PDA

View Full Version : Greyscale alpha? RGB Alpha keeps crashing.

wachstum
02-01-2007, 10:27 AM
Hi,

I am currently working with images sized approx. 1700*1300 pixels, each has an alpha
channel applied. Starting out, I tried using greyscale images with alphas but AFX didn't read
the alpha then. Which inflated the file size quite a bit when I switched to RGB and alpha.
Still, while rendering, After Effects keeps crashing on me, randomly. There is no pattern to it. There are no error reports.

Any pointers on that one?
Thanks a lot. It's kind of frustrating when you have to render in 5 frames steps...
Martin
Ian Jones
02-01-2007, 02:36 PM
Your running out of RAM. Check in the preferences that you are utitlising most of you RAM, maybe 90% should be safe. Try closing other applications aswell.
wachstum
02-01-2007, 10:06 PM
Already did that, also went for enlarging the disk cache, even system cache for windows, but no matter which size, it still kept crashing. I'm already working on 1,5 GB RAM. I'm just wondering what happens if one really uses multiple layers + effects. This would mean, that every project at that rate should crush even the best machine? Doesn't sound sensible. So how would I surpass that problem if I work in a production environment, rendering as single tif sequences?

Thanks,
Martin
mackdadd
02-01-2007, 10:44 PM
layers & effects isn't the problem, I've had almost 100 layers, most with effects, in a comp and it worked fine.

i'm not sure if it is the RAM, but if it is, look at this.

http://www.simplycg.net/viewtopic.php?t=1507&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

scroll down toward the bottom until you see the AE secret panel. the instructions are there to get it. maybe try the purge RAM function.
scrimski
02-01-2007, 10:45 PM
Extract the alpha information into an extra sequence, use it as a matte. Use uncompressed images for both in- and output. Flush the cache, close the composition before rendering, prerender subcompositions and replace them with resulting file sequences.
Go into your render queue and duplicate the render job like a million times, cross your fingers and hit the button.

Get more RAM, 1,5 GB isn't that much
wachstum
02-02-2007, 12:17 PM
Hi guys,

Extracting the alpha and rendering uncompressed tifs seems to be a good suggestion.
The secret panel also yields some interesting options... I will check it out.

Gratefully,
Martin
CGTalk Moderation
02-02-2007, 12:17 PM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.