# Timeline Action comes empty **URL:** \ **Category:** Flame Questions\ **Tags:** action, timeline\ **Created:** [August 28, 2026, 8:29am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836 "2026-08-28T08:29:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 8:29am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/1 "2026-08-28T08:29:17Z")
Flame on mac 2026.2. Some default setting is mucked up I think. When I add an Action as TLFX, the back media is not added so the result is black. I tried resetting the user prefs in the setup up and tried saving Defaults for the Action node in batch to no avail. Any pointers? ---
**Author:** ![MLandon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@MLandon](https://forum.logik.tv/u/MLandon)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/2 "2026-08-28T20:09:30Z")
Is “Use BG” selected? ---
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/3 "2026-08-28T20:30:11Z")
Yep. ---
**Author:** ![MLandon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@MLandon](https://forum.logik.tv/u/MLandon)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/4 "2026-08-28T21:29:33Z")
Actually I don’t get a BG layer in timeline Action unless the “Use Back” is selected on the right side of the FX ribbon (never really looked before). I wonder if perhaps you have soft effects on the BG layer that need to be rendered first? Alternatively you could hit the “comp” button, and Action will show you the layer comped over the BG. It won’t help you in you want to do any lighting/ shading though. ---
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 11:49am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/5 "2026-08-29T11:49:36Z")
Even if I’m adding it right after the Resize (even if that is rendered) the media list is empty. ---
**Author:** ![johnt](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/johnt/32/14040_2.png) [@johnt](https://forum.logik.tv/u/johnt)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/6 "2026-08-29T14:05:36Z")
That is strange. The only pref I know of is turning bg off by default. Bog standard reply: have you tried a reboot? Or a different ie new timeline in a different project? I’ve had some pretty queer bugs this week unrepeatable by other users on other flames in other projects. ---
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/7 "2026-09-01T12:33:21Z")
I said background doesn’t show up, but it was actually the track that should be added to media 1 that’s not showing up. Maybe this makes better sense? ---
**Author:** ![ytf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/ytf/32/109_2.png) [@ytf](https://forum.logik.tv/u/ytf)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/8 "2026-09-01T15:05:37Z")
Are you sure the output selection is correct? For example you can have z-depth selected but the UI still appears to indicate that the output is Comp(primary). It’s caught me off guard before. Another thing that has tripped me up is having the image set to occlude. ---
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/9 "2026-09-01T15:23:16Z")
This is crazy. To illustrate it I started a new project and tried it on a black frame. IT WORKED. I tried on another clip it didn’t work. I deleted the first action that worked, added another one it didn’t work. So, it works the first time I create a project but then loses its sith. Here are two videos ---
**Author:** ![ytf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/ytf/32/109_2.png) [@ytf](https://forum.logik.tv/u/ytf)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/10 "2026-09-01T15:41:27Z")
That is out of this world crazy. ---
**Author:** ![johnt](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/johnt/32/14040_2.png) [@johnt](https://forum.logik.tv/u/johnt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 10:25am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/11 "2026-09-02T10:25:48Z")
Is there a way in flame to record the process of the computer? Like a bug log but more like recording exaclty the exact lines of code everytime an operation happens? I’ve been trying to make a pyhon script with claude and it made the script make a log - for stuff like this error above, I wonder if it would be useful to diagnose things ---
**Author:** ![Sinan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/sinan/32/155_2.png) [@Sinan](https://forum.logik.tv/u/Sinan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 10:27am UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/12 "2026-09-02T10:27:40Z")
There is a debug mode but I don’t remember how to invoke it or what it provides. Either a dash option when launching, or the blood of your first client. ---
**Author:** ![johnt](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/johnt/32/14040_2.png) [@johnt](https://forum.logik.tv/u/johnt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/13 "2026-09-02T12:11:08Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/thedepartmentofexternalservices/original/2X/4/44d402cf9aa383693d10192b406a20ab7a3272f9.jpeg) Debug is shift D insert but it doesn’t tell you that sort of information ---
**Author:** ![philm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/philm/32/9286_2.png) [@philm](https://forum.logik.tv/u/philm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/14 "2026-09-02T15:26:11Z")
“/opt/Autodesk/flame version/bin/startApplication — debug” But this isn’t really what you want… It’s a shame that I cannot encapsulate a string as code from this damned telephone ---
**Author:** ![aaronneitz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.logik.tv/aaronneitz/32/3874_2.png) [@aaronneitz](https://forum.logik.tv/u/aaronneitz)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/15 "2026-09-02T15:29:49Z")
Don’t have an answer, but I did see this very behavior in Action loading up someone else’s archives on Mac 2026.2. Just timeline FX with Action (titles and supers) ---
**Author:** ![benjidavidson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@benjidavidson](https://forum.logik.tv/u/benjidavidson)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://forum.logik.tv/t/timeline-action-comes-empty/14836/16 "2026-09-17T22:27:53Z")
> [@Sinan](#): > > Flame on mac 2026.2. Some default setting is mucked up I think. When I add an Action as TLFX, the back media is not added so the result is black. I tried resetting the user prefs in the setup up and tried saving Defaults for the Action node in batch to no avail. Any pointers? Had seen this in 26, just opened a fresh proj on a fresh 27 linux build. Worked the first time, and then after that same black empty action for me. @Sinan did you report it, i can vote on it if you did. Desperately trying to move to 27 from 25, and this is a bummer. We also saw timeline resize effects changing from crop edges to center cut after coming back to the same edits after a few days. IF anyone reported that i’ll hop on that, or i can submit if not