567 536

Rendering and exporting

The Segment Sequences At preference is ignored for any render item for which Skip Existing Files is selected in the
render settings. (See Render settings reference.) Chapter 14: Rendering and exporting
Note:
After Effects won’t render and export a segmented movie to the root directory (e.g., C:\). To render and export a segmented
movie, choose an output directory other than the root directory. (See Specify filenames and locations for rendered output.)

Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects Basics of rendering and exporting

Rendering and exporting overview

About the GoPro CineForm codec
What is rendering?
The GoPro CineForm codec is a cross-platform intermediate codec that is commonly used in film and television
workflows that use HD or higher resolution media. Rendering is the creation of the frames of a movie from a composition. The rendering of a frame is the creation of a
composited two-dimensional image from all the layers, settings, and other information in a composition that makes up
In the latest version of After Effects CC and Adobe Media Encoder CC, the GoPro CineForm codec can be used to the model for that image. The rendering of a movie is the frame-by-frame rendering of each of the frames that make
natively decode and encode QuickTime files (.mov). Hence you do not need to install additional codecs to create and up the movie. For more information on how each frame is rendered, see Render order and collapsing transformations.
use QuickTime files.
It is common to speak of rendering as if this term only applies to final output. However, the processes of creating
previews for the Footage, Layer, and Composition panels are also kinds of rendering. In fact, it is possible to save a
GoPro CineForm codec settings preview as a movie and use that as your final output. (See Preview video and audio.)
There are five compression quality settings and two pixel format settings that you can use to adjust your output when After a composition is rendered for final output, it is processed by one or more output modules that encode the
using the GoPro CineForm codec. To export your After Effects projects with the GoPro CineForm codec, do the rendered frames into one or more output files. This process of encoding rendered frames into files for output is one
following: kind of exporting.
1 Select a project in the Render Queue and click the Output Module setting. Note:
• See Project settingsfor more information about project settings that determine how time is displayed in the project,
how color data is treated in the project, and what sampling rate to use for audio.
• See Composition settingsto learn how you can specify composition settings such as resolution, frame size, and pixel
aspect ratio for your final rendered output.
After Effects provides various rendering options that help you accelerate the rendering process. GPU acceleration offers
better speed and precision in rendering your effects. The Video Rendering and Effects dropdown in the Project Settings
dialog box gives you the following GPU effect rendering options to choose from:
• Software Only: CPU is used to render effects
• Mercury GPU Acceleration: GPU is used to render effects. On Mac, Mercury GPU Acceleration can use OpenCL
or Metal. On Windows, GPU effect rendering uses either CUDA or OpenCL based on your selection.
Note: GPU-accelerated effects may render with small color precision differences in an 8-bpc project when compared
to CPU-only rendering. Set the project to 16-bpc or 32-bpc for accurate results.
After you have completed a composition, you can output a movie file. There are two different methods of outputting a
movie file. Choose the one based on your needs.

2 Choose QuickTime as the output format in the Format drop-down list and click Format Options.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 537 566
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

You might need a movie file for the following reasons: 7 Unless the network can handle large file transfers rapidly, copy the project file and all its source footage to each
rendering computer.
• You need a high-quality movie (with or without an alpha channel) or image sequence that will be placed in a
Premiere Pro sequence, or used in another video editing, compositing, or 3D graphics application. 8 Open the Render Queue panel on each computer and click Render. You do not need to start rendering on each
computer simultaneously, but to ensure equal workloads, start them at approximately the same time. As each
To create a high-quality movie file, render it with the Render Queue. See Render and export with the Render Queue
computer finishes rendering a frame, After Effects searches the Output folder for the next unrendered frame and
panel
starts rendering again.
• You need a compressed movie that will be played on the web, or used for DVD or Blu-ray disc. 9 You can stop and start any computer at any time. However, if you stop a computer without starting it again, the frame
To create a high-quality movie file that is compressed for the web, DVD, or Blu-ray disc, encode it using the Adobe that it was rendering may not be finished. If one or more computers stop during rendering, starting any one
Media Encoder. See Render and export with Adobe Media Encoder computer ensures that all frames in the sequence get rendered.
Note:
Run aerender in non-royalty bearing mode
Some kinds of exporting don’t involve rendering and are for intermediate stages in a workflow, not for final output. For
After Effects CS5.5 had to be serialized on render-only machines due to licensing issues. In After Effects CS6 and later,
example, you can export a project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project by choosing File > Export > Adobe Premiere Pro
you can now run aerender or use Watch Folder in a non-royalty bearing mode, so serialization not required.
Project. The project information is saved without rendering. In general, data transferred through Dynamic Link is not
rendered. To ensure that After Effects is running in non-royalty bearing mode, place a blank file named ae_render_only_node.txt
into the following location:
A movie can be made into a single output file that contains all the rendered frames, or it can be made into a sequence
of still images (as you would do when creating output for a film recorder). 1 Install After Effects on the render-only machine.

