22 Easy Fixes to Common Problems in After Effects (2022)

#aftereffects #Animation #Motiongraphics
I review 22 different problems that you may have come across while you embark to learn After Effects, and I show you how to solve them.
These common solutions are both practical and clever. What is your layer moving between two identical keyframes? Let's look at the spatial interpolation. Need to move a bunch of layers that you've already animated? Use a null to save your work. What to reposition your anchor point without moving the layer? Thats what the pan behind tool is for. Why 22? because it is 2022 and I am good at coming up with themes. That's why! There isn't usually a problems that there aren't solutions that can fix it. This video is all about finding the solutions to the 22 problems I highlight in the video. If the last few seconds make you sratch your head it's because I'm trying to fight my SEO keywords in as many time as I can and it's creating so many problems!
If you found this video about After effects helpful make sure to hit that like button!
The music for this video is provided by Artlist: rb.gy/tb9raq (get 2 extra months free)
The stock footage from this video provided by Artgrid: rb.gy/chygxb (get 2 extra months free)
Are you a freelancer/content creator? Check out Motion Array: rb.gy/tb9raq ($50 off annual subscriptions)
Hit me up on instagram: / keyframe_academy
You can visit my personal website: www.keyframeacademy.com/
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - No. 1 Spatial Interpolation
00:55 - No. 2 Anchor point messed up YO!
1:49 - No. 3 Keyframe throwing off my groove
3:26 - No. 4 Oops, I animated it wrong
4:34 - No. 5 Do I need to get my eyes check?
5:11 - No. 6 I want to move all my layers
5:58 - No. 7 Where's my track matte yo!?
6:31 - No. 8 I'm so sick of copying keyframes
8:28 - No. 9 Why can't I create a new layer?
8:54 - No. 10 Why are the effects greyed out?
9:19 - No. 11 Boy you lookin' thicc
10:03 - No. 12 Where did my animation go?
10:22 - No. 13 Why is everything so slooooow?
11:09 - No. 14 Where is my shape path?
11:25 - No. 15 Where did my bezier handles go?
11:50 - No. 16 Why am I drawing a mask when I draw a shape?
12:26 - No. 17 What's going on with my frame rate?
13:31 - No. 18 What has cursed me?
14:01 - No. 19 Where is my trust h.264?
14:38 - No. 20 How did you do that?!
15:48 - No. 21 I'm lost...
16:35 - No. 22 Why did everything disappear!?

[@desmanage]

Superb idea - learn from someone else's experiences! I picked up lots from this which will save me hours of sanity, especially no 17 maintaining frame rate of embedded comp - brilliant. No 1 has caused me so many hours of grief deleting and repeating keyframe animations and the probs addressed in Nos 14&15 have been an endless source of hair loss. Great video, more please. I am a subscriber and have missed your good looks, charm, charisma and panache - welcome back, it's been a while! KP

[@64kernel]

It's a love hate relationship with AE. Thanks, even as an experienced animator is good to know you can always learn new workarounds.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Always is

[@yusufmawakhid8491]

OMG been searching everywhere for the solution,this video help me a lot,Big thanks

[@Itsjustra]

At number 8, it's also an option to use the effect "set matte" which lets you set as many track mattes as you want, while keeping your timeline free of extra layers that can get jumbled really fast. Great videos man!

[@suelembezerra22]

My man's dedication is over the top!

[@sahilaelc3626]

You've made my day - thanks a lot for solving all my problems with this clip!!!

[@aniumana123]

Since I found your page I've garnered tons of very useful information that has helped me improve as a motion guy and this particular video is so special to me because the first problem you solved is something I've been struggling with for while now. Thank you so much for what you do

[@renatovelarde422]

Dang this is so great, thank you! I’m new-ish, been scared of AE for my like 20 years of work as a DP, and finally got thrown into full time cartoon animation and really need every tip I can get like this. Excited to dig into your channel more!

[@joshualelon]

how'd your cartoon animation work out?

[@inesmurta8048]

Thank you! Your video really has useful tips.

[@KarenAJS]

Wow! I learned a lot from this video. I will look at your other videos! Happy fourth!

[@adriskills985]

Great video, exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!!!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DanielZH]

Thanks for the tips!

[@Devansh_Bhardwaj14]

Definitely a helpful one.

[@paultyson2303]

Super helpful, thanks.

[@robertstern9381]

Thanks, great video!

