Specifically allow media encoder to add either custom text or source file name as a prefix/suffix to the output file. In my work my After Effects project are given job numbers and the output file also must be named with the same job number to keep track of files.

We have also created templates to ease with production, currently our output comps simply start with "XXXXX" and we do a batch rename after rendering is complete. But with custom prefixes/suffixes we wouldn't have a need for that step.

This could be added as an option to encoding presets or to Media Encoder preferences. I think as an encoding preset it would allow for more flexibility.

After Effects and Adobe Media Encoder 2020 are rendering h264 codec MP4s too bright. The colors are washed out slightly and what I'm assuming is a gamma shift. I'm using Windows 10, After Effects v17.1.4, Adobe Media Encoder v14.4, and Nvidia driver 451.77.

This issue does not exist on After Effects 2019 and Adobe Media Encoder 2019. The MP4s look as you would expect, using identical settings for export.

One additional finding was that using After Codecs plugin, I'm able to export an MP4 using the x264 codec and the colors are correct. That is also using AE and AME 2020. So, from what I'm gathering there is definitely an issue with AME 2020.

I find this annoying issue with nearly every release of AME, and have had it pop up off and on since 2004. This is not an issue with playback between video players, but specifically a color shift in the actual render. I'm not using any display profiles, and have After Effects set to not use a Workspace color profile in Project settings. Have also tested rendering the files with and without Hardware encoding turned on.

Would be happy to send additional info or files if needed. Thank you!

Adobe partnership with Big video platforms: YouTube, Vimeo...

It can be game changer if Adobe talks with all the big video platforms to understand how they process the videos. So we can export with the same codec settings they use updated. We will be able to upload the video in any of this platform and will nott need to process it again. It will be ready for all the resolutions automatically.

For example, YouTube will give the processing workflow how they work and Adobe will implement in their software. Videos can be certificated that they were processed with the YouTube engine so no need to process the video again. YouTube same some machines rendering files, people don't need to wait extra, everyone happy! :)

I'm editing a feature documentary, and many of the archives are made of old DV footage. Unfortunately I can't import any of the material either directly into premiere or into ME to convert into a supported format. Adobe should have kept the codec at least for media encoder. I can't imagine the amount of editors around the world who've had similar frustration and with the monthly subscription service as it is, a creative cloud user, shouldn't have to turn to or pay for additional 3rd party support for a feature that was a part of the older editions. It's absurd to the extreme. An entire generation of archive was shot on the DV format, so the decision to remove it smacks of corporate greed or oversight. Something that could be easily amended on their side, if they so consented.

I'm doing lots of source text changes (via essential propeties) in precomposed text layers using external Json files to change the text. In the majority of these cases everything works fine and I've done over 2000 of these renders this way.

But every once in a while the text layer ignores the json file and just used the default text inside the text pre-comp even through it's all connected with expressions correctly.

This is a consistent issue across multiple versions of After Effects, Media encoder and on both Mac and PC. From 2019, 2020, 2021 and the new beta.

As mentioned before, it's inconsistent in it's consistency though as the majority of the clips work fine. It's never an issue when rendering directly from After effects so it's definitely a Media Encoder issue.

It also doesn't matter if I have 1 or 50 text layers, the issue can still occur.

Any help would be appreciated

It's incredible how the evolutions and updates reduce the capacities and performances of this application which is so useful, necessary and important...

Since a few versions, the updates modify the capacities of settings and configurations of the exports in a very restrictive way, not to say aggressive.
Now it's the top: if you want to export H264 in 50i, you can only do it in "CPU only" mode...
It's the last straw when you realize that the CPU is only used at less than 50% of its potential.

Efficiency and performance do not seem to be your leitmotiv anymore... You were already unable to listen, hear and follow the requests of your users and customers (multi-mono audio and timecode for example), it is sad because we liked your package.