To generate output, you can either render your compositions using the After Effects render queue or add your • Mac locations:
compositions to the Adobe Media Encoder queue with the render settings that you have chosen in the Render Queue /Users/<username>/Documents/
panel.
/Users/Shared/Adobe/
For the Render Queue, After Effects uses an embedded version of the Adobe Media Encoder to encode most movie
• Windows locations:
formats through the Render Queue panel. When you manage render and export operations with the Render Queue
panel, the embedded version of the Adobe Media Encoder is called automatically. The Adobe Media Encoder appears C:\\Users\\<username>\\Documents
only in the form of the export settings dialog boxes with which you specify some encoding and output settings. (See
C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\Adobe
Encoding and compression options for movies.)
Note:
Segment settings
The embedded version of the Adobe Media Encoder used to manage export settings within After Effects output modules Segment settings are in the Output preferences category.
does not provide all the features of the full, stand-alone Adobe Media Encoder application.

From an expert: Using the Render Queue to export files

Choose Edit > Preferences > Output (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Output (Mac OS).
From an expert: Using the Render Queue to export files
After Effects can render sequences and movie files into segments that are limited to a specified number of files or by
file size. This is useful when preparing a movie for a medium such as CD-ROM, for which file or folder size may need
Render and export with the Render Queue panel to be limited to chunks of 650 MB or less. Use the Segment Video-only Movie Files At value to set the maximum size
The primary way of rendering and exporting movies from After Effects is through the Render Queue panel. for segments in megabytes. Use the Segment Sequences At value to set the maximum number of still-image files in a
folder.
When you place a composition into the Render Queue panel, it becomes a render item. You can add many render items
to the render queue, and After Effects can render multiple items in a batch, unattended. When you click the Render If you are exporting a movie that is larger than the maximum file size for your hard disk formatting scheme, then you
button in the upper-right corner of the Render Queue panel, all items with the status of Queued are rendered and can set the Segment Video-only Movie Files At value to a value under this maximum. Hard disks formatted for
output in the order in which they are listed in the Render Queue panel. Windows can be formatted using the FAT, FAT32, or NTFS scheme. The maximum file size in the FAT scheme is 2 GB,
and the maximum file size in the FAT32 scheme is 4 GB. The maximum size for a file for NTFS is large (approximately
16 terabytes), so you are unlikely to reach this limit with a single movie.
Only movies that do not contain audio can be segmented. If an output module includes audio, the Segment Video-only
You do not need to render a movie multiple times to export it to multiple formats with the same render settings. You can
Movie Files At preference is ignored for that item.
export multiple versions of the same rendered movie by adding output modules to a render item in the Render Queue panel.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 565 538
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

When working with multiple render items, it is often useful to add comments in the Comment column in the Render Queue
panel. If the Comment column is not visible, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a column heading, and
choose Columns > Comment.

Manage render items

In the Render Queue panel, you can manage several render items at once, each with its own render settings and output
module settings.
Render settings determine the following characteristics:

A Computer with full version of After Effects B Save a project and all source files to a folder on a server C Computers with the render engine • Output frame rate
installed D Open the project and render a still-frame sequence to a designated output folder on the server
• Duration
You can use any number of computers for rendering; in general, the more computers, the faster the rendering. However, • Resolution
if too many computers are used across a busy network, network traffic may slow down the entire process. You can detect • Layer quality
network slowdown by observing the time spent in the Compressing & Writing stage in the Current Render section of
Output module settings—which are applied after render settings—determine post-rendering characteristics such as the
the Render Queue panel.
following:
Note:
• Output format
Adobe does not provide technical support for general network configuration; consult your network administrator.
• Compression options

Render a still-image sequence with multiple computers • Cropping

Important points in the process of rendering a still image sequence with multiple computers: • Whether to embed a link to the project in the output file

• To render a still-image sequence with multiple computers, you can use any number of computers. You can create templates that contain commonly used render settings and output module settings.

