After Effects Error: file damaged.

[Walter Soyka]

You can try importing the project file into a new project. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to revert to your last incremental save or an auto-save.

This may not be helpful now, but looking forward, I present to you:

Walter’s Field Notes on Safeguarding After Effects Project Files

1) Keeping only a single copy or version of your project file is bad practice. You might accidentally delete the file. Your hard drive might fail. Ae might crash and corrupt the project. You might make a change you later decide you don’t like, but unable to roll back to where you were before. Back it up!

2) Get in the habit of using Increment and Save. Often. Increment and Save automatically appends a version number or increments the existing version number at the end of your project file name. When you increment and save “My Awesome Project.aep” the first time, you’ll keep the original file and get a new “My Awesome Project 1.aep” file. When you increment and save again, you’ll keep both the original and version 1 and get a new “My Awesome Project 2.aep” file. If anything goes wrong, you have previous saves you can use.

3) Check your auto-save settings. The default settings are to auto-save every 20 minutes, and to keep the last 5 auto-saves. For safety’s sake, you might consider auto-saving more frequently, or keeping more auto-saves.

4) Keep file versions outside of Ae, too. Dropbox and Apple’s Time Machine capture and store multiple version changes of the same file. If anything goes wrong, you can use these to roll back to a previous version of your AEP.

5) Do all your Warp Stabilization in a separate project file. The image analysis is saved into the effect and thus into the project file, so the AEP gets way too big to comfortably deal with. Big files are slow to save, and this will discourage you from incrementing and saving as often as you should, and it will frustrate you when auto-save interrupts your flow.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Matt Chapman]

Oh NO!!! I just had the same error from the file I’ve been working on all day.

I have a backup saved from last night but is there any way to get the file back? Walter you mention that it saves “the last 5 auto-saves”.

Where does the system (PC) keep the auto saved files?

HELP!

Thanks
M CHapman

[Walter Soyka]

[matt chapman] ” have a backup saved from last night but is there any way to get the file back? Walter you mention that it saves “the last 5 auto-saves”. Where does the system (PC) keep the auto saved files?”

Check your preferences. Auto-saves are either stored next to the project file (in a folder named “Adobe After Effects Auto-Save”), or in a custom location of your choosing.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Matt Chapman]

Got it. Though oddly, the last backup was in there was from 24 hours before the error. Still better than losing three days of work, but I wonder why it stopped updating every 20 min…

[Walter Soyka]

[matt chapman] “Though oddly, the last backup was in there was from 24 hours before the error. Still better than losing three days of work, but I wonder why it stopped updating every 20 min…”

24 actual working hours? Hmm.

Auto-save is a nice feature, but I think our primary approach to project file safety should be building habits of frequent Increment and Save.

Good luck with your project!

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Matt Chapman]

well, it was 24 hours of the computer being on and after effects running. I had an overnight render. I do sleep, sometimes (I think!) 😉

I have learned my lesson on AE “best practice” workflow. Luckily since I had a rendered version of the final it only took me about 4 hours to recoup the lost 10 hours of work. Since there weren’t any “artistic” choices to make it was really just kinda data entry to match the previous work.

Increment and Save, Increment and Save. That shall be the name of my game. In 6 years working in AE I have never had a file corrupt. Guess I got too trusting.