Why doesn't Pr reflect Ae changes (rendered?)

[jampff]

Not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or if I should post this is the Ae forum instead, but here goes:

I'm on Windows 11, and still using 2024 apps. 😞 Only because I am trying to finish up a large project that I started last year and had to put away for awhile. It's time to finish it and I want to get it done before updating. 

I have a clip in my timeline that I sent over to Ae to roto. Rendered the roto and imported back to the Pr timeline. Business as usual. Noticed that the roto needed a little more refinement, no biggie... opened the same Ae comp back up and refined the roto. Looked beautiful. Rerendered and reimported the second (improved) render to Pr. Then it got weird...

The Pr timeline (and Pr source monitor) REFUSE to reflect the new changes made to the clip. No matter what I try, Pr will only play back the first version of the roto. Yes, I've double checked that the new render is linked in the project panel. Yes, I've cleared every cache in my entire county. Yes, I've tried saving the second roto with a different file name and in a different location and relinking. All multiple times. Stumped.

In Ae, the roto looks great. Render, import to Pr, and it is still flawed.

Here's a screen recording; please see for yourself:

https://vimeo.com/1056628197/754a7696a5

Please help! And thanks.

[MyerPj]

It's good you spoke on the video, some just circle a spot on the screen over and over again with the mouse! 

I'm thinking it was the original way you approached it. <<I have a clip in my timeline that I sent over to Ae to roto.>> sending it over, then rendering out and importing? The clip was expecting dynamic link, but you imported a new clip, it doesn't flow as I would expect.

Anyway, did you open a new project and just import the fixed clip and see if it plays there correctly? If so, you can import that sequence or even the project into a new project if that will get it to work.

[jampff]

@MyerPj Thank you so much for your response! I confess I don't totally follow what you're saying, since the issue in Pr I demonstrated in the video was in the source monitor. I didn't actually show the timeline or the clip that was sent to Ae. It was just the rendered .mov file itself that was acting funny. 😞

I did the following after the original post:

1. Opened the comp in Ae again, and sent it to Me. Before clicking the green arrow, I appended the file name with "wtf" to make sure it created a brand new, separate file, and also because, of course. Then hit Render (same Prores settings).

2. Reopened Pr, and just imported the new clip, as if it were a brand new assett (not trying to "relink" the previous item in the project panel).

3. Double clicked the brand new wtf file so it opened in the source monitor. It STILL glitched!

4. Dragged it into the timeline on the track above the original clip. Disabled the original clip below. Played back the timeline... still glitched.

5. Opened a new blank Pr project and imported wtf. Double clicked it to view it in the source monitor and... it glitched.

So at this point I imagine there must be something wrong with either Ae or Me. Or, me as in myself and I. I suppose I should ask about this is the Ae forum now. Sigh. Super frustrated. I literally cannot make this clip work and I don't know why.

Wtf.

[MyerPj]

I'm sorry your wtf file didn't work out! 🙂 (ha, ha... good one)

Can you upload that file somewhere, I'll give it try...

[jampff · Accepted solution]

Found the culprit and a workaround.

Tried rendering through Media Encoder with a Vimeo preset instead. Not to actually edit with, just to test and see if the glitch persisted. It didn't! The improved roto rendered successfully and imported into Pr nicely. But obviously I don't want to edit with that.

So then I tried rendering the improved roto with the Ae render queue instead, Quicktime, RGB + alpha Prores 4444. Imported into Pr, and no glitch. The roto was fine.

So it's specifically an issue with exporting Prores 4444 + alpha from Media Encoder. I guess I should post this in the Me forum.

EDIT: If this bugs you too, please upvote in Me forum: https://community.adobe.com/t5/adobe-media-encoder-bugs/roto-doesn-t-update-in-prores-4444-alpha-ren...

[MyerPj]

Excellent, way to stick with it! 🙂

I thought about that. I don't think I ever export via ME from AE because they are often pretty short. Even PP, for tests, checking workflow, etc. I almost always use PP, only when it's a long bit, and I need to keep working will I use ME, and also for Proxies.