• When you render a still-image sequence with multiple computers, rendering in each copy of After Effects starts at Using the Render Queue panel, you can render the same composition to different formats or with different settings, all
approximately the same time. with one click of the Render button:
• If your queued render items are set to Skip Existing Files (a Render Settings option), the render process skips the • You can output to a sequence of still images, such as a Cineon sequence, which you can then transfer to film for
existing frames or frames in progress. cinema projection.
• Multiple computers can render the project simultaneously, writing the still-image sequence to a single folder. • You can output using lossless compression (or no compression) to a QuickTime container for transfer to a non-
To render a still-image sequence, follow these steps: linear editing (NLE) system for video editing.
You can select, duplicate, and reorder render items using many of the same keyboard shortcuts that you use for working
1 Install After Effects on each computer that is used to render the project. Make sure that you have the same fonts
with layers and other items. See General.
installed on each computer.
Note: Note:

Do not share plug-ins across a network. Make sure that you have a copy of the plug-ins folder on each computer that is To transfer the output rendered from After Effects to film or video, you must have the proper hardware for film or video
running After Effects. When using third-party plug-ins, also be sure that the same plug-ins are available on all transfer, or have access to a service bureau that can provide transfer services.
computers and that you have sufficient licenses for the plug-ins.
Render and export a movie using the render queue
2 Open the project on one computer and select Composition > Add To Render Queue.
1 Select the composition from which to make a movie in the Project panel, and then do one of the following to add
3 In Render Queue panel, specify a format in the Output Module area, and specify a folder in the Output To area. the composition to the render queue:
This folder must be available for all the computers that are rendering.
• Choose Composition > Add To Render Queue.
4 In the Render Queue panel, select Skip Existing Files (allow multi-machine rendering) in the Render Settings
• Drag the composition to the Render Queue panel.
section so that multiple computers do not render the same frames. Do not use multiple output modules for one
render item when using skip existing files.
5 Save the project on the computer where you opened it in step 2.
To create a composition from a footage item and immediately add that composition to the render queue, drag the footage
6 On each computer that will be rendering, open and save the project. Saving the project ensures that After Effects
item from the Project panel to the Render Queue panel. It is a convenient way to convert a footage item from one format
records the new relative paths to each computer in the following step.
to another.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 539 564
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

2 Click the triangle next to the Output To heading in the Render Queue panel to choose a name for the output file Track dependencies of a watch-folder render
based on a naming convention, and then choose a location; or click the text next to the Output To heading to enter You can track render dependencies when you render over a network by setting Post-Render Action options. When you
any name. (See Specify filenames and locations for rendered output.) set these options, After Effects confirms that all of the items that have to be rendered are ready and available. For
3 Click the triangle to the right of the Render Settings heading to choose a render settings template, or click the example, if one item depends on another to render, and the first has not finished rendering or has received an error, the
underlined text to the right of the Render Settings heading to customize the settings. (See Render settings.) second does not render.

4 Choose a Log type from the Log menu. You can use this process to render a single QuickTime or AVI movie from a watch-folder render. The movie is created
on only one computer.
When a log file has been written, the path to the log file appears under the Render Settings heading and Log menu.
Note:
5 Click the triangle to the right of the Output Module heading to choose an output module settings template, or click
the underlined text to the right of the Output Module heading to customize the settings. You use the output module This procedure assumes that you have already created a multiple-computer watch-folder.
settings to specify the file format of the output movie. In some cases, a format-specific dialog box opens after you
1 In the Render Queue panel, drag the output module to the Project panel. After Effects creates a placeholder for that
choose a format, in which you can choose format-specific settings. (See Output modules and output module
item’s output.
settingsand Encoding and compression options for movies.)
2 Drag the placeholder back to the Render Queue panel.
When an output name and location have been set, and render settings and an output module have been selected, the
entry in the Render column automatically becomes selected (shown by a check mark) and the status changes to 3 Set the render settings and output module settings for the placeholder, and click Render.
Queued. The status Queued means that the render item is in the render queue.
Start in watch-folder mode
Watch-folder mode applies only to rendering from a folder on your local computer.

Press Caps Lock before you start rendering to prevent the Composition panel from displaying rendered frames. By not • To start After Effects in watch-folder mode automatically, save a project with the filename Watch This Folder.aep.
updating the Composition panel, After Effects requires less time to process simple render items with many frames. After Effects watches the folder containing the project if you open that project.