[@dhruvrajsinhjadeja-vfxarti3085]

Thank you very so much sir for this video :)

[@lonebrat]

Wow! Am I glad I found your channel. I'm a newbie to AE but very enthusiastic. Was getting ready to do my first SOM homework exercise when BAM! No shape paths or bounding boxes (#14). I gulped some coffee and watched your video. #14 was the Awesomely simple answer. I immediately joined. I think having you in my arsenal should help me level up just a wee bit faster. Thanks very much!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Glad to have you as a part of the channel! Welcome!

[@sandymonline]

Thanks!

[@scourgerecords6590]

That was great! Thank you! So many common problems. I'm self taught and so when shit happens, I lose my mind. Videos like this help me stay sane. Especially stuff like the ~key. I have to save this video in a playlist so I can refer back.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

please do!

[@mujinng3347]

This is great! 🥰 Thanks. I like the animation #13. Do you have video tutorials posted?☺️

[@spetauskas]

love it. I am beginner and this video helps me a lot :)

[@JaiShreeRam_901]

Dudeeee, You literally solved my problems ,Thanksss

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Glad to hear that

[@mueeduljahan9795]

Thanks man😊. There were 9 of them I didn't know about.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Awesome!

[@ibrahimayad6732]

100 million like. Thanks, Sir.

[@KarenAJS]

Wow! I learned so much. I will watch your other tutorials!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Happy to hear that!

[@jesjesline]

Very Useful, Thanks!!!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

You're welcome!

[@dichgod]

thanks for helping me

[@joshuadarr6578]

Thanks you bro

[@biet]

Thanks so much 💙💙💙

[@niko-webber]

thank you for number 12 your amazing

[@mwmingram]

Been working in After Effects pretty much every day since 1999 v3 and never noticed "Copy with Property Links". They snuck that one past me! Thank you.

[@mishy4eyes]

Happy New year, John!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Same to you!

[@seancusson72]

The most useful tip of this whole video is changing preferences to always center the anchor when creating a shape layer. Had no idea....

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

it's a life changer

[@andrewkful]

Jesus hell christ you just saved my night dude this video is like a godsend.

[@babysteps1]

You da real MVP

[@gonzaloinpost4324]

looking good brother

[@gauravsharma-ndls]

Most of the functions I knew earlier but I like the purge function the most because every time I used to run temp and delete files so that AE runs smooth. I think every AE user must watch this because it saves a lot of time while using shortcuts, especially the mini flowchart. Nice Video I love it.

[@hieunong2158]

Best Author

[@ratedcarlos]

Amazing!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Thanks!

[@francescoaug1595]

Super good

[@motionanimation5529]

Tnks man

[@RyanDaily]

Thanks for the video. I wanted to add that the "fit to window" at 17:04 can be done with a shortcut of "SHIFT+?"

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Great tip!

[@soorajhanchinal]

man you save my life thank you

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

No! You saved my life!

[@exploring2351]

thanking you

[@KOZMOGRAFX]

AE... no shortage of things to learn. Picked up a few new ones here. Thanks KA!!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Oh yeah? Happy to hear! Which ones did you pick up?

[@KOZMOGRAFX]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy Copy with Property Links, Preserving Frame Rate in Nest Comp, and displaying Switches/Track Mattes simultaneously! Also, until now, I had missed out on the Tilde toggle! Thanks again, man!

[@ninland4978]

Nice tks :)

[@henricwallmark5978]

hi! do you know what happened with the "convert vertex tool" in the new AE? as it isn't showing up when I'm holding down Option anymore when I hover over a keyframe (with ease on).

[@soshka5448]

Thank you so much 😩😩😩😩

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

You're so welcome!

[@OFGAnimationStudio]

I like the 21th one

[@klarizaleby3715]

Question, some parts of the video gets distorted or pixelated after I render it. I know making sure the frame rate is the same will solve this, but so far all frame rates are the same. Are there any reason this is happening? I already cleared my cache, but still the same output.

[@lucasalegrete]

Obrigado!

[@samirdesigner3324]

Thanks 👏

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Welcome 😊

[@Lola.Owlace]

Do you have any ideas why the handles in the viewer panel disappear? Do you have any ideas how to get them back? I keyframed two positions, verify the View options (the handles and checked) and my shape path visibility is on as well. But, no handles.. ! Do you have a solution for this ?

