Most Templater problems fall into a short list: a layer name that does not match the data, a menu set to the wrong option, a footage path that points nowhere, or a license check that cannot reach the internet. The quickest route to a fix is to read what Templater is already telling you, and it tells you in two places.
This guide collects the problems our own documentation and FAQ describe, grouped by what you see on screen, with the cause and the fix for each. We have left out anything those sources do not cover. If your problem is not here, templater.log is the file to send to support, because it shows what Templater was doing when it stopped.
Read the console first, then the log
At the bottom of the Templater panel is a readout of what Templater is doing at that moment. Error messages show there too. Note the exact wording before you change anything, because the same symptom can have different causes and the message usually separates them.
If the console does not settle it, turn on the log. In Templater Preferences, under the Advanced group, choose a folder for the log. If you leave it empty, Templater writes to the logged-in user’s Documents folder. Click Reset Log in the panel to create two files, templater.out and templater.log, and read this warning before you do: if log files already exist, Reset Log erases their contents. The Show Log button opens templater.out, which carries color coding. The templater.log file has the color removed, so use that one when you share a log with someone. Then repeat the task that failed and look at the last message. If Templater hangs, the last line written is the best clue to where. As of Templater 3.3, Templater logs all activity whether or not a project is open.
Two quick fixes for a log that will not appear. You may be looking in a different folder than the one your open project is using, or your user account may not have permission to create files in the folder that holds the project. Test by creating a text file there yourself.
When the preview does nothing
This is the most common complaint, and the cause is almost always in one of four places. Our troubleshooting table lists them for the case where the target composition does not update with new data.
The first is the Preview uses menu. When it is set to current state, the preview does not move to a different row, so set it to an option such as next row or previous row. The second is that the Templater Settings effect was never applied, so apply it to at least one supported layer type. The third is a name mismatch: layer names must match column names or JSON property keys exactly. The fourth belongs to Google Sheets only. If a column name begins with a numeral, contains a space, contains the _ character or contains a dollar sign, the data will not map. Rename the header.
One related trap sits at layer creation. Layers must be explicitly renamed after you create them, even if the name you typed at creation matches the column. Skip the rename and Templater may not treat the layer as dynamic. And never apply the Templater Settings effect twice to the same layer. The documentation says that gives unexpected results.
When the preview works but rendering or replicating hangs
A project that previews cleanly and then freezes on Render usually has one layer Templater cannot process. The documented causes are the effect sitting on an unsupported layer type, or a parameter that is invalid for the layer it is on. The example in the docs is a Scale Factor other than 0 percent on an audio layer. The fix is to apply the effect only to supported layer types, which are text, solid, footage, pre-composition, adjustment and JSON. Shape layers are not on that list, so pre-compose a shape and apply the effect to the pre-composition. Then read the log to see which layer it stopped on.
Layout problems are a separate family. Layout rules do not work correctly on any layer property that has Separate Dimensions enabled, so if a layer scales or aligns wrongly, check that. Where an expression drives a layer, remember that expression code takes precedence over any layout logic Templater applies. And the Time Sculpting rules need a target composition set, so set one first.
Footage that will not update, or cannot be found
When audio or visual footage layers keep their old source, Templater’s table gives four causes. The layer was first created by inserting a Placeholder object. No footage folder is set in the panel. The folder or the file does not exist. Or the file type is one After Effects cannot import. References to sources are case-sensitive, so check the capitalization of every file name. If the layer started as a placeholder, remove it and its project item, import a real footage file, drag it into a comp, rename the layer, and apply the Templater Settings effect again.
Paths are the other half. Footage references in your data must be relative to the footage folder. When After Effects reports “Failed at N/A” for render queue items, our FAQ says it did not find one or more footage, asset or font dependencies at their specified location, which can happen when files were moved or deleted.
For the batch that must keep running even when a reference is bad, set the missing-footage behavior ahead of time. In Preferences, in the Footage group, you can ask Templater to be asked what to do, to let you find the asset, to skip the row, to use a branded placeholder, or to cancel. We recommend the branded placeholder, because it keeps batch processing smooth, and it has been the default since Templater 2.9.5. An empty cell is its own case. With the “consider empty cells or null values as faulty” option off, an empty cell leaves the footage from the previously previewed row in place, so the layer keeps its old footage.
License, install and upgrade trouble
If the installer will not work for your setup, use the most current Templater installer, and use the legacy installer if your After Effects is old enough to need it. Our install page says After Effects 2021 and earlier use the legacy build, while the FAQ words the same advice as 2020 or earlier, so confirm against the download page for your exact version.
If Templater will not activate, it needs to reach a licensing server, and antivirus or firewall software can block that. Temporarily disabling such software can let activation through, and on Windows it may help to run After Effects as an administrator. If you typed a correct key and still get an error, our FAQ lists three common causes: a one-month license that has expired, a machine with no internet connection (offline activation is the workaround), and a key bought from a reseller before version 2.5, since the current release recognizes only newer keys. If the trial watermark survives activation and a restart, purge After Effects memory with Edit, Purge, All Memory and Disk Cache, then Image Cache Memory, and restart again.
Three smaller upgrade items. If the Render, Replicate or Enable Bot buttons are disabled, check your edition, because Render and Replicate need Pro and Enable Bot needs Bot, and none of the three exist in Rig. If you cannot save Preferences after updating, and you see a message about the Bot queuing a maximum of 20 jobs, reset your After Effects preferences as our FAQ instructs. And if you upgrade from Templater 1, never run Templater.jsxbin and Templater 2.jsxbin at the same time, since that gives unexpected results. On a high-DPI Windows monitor, panel buttons can look cropped, which our table describes as a known After Effects issue. Lowering the monitor resolution or updating the video card driver are the suggested fixes.