6 Click the Render button in the upper-right corner of the Render Queue panel.
• To start After Effects in watch-folder mode when you start your computer, create a shortcut (Windows) or alias (Mac
OS) to the Watch This Folder.aep project and move it to your Startup folder (Windows) or your Startup Items folder
Rendering a composition into a movie can take a few seconds or many hours, depending on the composition’s frame (Mac OS). After Effects watches the folder containing the project if you open that project.
size, quality, complexity, and compression method. As After Effects renders the item, you are unable to work in the
program. An audio alert indicates when rendering is complete. • (Windows only) To start After Effects in watch-folder mode from the command line, choose Start > Run, and then
enter the following, modifying the application path to the exact name of the folder in which you installed After
See this tutorial to learn how to use the render queue to export files. Effects, and replacing C:\[temp] with the path to your watch folder: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects
When rendering of a render item is complete, it remains in the Render Queue panel with its status changed to Done CC\Support Files\afterfx.exe" -wf C:\[temp]
until you remove the item from the Render Queue panel. You cannot rerender a completed item, but you can duplicate
it to create a new item in the queue with the same settings or with new settings.

To start the After Effects render engine rather than the full version of After Effects, use the -re option with the command.
Note:
After an item has been rendered, you can import the finished movie as a footage item by dragging its output module from
You can also use this command line in batch files.
the Render Queue panel into the Project panel. (See Import footage items.)

Render item statuses Render farming - Render a still-image sequence with multiple computers
Each render item has a status, which appears in the Status column in the Render Queue panel: Render farming is when a network of computers is used together to render a single composition. You can set this up to
Unqueued The render item is listed in the Render Queue panel but is not ready to render. Confirm that you have
work with render-only versions of After Effects called render engines. Render farming helps reduce the time a single
selected the desired render settings and output module settings, and then select the Render option to queue the render machine takes to export a composition. You can use multiple computers and multiple copies of After Effects to render
item. a composition across a network. You can use multiple computers to render only still-image sequences; you cannot use
multiple computers to render a single movie.
Queued The render item is ready to render.
Aharon Rabinowitz provides a video tutorial on the Creative COW website that goes through and explains the steps for
Needs Output An output filename has not been specified. Choose a value from the Output To menu, or click the rendering a still-image sequence with multiple computers.
underlined Not Yet Specified text next to the Output To heading to specify a filename and path.
Set up the network
Follow the process illustrated in the image to understand the requirements to set up the network.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 563 540
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

• Each Macintosh computer monitoring the watch folder must have a unique name. Because the default names of Failed After Effects was unsuccessful in rendering the render item. Use a text editor to view the log file for specific
computers are often identical, you should rename your computers to not use the default name. information on why the rendering was unsuccessful. When a log file has been written, the path to the log file appears
under the Render Settings heading and Log menu.
• Make sure that all servers and clients (computers monitoring the watch folder) have hard drives with unique names.
User Stopped The rendering process was stopped.
• Do not use the same computer to serve a watch folder and to run After Effects in Watch Folder mode. Use a
dedicated server that’s accessible to all render engines to serve your watch folder. Done The rendering process for the item is complete.
• Do not render to or initiate Watch Folder mode on the root of a volume or a shared folder that appears as the root
when viewed from another computer. Specify a subfolder instead. Also, avoid using high-ASCII or other extended Manage render items and change render statuses
characters and slashes in filenames. For multiple-computer rendering, After Effects includes the Multi-Machine • Select the source composition for a render item in the Project panel: Right-click (Windows) or Control-click
sample template that you can use as a starting point. (Mac OS) the render item and choose Reveal Composition In Project from the context menu.
• Remove a render item from the render queue (change its status from Queued to Unqueued): Deselect the item
entry in the Render column. The item remains in the Render Queue panel.
When rendering across a network that includes volumes using different network or operating systems, such as Windows, • Change the status of a render item from Unqueued to Queued: Select the item in the Render column.
Mac OS, Novell, and UNIX, make sure that you specify output files using a file-naming convention that’s compatible with • Remove a render item from the Render Queue panel: Select the item and press Delete, or choose Edit > Clear.
all rendering or destination volumes.
• Rearrange items in the Render Queue panel: Drag an item up or down the queue. A heavy black line appears
between render items, indicating where the item will be placed. You can also reorder selected render items by
Project considerations
choosing Layer > Arrange, and then choosing Bring Render Item Forward, Send Render Item Backward, Bring
Make sure that you install all fonts, effects, and encoders (compressors) used in the project on all computers monitoring Render Item To Front, or Send Render Item To Back
the watch folder. If a computer monitoring the watch folder can’t find fonts, effects, or encoders used in a project, the
render fails. • Move selected render items up (earlier) in the render queue: Press Ctrl+Alt+Up Arrow (Windows) or
Command+Option+Up Arrow (Mac OS).
When you install an After Effects render engine on a computer, it contains all the plug-ins included with After Effects.
• Move selected render items down (later): Press Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow (Windows) or Command+Option+Down
If a composition uses a plug-in from another manufacturer, the plug-in must be present on all computers to render the
Arrow (Mac OS).
composition. However, support for network rendering varies among plug-in manufacturers. Before you set up a
network to render effects created by third-party plug-ins, see the documentation for your plug-ins or contact the plug- • Move selected render items to the top of the render queue: Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Up Arrow (Windows) or
in manufacturers and get answers to the following questions: Command+Option+Shift+Up Arrow (Mac OS).

