The Pro Shaders pack installer is legacy software. It often struggles to automatically detect newer versions of After Effects or Element 3D (such as Element 3D v2.2.3 or later).
Windows User Account Control (UAC) sometimes blocks the installer from creating folders or writing files to the Program Files directory without explicit permission. Step-by-Step Fixes for the Pro Shaders Installer
: Pro Shaders 2 requires Element 3D version 2.2 or higher to function correctly with newer versions of After Effects (CC 2017–2024+). The Pro Shaders pack installer is legacy software
: Element 3D loads the 3D objects, but they appear completely blank, white, or gray because the installer put the shader maps in the wrong directory.
Open After Effects, apply Element 3D to a solid, and click Scene Setup . Look at your preferences to see where your active Asset Root folder is located. By default, it is usually: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\VideoCopilot Move the Files: Step-by-Step Fixes for the Pro Shaders Installer :
It includes over 200 (or 300+ in Pro Shaders 2) tiled physical textures designed to simulate real-world surfaces like metal, concrete, wood, glass, and stone.
Once the files are extracted to your Desktop, manually copy the Pro Shaders folder into your main Element 3D Materials directory (typically found in Documents\VideoCopilot\Materials Video Copilot 3. Proper Installation Order If you are using both Pro Shaders Pro Shaders 2 , specific installation orders can prevent conflict: Pro Shaders 2 Follow immediately with the original Pro Shaders 4. Clean Reinstall (for Persistent Errors) If the shaders still don't appear in the Element 3D Scene Setup Delete the hidden license/config folder at C:/ProgramData/VideoCopilot full Element 3D installer Look at your preferences to see where your
To avoid future "missing file" errors, follow these steps during your next setup: Pro Shaders 2 - Video Copilot
Ensure this folder exists and is not marked as "Read-Only" in Windows Explorer. 3. Redownload the Installer Directly from Video Copilot