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Autograph first project setup checklist

Published May 6, 2026 - Updated June 14 with 2026.0.2 license and 3D Text Smooth Angle checks.

The fastest useful first session in Autograph is not a blank comp. Install and update through Maxon App, use the Welcome Screen to pull a tutorial and open demo projects, make sure the Autograph license is assigned on the machine, and then make one tiny project that proves format, preview, package, and reopen behavior before you start real work.

First 30 minutes

Install or update Autograph from Maxon App's Products area, then launch it once from Maxon App so install state, account state, and license state are checked together.
Open the Welcome Screen and use it as the hub: Tutorials for Cineversity, Inspiration for demo projects, Maxon Studio, Help, Settings, and Maxon App access.
Before blaming Autograph itself, open the current Maxon App, sign in with the intended Maxon account, go to Licenses, and confirm Autograph is assigned or automatically assigned on this machine.
Download one demo project and read the PDF that ships beside it before judging the interface from an empty timeline.
Create a tiny composition with a clear format, duration, frame rate, one text layer, one imported image, and one animated parameter.
Toggle Viewer format overrides and clipping so you understand what is only a preview interpretation and what will define output boundaries.
Save, close Autograph, reopen the project, and confirm the recent-project thumbnail points to the right working state.

Before real work

If Autograph reports no license found, treat it as a Maxon App/account assignment problem first: update Maxon App, sign in again, and check Assign/Transfer before reinstalling plug-ins or changing project files.
If a crash appears only with one project or one media file, make a stripped-down copy before changing the real project: confirm the current Autograph version, try the same operation in a tiny test project, note the codec or footage type, and keep the failing file ready for a support ticket.
On Autograph 2026.0.2, make a throwaway 3D Text layer with Extrude enabled and note Maxon's known Smooth Angle crash caveat; avoid changing Smooth Angle inside a paid project until the release notes say that issue is fixed.
If UI text starts drawing incorrectly, record OS language, GPU, driver state, Autograph version, and any environment variables before changing the project; treat it as a reproducible support case, especially on non-English setups.
Use Faster Preview, Downscale, Motion Blur, and Retime preview switches deliberately; do not mistake preview shortcuts for final render quality.
If the project will move machines, run Collect Files early and make sure the collected copy opens without relinking surprises.
If this will become a reusable generator or template, set the main composition intentionally before packaging.
If Resolve Live Link is part of the plan, check that the Live Link OFX plug-in appears in Resolve before designing the actual template.

Red flags to catch early

Do not wait until delivery to discover that a format override was only a Viewer test, a package has no intended main comp, a Resolve cache is hiding a Live Link failure, or preview settings masked a full-resolution issue. These are setup problems, not creative problems, so they should be found before the design is complicated.

Sources

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