Fix Common Errors in After Effect Preview Methods

After Effects (AE) is the leading software in the field of video editing and motion graphics, trusted by many professional designers and editors. With a variety of powerful tools to support creating visual effects, compositing and animation, AE helps you turn creative ideas into vivid and impressive products. One of the important steps that cannot be skipped when working with After Effects is previewing , previewing your design product before exporting the final file. Effective previewing helps you detect errors early, make timely adjustments and save a lot of time in the editing process. In this article, SaDesign will share with you ways to preview in After Effects to help you optimize your work process, improve product quality and save maximum time. Let's explore now!

1. Ways to preview in After Effect

Each preview method in After Effects has its own advantages and disadvantages.

1.1. RAM-Preview

Execute: Ctrl+0

If you have ever used video editing software, you probably know that you can preview a video by pressing the spacebar. However, in After Effects, it is not that simple. Because video effects are quite heavy on your computer, you cannot play back a video in After Effects without displaying the preview file. This process is called RAM preview. To start RAM preview, all you have to do is press ctrl + 0 on your computer or select the RAM preview button on the right side of the preview panel. You can also preview audio using RAM preview in After Effects.

Advantages of Standard Preview

Easy to use: No complicated installation required, suitable for beginners.

Quick: Allows you to quickly check your work.

Disadvantages of Standard Preview

Lag on complex projects: On highly complex or resource-intensive projects, Standard Preview can run slowly and sluggishly.

Not the highest quality display: The accuracy and quality of the preview may not be as high as other preview methods.

1.2. Preview with Skip Frames

Skip Frames is one of the preview methods in After Effects that helps speed up previewing on low-performance computers. This feature allows you to skip certain frames during previewing, reducing the load on the CPU and GPU.

Preview Instructions with Skip Frames:

Open the Preview panel.

Click on the Settings menu.

Select Skip Frames.

Enter the number of frames you want to skip. For example, enter 2 to skip 2 frames after every displayed frame.

Click OK to apply the settings.

Advantage

Significantly increases preview speed, especially on low-end computers.

Helps you preview smoothly with heavy projects.

Disadvantages

Can't see the whole frame, may miss important details.

Reduces preview quality, affecting effect evaluation.

Not suitable for detailed previews or precise editing.

1.3. Preview with Audio

Preview with Audio is a preview in After Effects that allows you to preview video along with audio. This feature helps you:

Audio and video sync: Make sure audio and video match exactly.

Edit sound effects: Test the sound effects and adjust accordingly.

Video Quality Rating: Overall video rating including both image and sound.

Preview Guide with Audio

Right click on the Timeline in After Effects.

Select Preview with Audio.

Advantage

Helps synchronize audio and video accurately.

Edit sound effects effectively.

Improve overall video quality.

Disadvantages

May cause more lag when previewing than without audio.

Consumes more computer resources.

Not suitable for low-end computers.

1.4. Interactive Preview trong After Effects

Interactive Preview in After Effects (AE) is an advanced feature that allows users to interact with and edit objects or effects directly during preview.

Instruct:

Open the Preview panel.

Click the Interactive Preview button.

Advantage:

Allows direct editing, saving rendering time.

Increase efficiency and accuracy when editing.

Suitable for experienced users.

Disadvantages:

Requires in-depth understanding of AE and how to use the tools.

Requires high performance computer for smooth processing.

Can be difficult for beginners.

Here is a comparison table of preview methods in After Effect

Method

Advantage

Disadvantages

RAM Preview

Fast, convenient

Low quality

Suitable for previewing small changes

Error with heavy effect

No hard drive space required

Skip Frames

Speed ​​up preview

Low preview quality

Suitable for weak computers

Missed important details

Preview with Audio

Audio and video sync

Slower preview without sound

Edit sound effects

Consumes computer resources

Rate video quality

Interactive Preview

Live editing

Requires in-depth understanding of AE

Save rendering time

Need high configuration computer

Increase efficiency and accuracy

Difficult to use for beginners

2. Common errors in preview methods in After Effect

2.1. Causes of preview errors

When doing previews in After Effects, the most common error is cached preview. The error will be annoying and prevent you from continuing to work in After Effects. Accordingly, this preview error is recorded due to many causes. The most common is the main cause of the error such as not having enough memory space. That is, after a period of use, your RAM capacity is no longer enough to load temporary video files.