[@nyxelf4437]

hi i need help asap pls when i do my project i click to review it right, and normally i can review the part i want but these days ae keeps reviewing the whole comp. normally i could drag the line thingy whereever i wanted and i couldve watch a spesific part.. hope u can understand me lol and i feel so annoyed atp bc of it. i use aecc202

[@PedroPaulodeCarvalho]

hey guys, anyone know if I can reuse a Rig on DUIK? Like, just copy the AI and AE files, and change the drawing on AI (without rename any layer, only your content), so adjust the positions on controllers and use it? (Actually I try it, but can't move the strucures for adjust your positon... I search how to move it, but seems it impossible... Do you know any way?)

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

There is a button to toggle edit mode, so that you can make adjustments to the structure layers. Unfortunately for me that has never really worked too well. Something wonky always happens when I go into edit mode. So most likely you'd have to re-rig everything for each new character. If your new character had the same porportions but just different artwork, and you are using illustrator files, you could duplicate composition and replace each layer with the new one using the layer replace feature. (hold alt while dragging your new layer onto the old one)

[@PedroPaulodeCarvalho]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy Heey, the toggle edit mode is really a necessary step, but not worked too well for me too :/ My new character had almost the same porportions and a bit different artwork, (yes I'm using illustrator files), Yeah, I duplicate composition and replace each layer by "Replace footage", the unique problem is the structure... If I could push it just some pixels, would work perfectly... I uploud some prints of process on Google Drive and try to send here, but the yt blocks all comments with lind :( Do you have some email that I can send you the prints??

[@gabrieldavalos4845]

Still experiencing blurry text issues even while creating shape layers from vector. Stumped AF! Can you help? Would greatly appreciate it.

[@callikeating3618]

Hi! Thank you so much for this! I have one more question… sometimes I lose the effect controls. I’m apply an effect that requires you to place different points on the screen and then keyframe them (like cc edge rays for example). I’ll close that composition and when I go back to it, I cannot find the position points on the screen again to readjust them. They’ve just disappeared. It’s so frustrating. It happens with cc smear too. Do you know how to make them reappear? I’ve tried clicking on the layer that had the effect, and the effect name, but they still aren’t there. Thank you so much! Side note: it also happens with lights I add sometimes. I can’t see the light to be able to adjust it.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

You need to go to the effects panel and reselect the effect then those position handles will reappear. This is the case anytime you are controlling the position parameters of an effect.

[@aishasidiqi1414]

Tnx

[@user-rq6bx2lh6b]

i have a problem in after effects, i added my effect linar colour key and then I'm draging exposure but it is not work why ...? if I'm on another layer the exposure is still not there

[@bebelloalex]

HEEEEEEELP ANYONEEE, I got a problem where I save character/fonts basically (star) them so when I clic on the star it will show those fonts but when I close after effects it doesnt remember nothing basically it deletes the stars fonts and I have to restar them every-time I didn’t have this issue before it just happened anyone knows a fix for this?

[@ehsan_shardum]

@keyframe academy, if i enable linear interpolation, that removes the curves from path, so how do make the position path curvy without making it bazier?

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

You can use the convert vertex tool to make it curvey, though this will set it the spatial interpolation back to bezier. But if you're still getting some weird movement, its because your motion path is overlapping itself. So you have to then grab one of the bezier handles on your keyframe and bring it back in. Kind of hard to explain in a comment.

[@essencemarcella]

I keep having the same problem I didn't see in this video. I've used Adobe after effects before and created a cool video but now after I figure out how to make my text 3d and etc my problem is making it a video like changing the frames. I keep moving the mouse to click on a different part of the timeline and change the position of text but it doesn't work. I don't know how to explain it. But maybe you could post a video on that

[@goshikarakesh8482]

sir my question is not from the video but I am facing a problem with element 3d World postion luma matte after I turn on luma matte inverted of the below layer of element 3d The below layer is not going behind the luma matte if I turn the layer into 3d the luma matte is not working plz help me

[@ZumraDogan-iu1ow]

Hi! I use After Effect 2024 version and also new beta version. When I import 3D objects in After Effect, I get errors. Error is : Advanced 3D Plug-in generated an unexpected exception. And If I click OKEY, the program closes by itself. How can I fix it? I delete After Effect and download again and again. But it isn't fix. My RAM is 32GB and my card is 6GB. I can use classic 3D. Please help me!

[@qens8516]

i need help please when i use robotscope its marking the whole video in purple box can you help me pls

[@CamppBell777]

in time 14:05, can you please make tutorial how to make head turn left right like that pls?

[@twinbrothersffgaming8303]

in after effects death of field option cannot be show how in camera settings to solve my problem plz replay 😢

[@noorbeastgamer4909]

my pen tool shape layer not showing any solution?

