Video Copilot does not have a phone line, but their ticket system is excellent. Before submitting a ticket, gather:
Typical response time: 2–3 days. In my experience, they will often send you a direct OneDrive link to a verified clean installer.
Before clicking "Run as Administrator," you must understand why the installer breaks. Pro Shaders is not a standard .exe file. It is a massive collection of 600+ high-resolution surface textures (metal, wood, plastic, fabric) packaged into a proprietary Video Copilot installer. Video Copilot does not have a phone line,
Walk through this checklist before giving up:
| Step | Action | Status |
|------|--------|--------|
| 1 | Cleared %temp% and rebooted | ☐ |
| 2 | Redownloaded via Chrome (no download manager) | ☐ |
| 3 | Verified file size (4.12 GB) | ☐ |
| 4 | Temporarily disabled antivirus | ☐ |
| 5 | Ran installer as Administrator | ☐ |
| 6 | OR manually extracted with 7-Zip | ☐ |
| 7 | Confirmed Element 3D works alone | ☐ |
| 8 | Loaded a Pro Shader texture in Scene Setup | ☐ | Typical response time: 2–3 days
If you are a motion graphics artist using Adobe After Effects, Video Copilot’s Element 3D is likely a staple in your workflow. However, the plugin is only as good as the materials you apply to it. This is where Pro Shaders comes in.
While installing plugins seems straightforward, the specific file structure of Element 3D often confuses Windows users, leading to "missing assets" or empty preview windows. This article provides a comprehensive guide to downloading, installing, and—most importantly—fixing common issues with Pro Shaders on Windows. Before clicking "Run as Administrator," you must understand
If you purchased Pro Shaders legitimately, you can always find the installer in your Video Copilot Account Dashboard under "My Downloads." This is the safest and most stable method.
Once the installer finally completes (or you manually extracted everything), you need to confirm the shaders work inside After Effects.