After Effects looping menu shows black frame

[Jeff Bellune]

Try adding a new blank menu from the Library to the project, then Alt+Drag the AE comp from the Project panel to the Menu viewer. Do a Preview From Here on the menu.

What happens?

-Jeff

The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

[Lichai Cohn]

I added a menu and pickwhipped (is this really different from alt_dragging?) the video to the AE Comp and I don’t see the black frame!!!

So would this mean the original PSD-file is somehow not suitable?

[Lichai Cohn]

Hmm, I did some more testing. When I start a PSD from scratch everytime I have the black frame problem. When I use an Encore menu it works, however as soon as I edit the menu in Photoshop I get the black frame again… What is going on?

[Jeff Bellune]

Okay, I was able to reproduce the black frame here after an Edit in Photoshop.

What was interesting was that when I set the loop point anywhere prior to 4:15, the menu looped with no break.

At 4:15 and beyond, the black-frame break occurred.

NTSC GOPs are 15 frames apart, so maybe something weird is going on with NTSC menu transcoding even in a PAL project. Either that, or there is a problem with the Effects you added to the Black Solid layer in the comp. I’m inclined to believe the latter, but that’s only a guess (and I didn’t take the time to test the theory).

Try this: extend your AE comp by 15 frames and stretch the layers to fill. Use the extended comp as the menu background and set the loop point to 5:01. It worked here, even after an Edit in Photoshop.

(BTW, all DVDs pause for a split second when the menu loops; usually, though, you see a freeze frame of the menu, not a black screen.)

-Jeff

The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

[Lichai Cohn]

Thanks again!

I tried extending the Comp length by 15 frames with stretching the layers and setting the loop point to 5.01. The Comp played one whole time and than it kept showing a black frame and than some of the Comp, black frame, Comp…. etc.

I also removed the black solid layer to see what would happen, but still that black frame.

I also went to the transcode settings of the Dynamic Linked AE Comp in Encore and saw it was set to automatic. I tried some of the other presets, but didn’t notice any difference. When I hot the button edit to see some more settings I saw this for GOP settings: M frames: 3, N Frames: 12. I must admit I have no idea what GOP is.

[Jeff Bellune]

[Lichai Cohn] “I tried extending the Comp length by 15 frames with stretching the layers and setting the loop point to 5.01. The Comp played one whole time and than it kept showing a black frame and than some of the Comp, black frame, Comp…. etc.”

Let’s clean up some stuff.

1. Highlight the AE comp in the Project panel. If the DVD Transcode Status shows Transcoded, then right-click it and choose Revert to Original. If it shows as Untranscoded, then skip to step 2.

2. Remove the AE comp as the Menu background.

3. Go to Edit | Preferences | Media. Click the Clean Database button.

4. Save your project. Exit Encore. Re-open Encore and load your project.

Add the comp as the menu background again, set the duration to 5:01 and preview (don’t render the motion menu yet). What happens?

Now render the motion menu. What happens?

It still works here.

-Jeff

The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

[Lichai Cohn]

It showed as untranscoded so I cleaned the database and restarted. Added the menu-background, set the loop point en previewed. No motion could be seen, so I rendered and the black frame is there again…

[Jeff Bellune]

I’m sorry to hear that. Like I said, it works here. I’m out of ideas.

-Jeff

The Focal Easy Guide to Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

[Lichai Cohn]

I’m sorry to hear that. Thanks for all your help anyway!

[Lloyd Stas]

Don’t suppose you ever found a solution to this? I’m having exactly the same problem.

Anything over 4:20 creates that black frame.

It’s weird cos I have another menu thats around 50 seconds and doesnt have the same problem.