[@teabagNBG]

cool video this is even helpfull if u never run into these problems yet... because one day u will :D:D one problem i recently had was i was importing a mp4 file... the mp4 kept playing at a low frame rate... i checked the project setting and comp setting but the fps was at 30.... i had the preview panel closed so it took me a while till i realized i had the preview SET TO 15FPS for faster rendering...

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Good point!

[@Hammi4Real]

"Auto Bezier" drove me near insane and to the edge. Like I only want to animate things just plainly and simply straight forward the way I want without any funny stuff, then AE comes along being that asshole friend trying to "help out" by shoving down bad suggestions. Setting the desired keyframes to linear under "Spacial Interpolation" did the trick. No quirky feature now jerking the animation back and forth in the timeline, so thanks for this.

[@posh8823]

How do you fix black preview

[@designstoic]

fucking value for money in this video, thanks for making it!! !!! ! ! !

[@fueroxamino9430]

Hey man I can't access the trim path option because I don't have the "add" button on the layer even when I activated switches. Can you help ?

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

is it a shape layer, or an illustrator layer?

[@fueroxamino9430]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy I found out that the add button works only on a shape created in after effects itself but I need to use the trim path on a bng image which doesn't work. What can I do ?

[@faisalMalik-mx2cq]

sir big problem is unified camra is not showing plz tell me

[@Kvayzmode]

Does anyone know, how can I draw my mask, using Alt key to set mask vertices to besier or corner, WITHOUT activating camera pan mode? Alt works fine, while I draw mask, but onve I make a camera, Alt key starts to work as camera pant/orbit tool even in masking mode! WDF?! HELP!!!

[@franks1623]

quick question, my I and O keys aren't working when im trying to go to the end or beginning of a layer, any suggestions? (im using ae 2020)

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Maybe it's time for a new keyboard?

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Or go to the keyboard shortcut menu and make sure that those keybinds weren't reset or deleted

[@franks1623]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy Yeah i did that, sadly nothing is working, and my keyboard is workly pretty good, as u can see i can type the O and I yknow.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Well I'm stumped then. If your key binds are bound to the right action, then it should work.

[@Licko_215]

салампапалам! ОГРОМНОЕ СПАСИБОООО!

[@baakuniversitasmuriakudus9547]

Dear all new producers - don’t give up on that hope of making good soft

[@doughgarcia6086]

I believe there is something wrong with my AE I am not getting a lot of stuff here... A lot of the stuff that I see in the videos are grayed out on my end... can some help me please 🙏 It seems that I can't get a lot of these opinions to work... I'm I missing a setting here... even if I have the layer Selected the item will still be grayed out

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Shoot, I'd love to help, but unfortunately, I'd need to know more specifics in order to understand what exactly you're not able to access.

[@doughgarcia6086]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy ok yes sorry,,, there is so much but let start with the main thing that i am always trying to use is sharpening older pictures i can never get the blur icon to work it is always grayed out the one in the time line and now just watching the video i also tried to go to create shapes from vector layer but also that is grayed out as well

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

The "blur Icon" you're referring to is the "continuously rasterize" button on the timeline. Which will only sharpen vector files (as demonstrated in video). That Icon will not work on an "old picture" because pictures are bitmap files, which means they have a set resolution and are already rasterized. (Thats why the button is not available) So, .jpegs .pngs, .tiff, or really any type of bitmap image file cannot be sharpened using that little button. Only vector files like illustrator files (.ai) or .EPS files that can be sharpened by ticking that little button. Shape layers are by default always continuously rasterized (because they are vector images as well) so that option is greyed out and locked in, as you cannot turn it off for a shape layer. Hope this helps.

[@doughgarcia6086]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy Thank You for taking your time to explain it to me,,, Now i understand... i will keep watching the video and get soom more great info...

[@maban_studio9448]

Hello sir, I have a suggestions or I can call it help me out. It always hard on me to make lipsync pls can you give me something easy for me as beginner to use either duik or any plugs or any simpleast way. Thanks my name is Elharun

[@marymistan307]

I don't use Ai files in project. I convert into shapes directly from illustrator using the OVERLORD plugin.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Me too, but its important to highlight all the different ways to work with .AI files in case people can't afford/don't want to pay for overlord.

[@heikalg3189]

Man, if i hadn't found No.15 i genuinely would smash my laptop, I was so beyond frustrated! THANK YOU

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Glad I could help!