Google Sheets and other data trouble
If Templater fails to authorize Google Drive, sign in again to get a fresh authorization code. If the list of sheets is incomplete, the account may have no Google Sheets or may lack permission to read the one you want. If Templater reads the wrong data, it may be linked to a different sheet than you think. Relink the data source, or click Load from Project when your project has batch asset values saved. If you cannot connect to Google Drive at all, the curl.exe file may be blocked by antivirus or anti-malware, so mark it safe.
Text problems are quicker. A TSV file that shows odd characters usually has the Excel or Numbers checkbox set wrongly, so check it only when the file came from one of those programs. Multi-line text that will not display needs a text layer created as a multi-line box, by click and drag with the Text tool. A single text layer cannot mix fonts, sizes or styles within itself, which is a limit, not a bug.
Bot, command line and script errors
The Bot marks failed rows in the render-status column. ERR::MEDIA means Templater had a problem locating or importing a media asset, and the video may well have rendered with a media issue inside it. ERR::AFXHOST means After Effects itself reported an error, and the docs warn After Effects will likely have stopped operating normally, so look at it on the machine running Templater. The Google error “An error with code [3] occurred when requesting information from Google: ScriptError” means a value the Bot needs is not in the data source. The usual cause is a missing render-status column, or a Bot name set in Preferences with no column headed bot.
Two more Bot surprises are worth knowing. Because the Bot is fully automated, it overwrites an existing file when two rows render to the same output name, so if files seem to be missing, check that the id or output value is unique for every row. And if you send the Bot’s replicates to Adobe Media Encoder through a watch folder, use a local or networked output folder, since a cloud-based output folder can cause errors with Adobe Media Encoder as the render engine.
If a Bot slows down after running for a long time, the likely culprit is After Effects caching, which our documentation says builds up as the Bot keeps receiving data. Turn off layer caching by opening Preferences while holding Shift and using the Secret category, and disable disk caching on machines that run the Bot. Our piece on batches that fail mid-queue covers what happens to the rest of the queue.
From the command line, errors go to templater.err, messages to templater.log, and live output to templater.out, in the folder named by log_location in templater-options.json. Each error object has a code, a description, the After Effects message, details and a timestamp. The code table runs from 1 and 2 for startup, 1001 to 1003 for footage, 2001 and 2002 for command and configuration, 3001 for spreadsheet row data, 4001 and 4002 for Google, 5001 for the layout engine and 6001 for HTTP requests. “Unable to find a Window Constructor” means the CLI is monitoring a data source while After Effects is not in the foreground, and the fix is the -ui argument.
When an event script does not run, copy the “Full command line” statement from templater.log, paste it in a terminal and run it yourself. Log output from inside the script to a file. Check that the script is executable by the user running After Effects. On a Mac, chmod u+x does it. Our article on errors and retries adds the wider pattern.
The bottom line
Match the names, check the menus, read the console, then the log. Only after that suspect Templater itself. If the log still does not explain it, our support package page and the support ticket form are where to go, the Google Sheets reference covers sheet-specific trouble, and the complete guide helps you rule out setup mistakes. You can read about the editions on the Templater page.
Those are the problems we see most. Here are quick answers to the questions that come up first when something goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Templater write its log, and how do I read it?
In Templater Preferences, under Advanced, you choose the folder. If you leave it empty, Templater writes to the Documents folder of the logged-in user. Click Reset Log to create templater.out and templater.log. This erases existing log contents. Show Log opens templater.out, which has color coding. Share templater.log, which has the color removed. As of Templater 3.3, activity is logged whether or not a project is open.
Why does my preview not change when I step to the next row?
Four causes cover most cases. The Preview uses menu may be set to current state. The Templater Settings effect may not be applied to a supported layer. The layer name may not match the column header or JSON key. With Google Sheets, a header may begin with a number or contain a space, the _ character or a dollar sign. Check them in that order. Also remember that a layer must be explicitly renamed after it is created.
Why does Templater hang when I render but not when I preview?
Usually one layer is the problem. The Templater Settings effect may be on a layer type Templater does not support, or a parameter may be invalid for that layer, such as a Scale Factor other than 0 percent on an audio layer. Supported types are text, solid, footage, pre-composition, adjustment and JSON. Shape layers are not supported, so pre-compose them. Check the log to see which layer it stopped on.
What do ERR::MEDIA and ERR::AFXHOST mean?
Both appear in the render-status column when the Bot processes a row. ERR::MEDIA means Templater had trouble locating or importing a media asset, and the output may have rendered with a media issue inside it. ERR::AFXHOST means After Effects itself reported an error, and After Effects will likely have stopped operating normally. Look at After Effects on the machine running Templater to learn more.
Why won’t Templater activate even though my key is correct?
Our FAQ lists the common causes. A one-month license may have expired. The machine may have no internet connection, and offline activation is the workaround. A key bought from a reseller before version 2.5 may be out of date, because the current release recognizes only newer keys. Antivirus or firewall software can also block the licensing check, and on Windows running After Effects as an administrator may help.
Why are the Render, Replicate and Enable Bot buttons disabled?
Those functions depend on your edition. Render and Replicate are available in Templater Pro, and Enable Bot is available only in Templater Bot. None of the three are available in Templater Rig. This can surprise people who tried the free trial first, since the trial includes features from every edition. If you activate Rig after the trial, the buttons turn off, and you can upgrade the license to get them back.
