Maximum number of layers or effects has been exceeded

Question

Maximum number of layers or effects has been exceeded

Hello:

I was wondering if anyone else has ever encountered this in Final Cut.

Let me start by saying I have a brand new Mac Studio (2 weeks old-128 GB memory and 1TB storage I still have over 850 GB storage) running all the latest updates. I reinstalled Final Cut and Motion so I am running "new" versions of both. It has working great so far. In regard to the problem itself, I have both deleted the preferences and restarted the computer.

Recently I have been running into this error message. I do not have that many layers (10 total). Effects I can't be sure of because I am running (around 6) plug in titles from motionvfx. It resolves itself...until I make edits or changes to one of the layers. Then this error flashes up again. I click out of the timeline and back in again and I can work. So, it's not exactly stopping me from working. But it is very annoying, it's slowing me down and I've never seen this before. It should also be noted that even after fully rendering playback is choppy, slow and the message has the tendency to pop up then as well.

Below is a screenshot of my timeline...this shows all the layers in the timeline. I also included a screenshot of the error message. Please forgive me if I have not included everything you need to see. Just tell me and I will provide it for you. Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on this problem.

Mac Studio

Posted on Aug 11, 2024 7:59 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 12, 2024 1:42 AM in response to Creator_needs_help

As LocaAlicia suggested, there may be some corruption in this library or project.

We can see several layers and furthermore some compound clips, which may themselves add more complexity, but it’s hard to imagine this to be too much for FCP to handle.

Would it be possible to share an xml of this project, so we can have a look at the whole structure? You could send it to yourself using wetransfer and post the link here.

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Answer 2

Aug 12, 2024 2:07 AM in response to Creator_needs_help

I can't add anything other than that I have never seen that sign before.

Occasionally I stretch my Macs to their limits and beyond but all that occurs is that everything slows down and I get dropped frames during playback.

I know you say your new Mac worked OK at first but have you done similar projects on your previous machine with no problems?

It does sound like something dodgy in the Library.

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Answer 3

Aug 14, 2024 1:18 AM in response to Creator_needs_help

I don't know whether you are aware that you can cheat! I have done it frequently.

You mentioned that you had spent some time designing the interior of a spaceship.

There is no need for any of that effort as there is always somebody who has done it before you . . . so what am I rambling on about? Instant spaceships?

Yes, and instant aeroplanes, buildings, castles, villages, animals, dinosaurs . . . almost anything you can imagine.

Go to YouTube and in the search box put something like "Green screen spaceships" (or whatever you want) and you will be presented with numerous realistic items that generous creators have uploaded for you to use free of charge.

I came across this nearly a decade ago when a member of my (now defunct) film making club created a film showing how a local beauty spot was being invaded by dinosaurs and other weird creatures.

We were all extremely surprised at his skill . . . we knew he was a competent film maker but realistic dinosaurs moving around?

When questioned, he freely admitted that YouTube was the source of his material.

Here's one I made earlier . . .

Garden Surprise!

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Answer 4

BenB

Level 6

12,649 points

Aug 14, 2024 7:38 AM in response to Creator_needs_help

Motion is just layers, just like FCP, with Groups just like FCP's Compound Clips. It's super easy to learn. Ripple Training has the best course to learn it quickly and easily.

One recommendation is, export some of those Compound Clips in your timeline as flattened video files. Import and use those. You greatly reduce the amount of stress FCP puts your system under.

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Answer 5

BenB

Level 6

12,649 points

Aug 14, 2024 12:59 PM in response to Creator_needs_help

One more thing, export those Compounds at H.264 clips, but put Markers in your timeline where each one starts (and name it the name of that Compound Clip). That way you won't get confused when you replace the CCs with actual clips. Remember, you won't lose the CCs, they're always in your Event.

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Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,021 points

Aug 12, 2024 5:07 AM in response to Creator_needs_help

What’s inside the compounds? Some complex plugins have multiple layers that can add a lot to the workload.

