Why can’t I add videos to Animotica?

Unfortunately, sometimes you can face the problem of adding a video to your project for different reasons. In this topic, we had gathered the most common reasons for that:

• Wrong file location
• Unsupported file format
• The content type is absent (undefined) in your system
• Video File Properties are absent
• A video that was encoded by HEVC (H.265) codec
• Some video codec is absent or corrupted
• Your graphics card driver is outdated

Wrong file location

First of all, you should check that a file you want to add is located on your PC's hard drive. You can not add a file from another device, such as a flash drive or cloud storage.

Unsupported file format

Animotica supports the next video file formats: .mp4; .mov; .avi; .wmv; .mkv; .3gp; .3gpp; .m4v; .mts; .m2ts; .webm. Otherwise, you need to convert your video file to a compatible format for Animotica. 

Here is a list of the free online video converters.

The content type is absent (undefined) in your system

Make sure that the Content-Type for your video file is defined in the Registry Editor. To do that:

1. Press the combination Win + R;
2. Enter "regedit" command in the field;
3. Open the "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT" directory;
4. Inside find the directory with an extension appropriate to your file which you want to add;
5. Click on it to open the content;
6. Check the Data for Content Type;
7. If it's empty, click twice on Content Type and fill in the "Value data" field, click OK;
8. Restart an application and try to add video again;

Video File Properties are absent

It means that for some reason, your video file was corrupted, and an application can't read its properties.

To check it:

1. Create a new project;
2. Add a color clip and add any sticker or audio;
3. Select it and click on the More tab in the toolbar;
4. Click File Info;  
5. In the File info window, click Select another file;
6. Specify the path to your problem video.

Here is a link to a video guide on how to get File Info.

So, if you see something similar as in the image below, your file was really corrupted.

In this case, we suggest converting this video by Prepare Videos For Animotica tool located on the main menu in the Project Prepare Tools section.

A video that was encoded by HEVC(H.265) codec

Some modern cameras use the HEVC codec to improve performance and to reduce file size. HEVC codec is not set by default in Windows 10.  If you are trying to reproduce a file by the standard windows Movies and TV player and seeing the error message, this chapter for you. You should set up the HEVC codec. You can find it on the Microsoft Store; just enter "hevc video extension" in the search field.

Some video codec is absent or corrupted

First of all, if you can't add a video to your project, try to reproduce it by Movie & TV player. If this player doesn't reproduce the video and the error message appears, we suggest performing two steps.

Step1 - Check and Reset Movie & TV player. Here are few tips on how to do it.

Step 2 - set up a modern codec pack for Windows 10.

Your graphics card driver is outdated

To check it and update your driver:

1. Enter "device manager" in the search field on the taskbar;
2. Find Display adapters;
3. Right-click on it and select "Update driver";
4. Select "Search automatically for drivers".

The system will find and set up drivers automatically (you need an internet connection). Or you will get a message that you have the latest update. In this case, the solution to your problem is described in the previous chapters.

Related topics

Why can't I add photos to Animotica?