The most common reason is that certain plugins or scripts do not work well with your version of After Effects, especially after you update it. Other causes include broken preferences, damaged project or media files, or settings related to hardware acceleration. Now that you know the causes, let’s discuss the solutions.
1. Edit at a Lower Resolution
Editing at a lower resolution puts less stress on your system, which can help prevent crashes. This is a simple first step: try reducing your project’s resolution and see if it helps. Use this approach if it works with your workflow; otherwise, try the other solutions in this guide.
2. Disable Hardware Accelerate Composition
As explained earlier, Hardware Accelerate Composition uses your GPU to enhance performance, which increases the load on your computer. If you have 8GB or 16GB of RAM, disabling this feature can often help prevent crashes.
3. Lower the Preview Quality
High-quality previews can use up a lot of memory, which may lead to crashes. Lowering the preview quality can help your system handle projects more smoothly.
4. Increase Disk Cache Size
After Effects recommends giving as much space as you can to its disk cache, as this helps it process information more efficiently. Storing the disk cache on an SSD or NVMe drive can further speed up performance.
5. Clean the Cache Media Database
The Cache Media Database keeps track of all the audio and video files you’ve imported for editing. If this database grows too large, it can slow After Effects down and cause problems.
6. Turn Off GPU Acceleration
GPU acceleration, like Hardware Accelerate Composition, helps After Effects render faster. However, if your hardware isn’t up to date or has limited resources, having this on can cause instability.
7. Update Your GPU Driver
To keep After Effects running smoothly, make sure you have the latest GPU drivers installed. Graphics driver updates are crucial for stability and preventing crashes.
