Butthead says there is no composition or stroke
| Message | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| No active composition | Open the composition in a viewer, then select its shape layers. |
| Select shape layers or strokes | Select shape layers containing strokes, or their Stroke properties. Text, solids, and footage are not targets. |
| No strokes in the selection | The selected shape contents have no eligible Stroke. Add one or change the selection. |
| Selected layers are locked | Unlock the target layers. When only some targets are locked, Butthead changes the unlocked targets and reports the skipped count. |
The wrong strokes changed
Selecting a whole layer targets all its strokes. Selecting a path alone also leaves the layer’s strokes in scope. Select the Stroke property itself to isolate it. The selection table covers groups and nested selections.
Undo the action, correct the selection, and try again. A mixed selection does not display separate mixed values in the sample.
An arrowhead is skipped
| Message | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Arrowheads need a pen path | The stroke has a parametric shape above it. Convert the shape to a Bezier path. |
| No path above this stroke | Put a pen path above the Stroke in the same Contents group. |
| Expression error: … | After Effects could not evaluate the generated tip. Butthead removes that failed tip group. Check the path, Stroke, and Trim Paths names and structure, then reapply. Undo if an existing tip was replaced. |
| No arrowheads to change | A size or removal action found no matching tips. Add a tip first when resizing. |
| No Butthead arrowheads here | Remove arrowheads found no generated groups in its selection scope. Select the whole shape layer if you want to remove all its tips. |
Only one line in a group gets tips
Butthead uses the nearest pen path above a Stroke and one arrowhead pair per group. Split the lines into separate groups, each with its own path and Stroke. Remove the old tips, then add the new pairs. See path preparation.
A tip stops following the line or shows an expression error later
Generated expressions refer to paths, strokes, groups, and Trim Paths by name. Renaming or restructuring those contents can break the link. Select the whole layer, use Remove arrowheads, then add the tips again.
If you added or moved Trim Paths after creating the tips, reapply them. Use one path with its own Trim Paths group for predictable draw-on behavior. Tips hide when the controlling Trim Paths shows no visible length.
A tip has the wrong color or size
Solid-stroke tips follow color and opacity. Gradient colors are not copied. For matching tips, use a solid Stroke.
Both ends share the size set by the last arrowhead action. Switching between ×w and px loads the saved default for that mode. A Dot or Square has different proportions from a Triangle at the same Size. See sizing.
Taper does nothing or looks too short
Taper needs After Effects 2020 or later means the native taper properties are unavailable. Use a supported version and stroke.
For a visible pinch, check the native tip widths and taper length units. A tip width of 100% leaves the end at full width. The panel displays percentage lengths but preserves the stroke’s existing length units. See taper compatibility.
Dots, dashes, or March changed unexpectedly
Presets replace existing dash patterns. Dotted sets round caps, and leaving Dotted keeps those caps. Changing stroke width later does not rescale the applied dash lengths. March replaces an existing Offset expression. These changes are described in dotted and dashed lines.
No dashes on this stroke means its dash properties are unavailable. Couldn’t add a dash offset means the pattern may exist even though March could not be enabled. Inspect Dashes in After Effects, undo if needed, and retry on a standard shape Stroke.
The sample looks out of date
Move the pointer out of Butthead and back in, or refocus its panel. The sample is a schematic of the finish, not a rendering of your selected path. Custom dash patterns use a generic dashed preview. It does not animate March in the sample.
Butthead reports an unexpected error
Butthead could not finish or another host error means an action did not complete normally. Inspect the selection before retrying. Use After Effects’ undo history if anything changed before the error. Not done is the compact badge for an unclassified failure.
Nothing to set means a request contained no supported stroke change. Retry using a cap, join, taper, or dash control.