CF5 doesn't seem to work with AE-CS3
 

Sorry for the laundry list of problems but:

I took a clip just captured with PPro and CF5 Build 85 and if you look at the clip directly in After Effects CS3, it will play but if you try to put it to a timeline you get a screwed up picture that is kind of upside down and has vertical stripes all through it.

I attached a screen grab to this message.

This does NOT happen on AE 7.0 with Cineform, just AE CS3

Stacy

Yes you need to remove to new components that don't work (yet) with CineForm -- They are ImporterDirectShow.prm, and ImporterAVI.prm from the Mediacore directory (sorry I don't have the exact location.) You will not loose any functionality for CineForm media, and you can restore these for non-CineForm project (if you need.)

Perhaps I'm missing something - I've just tried what you've said and now AE CS3 just says it can't import any avi files, including Cineform ones.

Is there somewhere that describes getting this to work?

Thanks

Okay, having dug in further it seems I need CFHDIO.aex which I don't have - I'm running ConnectHD because I don't use Premier is it possible to get it to work? I don't mind an upgrade to NEO if I need to.

Thanks

David,

Only problem is that I commonly use both Cineform and non-cineform material in the same project in AE.

Any idea when this will be fixed?

Thanks

stacy

Simon,

NEO does add the CFHDIO.aex module. However, just like Aspect HD I'm not sure it is active my default. Here is the registry tools to turn it on or off.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost....4&postcount=12

Most uncompressed AVI materials and some compressed AVIs will work with the CineForm Importer, the main one that doesn't is DV.

When we will fix this? It was impossible to fix under AE 7.0, and we complained to Adobe on many occasions. There is a workaround, load AE and turn off the CineForm importer via the control panel, import all our non-CineForm media, save, and close AE. Reopen AE, and turn the CineForm importer back on, all your media will not work.

The problem with AE CS3 they didn't tell us on their intended fix until couple of months ago, by then it was too late to correctly "fix" their new methods -- CineForm is the only that needs to use it. We find the old API more feature rich. We will likely support the new API (which is based on Premiere's), but I worry is will not be as good as using the CFHDIO module until CS4.

For Aspect HD uses, try removing only the ImporterDirectShow.prm comment, that might restore the behavor to AE 7.0. The many reason for CFHDIO.aex module was to add 10-bit support to AVIs in AE -- i.e a Prospect HD feature.

It works!
 

Okay - so I installed NEO Player for now and it all works. (With removing the files and altering the registry).

What's also interesting is that I can import standard DV footage no problem too!?

That is a cool finding, maybe CS3 fixed the DV issue with custom AVI I/O modules.

David, I did this but now it will not import ANY AVI files. If I try to just select one of the Cineform AVIs I get an error of AE saying it doesn't know what to do with it.

Stacy

As Simon discovered, you have to set the registry to use the CineForm import module. Look at post #6 of this thread, I think that is the issue. Sorry to have you jump through the hoops, we will be making this easy on CS3 / Aspect HD users shortly.

I got it to work
 

OK, I finally got my official copy of Production Premioum, got Aspect HD upgraded to v5.0.2 (Build 85) and when I opened AE CS3 I had the same problem.

I tried to hide the ImporterDirectShow.prm and ImporterAVI.prm files below where they were but they seemed to be found. So I moved them to a completely separate area.

Then I ran the AspectHD_AEImporterOn.reg file and when I started AE CS3 I was able to import CFHD files that I had converted with HDLink previously.

It took a while to figure out, but now that all the info is in one place it will be easy to help people do the same thing.

I just download the new version of cineform (build 86) and still having the same issue of AE files. I'm wondering if this is something that is going to be solved soon . Also could somebody tell if there is any disavantege of having those AE files deleted from the software.
Thanks
Jose

What AE problem?
 

Jose,

What problem are you having, and what steps have you taken to resolve the problem.

Well Steve, I follow your steps and now I'm able to watch the cineform files in AE but Im worried about those two files that we have to remove or delete to make it work. I noticed that the version build 86 still having the same issue too.
Is the build 86 working for you in normal circumstances or you have to do this process of removing the files in this version?
What this two removed files means for AE after all.

By the way I think that you should be the right person to promote a Premier Pro Cs3 Floridian Users Reunion. Would be nice !

hehe!

Jose,

As far as I can tell, the files you hide from AE are only for importing files. Since you are importing Cineform files, you will have no problem. If you need to use those files in a standard definition project, keep them handy and copy them back into the correct directory.

Don't worry about it. If you can import, you are OK.

Thanks a lot Steve

None of all this worked for me..

I deleted both files, ran the registry file, but AE just keeps complaining that it doesn't recognize the file extension.

The file extension is AVI?

Yeah, just AVI. I can import AVI's as long as I don't remove both the files as described. But then my import problem isn't solved.

Same problem here.

With is not occur with any of our Prospect HD users, not so it is likely just a setting and separates why it work for some users are not others. I'm out of the office until Monday, so please work with support.

Just to make sure that Cineform has the information, let's make it clear.

You deleted the two files, ran the registry hack, and then tried to import Cineform AVI files, not DV AVI.

Is that correct? Because to import DV AVI you need to put the files back.

Exactly, just plain CineForm Avi files, captured with build 86 (Aspect HD 5)

Sorry I want be of much help today. But try this. Uninstall AHD, and install PHD, run AE (see that it works.) Uninstall PHD, reinstall AHD. I'm wondering if there is a library that PHD installs that AHD is missing -- this might fix it. If it does, tell support and we will have a build with this first on Monday.

Thanks David,

I'm still rendering some stuff in AE7, I'll see what it does when it's done.

An update from the front :)
Sorry it took me so long. I've been too busy. Anyway, I just tried PHD, but it doesn't make a difference.

While we don't know why you can't use the AE7 importer in CS3, we have a build coming in a few days that doesn't require it.

I'm waiting on the fix for AECS3 also...

I'm a NEO user, tried all of this (removing files, running .reg file) and I still can't import into AE CS3. I appreciate that this isn't just cineform's fault, but a fix is obviously needed.

Is the latest build supposed to fix the AE CS3 problems? Because right now it just crashes my AE CS3 whenever I import a CineForm AVI.

The latest build fixes all of this, if it doesn't you will likely have an install issue, and need to contact support.

Whith the new CF build 90 I don't have that issue anymore. Also I have to mention that I reinstalled the AEcs3 cause with the latelest update from last week of AE my Cf avi files were crashing. At that time I was using the 89 build so I don't know if I update AE again It will have the same problem again.
I hope not. But try reinstalling.

Thanks for the fix, CF! I'll reinstall tomorrow.

I post also here :

- last week we captured test shots with Neo HdLink NEOHDv305b135-070801

- today we have installed AE CS3 (should be the latest release)
and then we have uninstalled the previous CF version and installed the new NEOHDv310b137-070827

when we try to import one of the avi captured last week, AE crashes saying there is a problem with "cfhd.dll" ??

any solution for us to keep on doing our tests ???

Denis

Talk to support as AE should not be using CFHD.dll, that suggests you did not get im-CFHD_File_Import.prm installed in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\CS3\MediaCore -- please check that and report to the support team.

David, Thks for your super fast answer
yes this file is not present in ...Common.. directory
okay, I contact the support now

While that file missing likely indicates you registry installer path for CS3 is wrong or missing, you can install that particular files manually as it is also located in the Premiere plug-in founder located here : C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Pro CS3\Plug-ins\en_US\CineForm