> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tessact.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Troubleshoot rendering

> Resolve disabled actions, stalled progress, missing media, audio issues, and downloads.

Start with the visible top-bar state and the downloaded file, if one exists. Avoid repeatedly selecting **Render**: one careful retry after checking the draft is more useful than several duplicate attempts.

## Render action is disabled

Check the following:

1. The timeline contains at least one visible layer.
2. No render is already in **Starting…** or **Rendering *n*%** state.
3. The draft has valid canvas dimensions, a frame rate, and a duration greater than zero.
4. You still have access to the workspace and draft.
5. Reload the draft only when no render is active, then try again.

## Render stops with an error

Read the visible error before changing the draft. Then:

1. Confirm every image, video, and audio item loads in the editor.
2. Scrub to the approximate point where progress stopped and inspect the active layers there.
3. Remove or replace a media item that remains blank, shows a loading placeholder, or cannot play.
4. Check for extremely large source files, unusually dense effects, or invalid layer timing.
5. Save the draft and retry once with the editor tab kept open.

If the error repeats, note its exact wording and use the [support template](#contact-support).

## Progress appears stuck

A complex section can hold the same displayed percentage longer than the rest of the video. Keep the tab open and allow additional time, especially for long, high-resolution, or effects-heavy drafts.

Before retrying:

* Confirm the device is awake and the internet connection is stable.
* Check whether the browser has already started or completed a download.
* Wait for either a visible error or the top-bar action to return to **Render video**.
* Do not refresh solely because the percentage pauses.

If the attempt clearly ends without a file, check the timeline and media once, then start one new render. If the same behavior happens again, contact support rather than creating more attempts.

## Rendered video is blank or incomplete

Inspect the draft in this order:

1. **Composition duration:** confirm the intended content falls within the canvas duration.
2. **Layer intervals:** verify each layer starts and ends where expected.
3. **Visibility:** check hidden controls, opacity, crop, masks, and layer order.
4. **First and final keyframes:** make sure position, scale, and opacity values do not move content off-canvas or make it transparent.
5. **Parent timing and layout:** confirm grouped or attached items remain active for the required duration.
6. **Effects and transitions:** temporarily simplify any effect that can fully obscure a layer.
7. **Media readiness:** replace sources that show a placeholder, fail to seek, or do not load consistently in the editor.

Create a short test render after isolating the suspected timestamp. Restore one element at a time until the cause is clear.

## Audio is missing or incorrect

Check row mute, item volume, fades, playback speed, and the source file's audio track. A visible waveform confirms that audio was detected, but it does not guarantee the final gain is audible.

Also verify:

* The audio item overlaps the intended timeline range.
* A fade is not longer than the audible part of the clip.
* Speed changes have not shifted the expected source section.
* Overlapping tracks are not masking quieter speech.
* The downloaded MP4 is not muted in the player or browser.

For an isolated test, render a short range of the draft with one known-audible track and no fades, then reintroduce the original mix settings.

## Output does not download

1. Keep the editor tab open after progress completes; a large file can take additional time to save.
2. Open the browser's downloads list and look for an active, completed, interrupted, or blocked item.
3. Allow downloads from Tessact when the browser asks.
4. Confirm there is enough free storage on the device.
5. Check the default Downloads folder before rendering again.
6. If the top bar returned to **Render video** but no download exists, retry once after confirming browser download permissions.

Do not share a temporary download link as the delivery method. Save the MP4 locally, review it, and upload the approved file to its final destination.

## The MP4 plays poorly after download

Test the file in a current browser or media player before changing the draft. If playback is smooth there but not on the delivery platform, compare the platform's accepted resolution, frame rate, duration, file-size, and H.264 requirements.

Fine text, film grain, gradients, and rapid motion are especially sensitive to compression. Review the file at 100% size and inspect the most detailed or fastest-moving section before publishing.

## Contact support

Copy this template and fill in what you can:

```text theme={null}
Draft name:
Workspace name:
Date, time, and time zone of the attempt:
Browser and version:
Operating system:
Canvas size, frame rate, and duration:
Last top-bar state or highest percentage shown:
Exact visible error message:
Did an MP4 appear in the browser's downloads list? yes / no
Timestamp where the output first looks or sounds wrong:
Media type active at that timestamp: video / image / audio / text / caption
Does one careful retry produce the same result? yes / no
Steps to reproduce:
```

Attach a screenshot of the editor and, for an output problem, a short description of what is expected versus what appears in the MP4. Remove private media or sensitive links that are not needed to understand the issue.