[@twodayslove]

i can't change the circle keyframe to diamond keyframe helppppp

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Hold Ctrl and click on the Keyframe

[@jimpsonseed4761]

I know this has nothing to do with the above video besides being related to After Effects, but I need some help with one of the panels in After Effects and hopefully, you can help. You seem pretty familiar with it, so why not ask an expert, right? Remember, I'm new to this...just installed After Effects 3 days ago. So while trying to edit a video, I must have clicked on something in the Effect Control panel, and now the panel doesn't show the drop down menu of available effects, like motion, opacity, etc. Now, when I open the panel, all I get is the panel with the name of my video listed, but nothing else. All of the effect controls are gone. What am I doing wrong? Any help would be appreciated, thanks : )

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Sounds like you are in Premiere, not After Effects. Either way, anytime you lose a window, you can go up to the menu bar and go to the window pop down menu. Find the missing control panel you are looking for and activate it by clicking it.

[@jimpsonseed4761]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy No, not in Premiere. It's After Effects. Not sure if you have After Effects, but if so, when you open it up, at the top of the screen, one of the options is "Effects". Under that tab, the first option is "Effect Control". Usually, it has the same options as Premiere Effect Control menu, but I've obviously done something to change that. The panel isn't missing, btw. ...just the content that usually appears when it's opened is missing. So I can open the panel, there's just nothing inside the panel to use. Thanks.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

​@@jimpsonseed4761 In premiere, the effects control panel has a motion effect, opacity effect, and a time remapping effect by default. That is why I was under the impression you were in Premiere. In After Effects, as long as I have used it, these same properties are found directly in the timeline and accessed by opening up the layer and then opening the transforms. These properties (position, rotation, scale, opacity ETC) have never been an effect you controlled from the "effects control" panel. You always control them directly on the timeline or in the composition window itself. There is a "transform effect" that you can apply to a layer that will give you these same properties applied as an effect, but that is different than the transform properties that every layer has in AE by default and its never been called "motion". That "motion" label alone is not found in After Effects anyway. There is a new properties panel that gives you access to the transforms of a layer in a seperate panel, but again thats a seperate panel from the effects control panel.

[@jimpsonseed4761]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy The reason it's important for me to get that panel working again is because there are more options under the panel than the options given by accessing the timeline menu. For example, I need to remove an image from a video and the panel gives me the option to mask that image. That option isn't available with the timeline menu, nor anywhere else in the program. Therefore, if I can't populate the panel with the original options, I can never use it to remove an image from a video. Thanks for responding, though. I have to say that after 3 days, I'm not a big fan of Adobe products. It should never be possible to do something irreversible in any app, and there should always be an undo button in case something is done that needs to be undone. Adobe's products are way more complicated than necessary. Ugh!

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

@@jimpsonseed4761 again, what you are describing sounds more like Premiere than After Effects. Masking in AE works completely differently than what you are describing. What you are describing sounds exactly like Premiere. This is why I am confused.

[@pacioo8556]

Whelp

[@JohnSundayBigChin]

" Don't be afraid to experiment with the buttons, you can easily undo any changes with Ctrl + Z. " [ Laugh in Tilde Key ]

[@mirsayam2861]

Bro I can't use effects on adjustment layer.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

Why not?

[@TECH__SHUBHAM]

After using many effects on my video why showing X line in my video

[@hirkdeknirk1]

Tip #2022: Have you ever tried opening settings and nothing happened? Don't touch anything, otherwise the program will freeze with "No feedback" and wait about an hour. And then - tada! - you can edit the presets.

[@TurboLegend]

This is not common problems. This is the Whole World's Problems 😂😂.

[@gamalielcotto2668]

My brain is overheating

[@thephoenixphobia]

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[@honestshabba5533]

laughs in unlimited free trial

[@reuelchinthala]

im really stupid

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

No don't say that

[@reuelchinthala]

@@TheKeyframeAcademy i've been working with AE for years bro that keyframe interpolation thing got me shook

[@2424rocket]

Common problems? I wouldn’t consider any of these problems. You either know how to use after effects or you don’t. You might want to retitle your video… Things for beginners to understand. Some of these may be design flaws from the way you like to work… But these are hardly problems.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

"You either know how to use After Effects, or you don't" Haha Ok.

[@lukeewing4274]

You didn't cover the problem that After Effects is a steaming pile of garbage whose core tools are reliably underdeveloped because Adobe has eyes only for shiny new buggy features, maybe in part 2?

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

😂😂

[@ninonicebx]

Bunch of useless BS.

[@TheKeyframeAcademy]

😂😂😂

[@benjamincampbell1478]

Kinda like your life