra would blow you away with it's performance. 

[R Neil Haugen · Accepted solution]

What did you do over in Ae? That can affect this.

And I normally finish a comp in Ae, export a new clip from the comp, and replace the comp on the sequence with the clip. Just works cleaner with fewer hassles.

[T-Sal]

Definitely, exporting a new clip from the comp is the best way to go, use alpha channel if necessary!

[mayah65592633]

This sounds like a good next step, thank you. I think my Ae comp might just be too complex for Premiere? Which is a bummer. I don't know if maybe I had better tech, if this would still be an issue? I have no experience with computer hardware, but I do have a 2020 iMac w (im reading this off About this Mac) an AMD Radeon Pro 5300 4 GB graphics card. 

In any case, I will replace with a clip next.

I'm not familiar with using an alpha channel? Where would I start with that?

Apologies for being a newb. 

[mayah65592633]

Do you have any recommendations for export settings if I still want my Ae comp to be at the highest possible resolution, like the rest of my premiere pro timeline? I am working from 1080p footage. 

Another question could be: if I export this in h.264, import into Premiere, then export the sequence in h.264--will any further compression happen?

[R Neil Haugen]

1) It Depends ... but you were expecting that, right?

As framesize, whether or not there's an alpha channel, all that ... matters. And for codec, "for best quality" ... I would never use a long-GOP H.2.64/mp4 in that need. It would be a full "intermediate" intraframe codec like ProRes or DNx. A 422 version will handle most needs, but do check the max bit depth and set the bit depth options to 16bpc ... I think that's the same in Ae as Pr.

If you need an alpha for the graphics, there's the upper ProRes and DNx variants that carry Alpha channels.

2) Yup. Premiere and Ae do not "mux", the way that some H.264/5 writing apps can do. They will re-encode, which is why my comment above about codec options is crucial.

[mayah65592633]

I am a complete beginner at this and pretty unfamiliar with codec but I think I understood the basics of your response. 

I looked up some videos on exporting and I gathered that (unless you have a transparent video and need alpha) the a good format for exporting a clip to use in video editing software is to click the Lossless setting. 

I know this is probably a more in depth issue I'll need to wrap my mind around. If you have any additional resources on exporting for video editing, I'd gladly recieve these. I'm not sure how to handle things like bit depth/ProRes/DNx variants, to give you an idea of the learning curve I'm facing. 

[T-Sal]

Having trouble with Premiere and After Effects? You're not alone :)! Nile's suggestion to export compositions as new clips from After Effects is a solid approach that many find effective. Additionally, he underscored the significance of codec selection for preserving quality, recommending intraframe codecs like ProRes or DNx over long-GOP codecs like H.264/5, especially for complex compositions.

Furthermore, implementing proxies can significantly enhance workflow efficiency. Using proxies involves creating lower resolution or lower bitrate copies of your media files, which are easier for your system to handle during editing. This not only helps in smoother playback but also speeds up rendering and exporting processes. Therefore, incorporating proxies into your workflow can be a game changer, especially when dealing with high resolution or resource-intensive projects.

Regarding hardware, the user's iMac 2020 with an AMD Radeon Pro 5300 4 GB graphics card, while stable, might struggle with intensive editing tasks due to its specifications. This highlights the importance of considering hardware capabilities when tackling rendering issues and optimizing workflow efficiency.

[mayah65592633]

Do you have any recommendations for graphics cards for iMac? Or a way to do further research on this topic? I hear Mac's aren't super customizable so I'm not sure how realistic upgrading the computer itself would be. But if there is a way to make my existing hardware more efficient, I would be interested in doing so. 

[John V Knowles]

Do you have any recommendations for graphics cards for iMac? Or a way to do further research on this topic? I hear Mac's aren't super customizable so I'm not sure how realistic upgrading the computer itself would be. But if there is a way to make my existing hardware more efficient, I would be interested in doing so. 

By @mayah65592633

Depending on what year your Mac is, you might be able to upgrade RAM or the hard drive. You can only upgrade the GPU in the Intel Mac Pro tower. 

The latest Macs, even the cheapest Mac Mini, are pretty great machines. Getting a new Mac may be your best option. 

[T-Sal]

Hello, 

Given that Macs, including iMacs, aren't typically designed for easy hardware upgrades like traditional PCs, one option to enhance graphics performance is through an external graphics processing unit (eGPU) solution like the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box. It's an external GPU enclosure that can significantly boost your iMac's graphics performance via Thunderbolt connection or USB-C. Pair it with a compatible graphics card for improved video editing, and graphic design without the need for internal upgrades. Check compatibility with your iMac model and macOS version, and research user experiences for recommendations.

[John V Knowles]

Please be aware that this only applies to the previous generation of Macs with Intel chips. These eGPUS will not work with the current Apple Silicon Macs (M1. M2. M3, etc.) And given the cost and hassle of using them I would still argue that buying a newer Mac, even a refurbished M1 model, would give you more power all around.

[mayah65592633]

Than you all for your insightful responses. These are greatly supportive and informative for a newb like myself. 

[William24791579hik0]

My premiere just updated mid flight with no internet connection. Now it wont even bother to try and render. 

[Peru Bob]

My premiere just updated mid flight with no internet connection. 

By @William24791579hik0

I don't see how that is possible.