Also sometimes it can be due to the preview quality being too high in the After Effect component.

2.2. How to fix preview errors in After Effect thoroughly

If you search for how to fix preview errors in After Effects, you will see many different results. Some of the ways that can help you fix the error to quickly return to After Effects projects are:

2.2.1. Method 1: Filter Ram memory

When using Adobe After Effect, you encounter a cached preview error, the first thing you should do is purge RAM. This will help you remove all temporary video files from RAM. To do this right now, you just need to perform the following specific operations:

On the After Effect interface, click Edit
Continue to select Purge
Then select All Memory and Disk Cache

2.2.2. Method 2: Empty the Cache in the disk

When the cached preview error appears, you will see a green bar on the timeline. This green bar represents the Cache memory in the RAM disk. At this time, if you have performed RAM memory filtering, this green bar will no longer exist. However, if you try to exit but the preview error still exists, proceed to empty the cache in the disk. Specifically:

You go to Preferences
Then select Media and Disk Cache
Finally click Empty Disk Cache

2.2.3. Method 3: Increase RAM

To fix the preview error in After Effect, you can apply the method of increasing RAM. Accordingly, you perform the following operations:

Click on After Effect
Continue to click Preferences
Then select Memory to view RAM for Adobe After Effect
In the Preferences interface that opens, you can change the RAM reserved for the After Effect application. You can increase the desired amount of RAM and then click OK.

2.2.4. Method 4: Change the location of the Cache disk

Another way to fix the preview error you can also try is to change the location of the Cache disk. As the user performing the fix, go back to the Cache drive to perform the options. Specifically:

Click After Effect
Select Preferences
Select Media and Disk Cache
Select Choose Folder under Disk Cache to change the location of the Disk Cache folder.
In this After Effect preview fix you should choose a folder separate from your project file.

2.2.5. Method 5: Close all unnecessary applications

Sometimes, having unnecessary applications open can also cause you to encounter preview errors while using After Effects. Therefore, you should not ignore the simple solution of closing these applications. Specifically, you need to make sure that all applications and programs are closed when working in After Effects. Simply right-click and select Quit.

2.2.6. Method 6: Clean up the database and Cache

Cleaning up the database and cache can also help fix the preview. For that, go to After Effects. Continue:

Select Preferences
Select Media and Disk Cache
Select Clean Database & Cache
Click OK

2.2.7. Method 7: Simplify Project

Simplifying your Project is a great way to fix preview errors when working in After Effects. All you need to do is go to the file, select Dependencies, and click Remove Unused Footage. Then you can try rendering the file to see if the error is resolved.

2.2.8. Method 8: Skip Frames

While using After Effect, if you encounter a preview error, you can fix it by skipping Frames. According to the record, skipping Frames can help you fix the error effectively. Specifically, you perform the following steps to skip Frames:

First, go to Window and select Preview to open Preview settings.
In the Preview pane, select Preview Frame Rate.
Continue to select skip every 2 frames

2.2.9. Method 9: Change Preview quality

You can change the preview quality to fix the error. Accordingly, you move down to the preview quality menu to change the quality from Full to Half or Third, ...

2.2.10. Method 10: Speed ​​up rendering

This is the last way you can choose to fix the error in preview in After Effect. You increase the Render speed by doing the following:

First, go to After Effects, select Preferences
Next, hold Shift and click on General.
In the new interface, look at the left column and select Secret.
Then you select Disable Layer Cache and Ignore Sequence Rendering Errors.
Finally, under Purge Every, click to select number of frames as 2
Hopefully, the tips and tutorials in this article will help you work more effectively with After Effects, thereby improving the quality of your video and motion graphics projects. Don't stop exploring and practicing to become more and more proficient in using this powerful software!