Tim Kurkoski
Forum Replies Created
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It’s probably a bug. Try setting the grid preferences to “Gridline every 2 pixels” instead of 1, hit OK, then flip it back. Sometimes doing things like that can kick it into gear.
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Yes, you quite simply are running out of memory. If you don’t have at least 2 GB, get more, but be aware that there are OS limitations (both Mac and Windows) that prevent individual applications from addressing more than about 2-3 GB of memory. You can also tweak the memory settings in AE’s prefs, though the default values are usually pretty good, and increasing them may not help much. You can enable the disk cache, but it’s slow and doesn’t always help.
And yes, it’s going to take a while, because AE has to render each frame first. You can change some settings to help with this. In the comp window, lower the resolution and/or set an area of interest. In the Time Controls palette you can lower the framerate used for RAM previews. In the timeline you can set the work area to just the area you want to preview. You can also turn off any layers that aren’t necessary for you to gauge your work.
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In newer versions it makes a difference if you click on the layer’s thumbnail or the layer’s name.
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Cameras don’t always embed thumbnails, but it’s allowed by the EXIF specification and convenient for the camera to do so. (So it doesn’t have to process down a 5 megapixel image while you’re browsing your shots on the camera’s LCD.) If there’s no embedded thumbnail, then Windows will generate it as needed, of course. WinXP keeps a hidden file called thumbs.db in every folder than contains images.
If you run the JPEG through Photoshop’s Save For Web dialog, which strips off EXIF and ICC data, you’ll get a version that produces a b&w thumbnail. Not too useful for you, but just a little proof of where the difference is coming from.
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I’ll add what I know here.
As far as I know, the educational version of AE7 is identical to the retail version.
This wasn’t true in the past, for AE or other Adobe products. Usually it was the plug-ins that get dropped (since Adobe is paying a per-copy fee to the plug-in publishers), and I know for a fact that the educational version of AE 6.5 did NOT have the Cycore plug-ins bundled. Since AE7 relies on many of the Cycore effects for the templates, and presets, they couldn’t really do that this time, could they?
On the other part of the debate, it’s just advisable to look closely at the licensing agreement before you click YES. I can’t find a good reason why Adobe would offer a hefty discount on a $1000 application to anyone with a student ID (or the address of the right e-retailer), but then again I’m not a marketing guy.
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D’oh! You’re right- color thumbnail, B&W image. My bad (I had just finished responding to another post on color management, guess my brain was stuck in that mode).
There’s a couple of possibilities here. First is that the camera itself was set to take photos in B&W mode. The thumbnail, which the camera itself created and embedded into the file using EXIF, is in color because the camera doesn’t apply any transformations to the thumbnail data, only to the image itself.
The second possibility is that the color data in the file is corrupted. The thumbnail remains in color for the same reason as above. The warning about color profiles doesn’t really have anything to do with it, because color profiles don’t determine whether or not the image is in color, it just describes how to translate the color for other devices. But the fact that the profile is apparently damaged could indicate other problems with the file.
In either case, I don’t think there’s any easy solution for you here. If you find a good tool that can let you dig into the raw JPEG file header data, you might be able to get something working, but no guarantees (especially if my first theory is the correct one). Plus I have idea what kind of tool to look for, it’s just a theory.
Good luck.
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RAM Preview.
It sounds like you’re just using the regular preview (space bar), which doesn’t play audio, and feeds frames directly into the playback buffer as fast as it can. Depending on the complexity of the video and effects you’ve got going, the frame rate will vary. Use the Time Controls panel to monitor it.
RAM Preview plays audio, and it renders and loads the frames into memory before sending them to the playback buffer, meaning that it will play back at a consistent frame rate. Use the zero key on the keypad to play a RAM preview.
There’s also an audio-only preview, which is the period key on the keypad.
Look in the Help files for more information on the playback optinos and how to use the Time controls panel.
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The error message is complaining about your system specifications. So what are they? What version of Windows, processor, etc.?
Make sure that your system meets the minimum recommendations:
https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/systemreqs.html -
The Cycore (CC) effects are included with After Effects 7.0 on the install CD. Insert the disc, find the Cycore installer, and run it.
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There’s always some color variations in monitors, it’s inherent to the materials. LCD’s are much better about it than CRT’s, but they’re not immune to the same type of problems. You can at least start with the stock profiles, but you’re best off calibrating, and re-calibrating every few months as the characteristics of the monitor degrade. I was advised once to keep the brightness of a new monitor at no higher than 50%, so as to minimize wear and to prolong the life of the elements.
As for the printer, they’re usually pretty well calibrated out of the box, as long as you’re using the manufacturer’s profiles. The monitor is always the big variable.