Export Failing - Request CVPixelBufferForFrame

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Level 1

11 points

Export Failing - Request CVPixelBufferForFrame

This error appears while trying to export a timeline from FCPX (and the export fails). See the photo for more details. Exporting to a Quicktime 1080p file via H.264.

The first attempt gave me an error at frame 13,309.

So I went to that frame, double checked that nothing weird was happening, then I range-selected the surrounding ~700 frames - including #13,309 - and exported just that 30 second chunk of timeline to Compressor. It exported successfully (that’s the successful attempt you see in the photo, in the middle).

”Hmm. So there wasn’t an issue there,” I thought to myself. But I wanted to make sure, so I tried the whole thing again (not shown in the screenshot), and it failed with the same error at Frame #13,309.

So I took the entire timeline, CMD+A, then OPT+G and put all of it into a compound clip. Tried to export again, and then it returned an error at Frame #7,584 (the latest attempt in the above image).

Neither of the above locations in my timeline had anything odd, and frame 7,584 of the timeline is literally just a single video clip with audio: No compositing or transitions or effects (besides color adjustments).

So something odd is happening here. These video files are 4:2:2 10-bit clips shot in my A7Siii, all working locally on my Macbook’s internal SDD storage.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 20, 2023 5:43 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,015 points

Oct 20, 2023 5:51 PM in response to Andy12 29

Trash your cache and switch off background rendering. Try optimizing the clips with the frame errors. Also try replacing the shot or cutting around it. That’s the problem with GOP media and GOP export formats; everything is dependent on the frames around it. Everything can look fine in playback, but when you try to compress it weird things can happen if there is a little corruption in the frame group.

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Answer 2

Andy12 29 Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 24, 2023 3:00 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

So I did those things, completely dumped all rendered files and turned off background rendering. I also optimized the "problem" clips. And yet the problem persisted when exporting it in Compressor.

One would think that with the widespread use of H.264 / GOP capture codecs that this wouldn't be an issue for modern editing/transcoding software. Frustrating.

Here's the weird thing: The "share" export button right in FCPX was able to spit the video out just fine in an .MOV container via H.264 .... so irritating.

Update: (Two days later) The "Share" export button in FCPX failed to export it today.

This feels like going in circles. Ugh.

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Answer 3

Oct 31, 2023 12:39 AM in response to Andy12 29

You do have the Google's keystone bad guys that are ostensively there to help keep Chrome up to date, though:

[Loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google LLC - installed 2022-10-26)

Executable: /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/MacOS/GoogleSoftwareUpdateDaemon

[Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google LLC - installed 2022-10-26)

Command: /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent -runMode ifneeded

[Loaded] com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist (Google LLC - installed 2022-10-26)

Command: /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent -runMode xpchost

These things are running in the background and are known to grab the system videotoolbox for themselves like there's no tomorrow, and to cause serious damage to video applications like FCP, Compressor, Premiere...

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