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Answer 7

Aug 12, 2024 1:10 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hi Luis!

Oh boy. You know me...and the things you are suggesting I don't know how to do, or even what "wetransfer" is. I would be more than happy to do what you are requesting, but I hate making you go through all the explanations. If I recreate the library as I (continue reading) think I will - I might not have to waste your time. If it happens in the "new new" library though? Then I might have to bother you.

I tend to agree with everyone on all points. As I was thinking the same things last night. Something got corrupted somewhere along the line.

Let me try and answer all your different questions here:

LocaAlicia - This is a new library because this was happening in the original library and I thought go ahead and try it all in a new library. However, I copied and pasted the project into the new library and if something is corrupted then all I did was move the corruption into the new library, right? And I am sending a screenshot of the project settings.

My next step was to make a third new library and recreate the project from scratch. I didn't want to, but I am not well versed (at all) in trying to find a corrupted file and digging into my computer like that kind of scares me.

Ian - I never had any problems like this on the old 2019 MacBook Pro and I have never seen a message like this before either. That computer just got very slow in handling the work I was doing and I made the mistake of not keeping it up to date like I should have (won't do that again!). Although I can mention that I am getting the "dropped frames" message a lot. I was not in the beginning.

Tom - No plugins inside the compounds. There is a LUT applied to two different graphics within a clip though.

Thank you to everyone for all your responses. I really appreciate all you do for us here. Seriously.

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Answer 8

BenB

Level 6

12,649 points

Aug 13, 2024 8:13 AM in response to Creator_needs_help

I've seen this on two of the Macs we used when I was producing TV shows. Seems this can be triggered by a few things that are not literally too many of anything. We fixed them with the usual:

Turn off background rendering, and NEVER turn it back on.

Delete all render files.

Delete pref files.

Verify you have minimum 15% of total capacity of the system drive left as free space.

But, I'm curious, how many layers are in each Compound Clip? They actually count towards your total. Cause that's one heck of a complex edit! If I had to do something that complex, I'd for sure do it in Motion.

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Answer 9

Aug 13, 2024 7:30 PM in response to BenB

Hi BenB -

As a total amateur I feel somehow complimented! But then again, not so much because whatever I'm doing I feel I should be knowing better.

There are many layers inside each of these compound clips. And a couple are even double compounded (?). I should have realized, but sometimes you don't know what you don't know. I've learned a lot through trial and error and the kind folks on this forum.

I agree Motion would be the way to go. I am learning Motion, but there would be no way I could even think about trying something like what I have in this edit with my extremely limited knowledge. I am self taught in everything.

The clip that was causing me so many problems is actually the cockpit of a spaceship with multiple HUD motion graphics. I drew the cockpit in Illustrator and then used plugins from motionVFX to build it out. My fix for the time being is to export that clip out as a .mov file and bring it back in. It seemed to do the trick so far! My husband said only I could "break" a brand new Mac Studio like that ha ha!

Thank you for the tips!

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Answer 10

Aug 14, 2024 12:35 PM in response to BenB

Ripple Training has helped me tremendously! I have just about every training video...it takes me weeks to get through one sometimes because I write it all out with screen shots (never, ever to be shared!!) so I can reference it later. After that, I go in and just listen and follow along for a second time and sometimes even a third time. I make myself build whatever they are using even if there are project files. And when all else fails? There's Fox_m and the rest of you all who have been amazing.

And your recommendation? Well, I was already thinking along those lines (again makes me feel somehow complimented!) and did just that. Works like a dream! Thank you!!!

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Answer 11

Aug 14, 2024 1:52 PM in response to Creator_needs_help

It wasn't a project. . . . just done as a joke in a few minutes. Five minutes to set up the camera and shoot the video.

Maybe another 5 minutes to find and download the ground hole and explosion from YT and another 5 to put it all in FCP and apply the green screen effect.

Luckily no skill required.

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