• Does the license agreement for the plug-in allow installing multiple copies on a network for the purposes of • Move selected render items to the bottom (end) of the render queue: Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Down Arrow
rendering? (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift+Down Arrow (Mac OS).

• Are there any other limitations or tips that apply to using the plug-in for network rendering? • Duplicate a render item: Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the render item and choose a command
from the context menu:
Collect Files folder considerations • Render with the same filename: Choose Duplicate With File Name.
When you use the File > Collect Files command, files relevant to a project are copied to a single folder. This folder • Render with a new filename: Choose Duplicate, click the underlined filename next to Output To, enter a new
includes a copy of the project file, a render control file (RCF), and other files, depending on the options you choose in filename, and click Save.
the Collect Files dialog box. If you save the Collect Files folder to a networked computer other than a server, don’t run
a render engine on that computer. Avoid saving the Collect Files folder to a local disk, the root level of a disk (such as
Pause or stop rendering
C: in Windows or the Macintosh HD in Mac OS), or a shared folder, all of which can signify different locations to each
If the disk (to which an output module is writing) runs out of space, After Effects pauses the render operation. You can
render engine. All render engines must interpret the path in the same way.
clear additional disk space and then resume rendering and exporting.
• To pause rendering, click Pause. To resume rendering, click Continue.
While rendering is paused, you cannot change settings or use After Effects in any other way.
Once the collected files appear in the watch folder, all monitoring render engines start rendering automatically. If you prefer,
you can use the Collect Files command to store compositions and their source footage to a specified location and then • To stop rendering with the purpose of starting the same render over again, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click
initiate the watch-folder rendering process later. Doing so renders the projects in alphabetical order, rather than the order (Mac OS) Stop.
in which they were saved to the location. The render item for which rendering was stopped is assigned the status User Stopped, and a new item with the status
of Queued is added to the Render Queue panel. The new item uses the same output filename and has the same
duration as the original render item.
• To stop rendering with the purpose of resuming the same render, click Stop.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 541 562
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

The render item for which rendering was stopped is assigned the status User Stopped, and a new item with the status –output output_path output_path is a file path or URI specifying the destination for the final
of Unqueued is added to the Render Queue panel. The new item uses an incremented output filename and resumes output file. If this argument is not used, aerender uses the path
rendering at the before frame at which rendering was stopped—so the first frame of the new item is the last defined in the project file.
successfully rendered frame of the stopped item. –log log_file_path log_file_path is a file path or URI specifying the location of the log file.
If this argument is not used, aerender uses standard output (stdout).

Information shown for current render operations –sound sound_flag If sound_flag is ON, a sound is played when rendering is complete.
Basic information about the current batch of renders is shown at the bottom of the Render Queue panel: Default is OFF.

Message A status message. For example, Rendering 1 of 4. –close close_flag close_flag specifies whether to close the project when rendering is
complete, and whether or not to save changes:
RAM Memory available for the rendering process.
DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES: (default) The project is closed without
saving changes.
Renders Started The date and time at which the current batch of renders was started.
SAVE_CHANGES: The project is closed and changes are saved.
Total Time Elapsed The rendering time elapsed (not counting pauses) since the current batch of renders was started.
DO_NOT_CLOSE: The project is left open if using an already-running
Most Recent Error The path where the log files are located. instance of After Effects. (New instances of After Effects must always
quit when done.)

-rqindex index_in_render_queue -rqindex works just like -comp, except that it won’t create a render item
from the composition automatically.
To view more information about the current render operation, click the triangle to the left of the Current Render heading.
-mp More processes may be created to render multiple frames
The Current Render pane collapses (closes) after a short time. To prevent it from collapsing after a time-out period, Alt- simultaneously, depending on system configuration and preference
click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the triangle next to the Current Render heading. To view details of a completed settings. (See Memory & Multiprocessing preferences.)
render, review the log file. When a log file has been written, the path to the log file appears under the Render Settings -continueOnMissingFootage The render operation continues even if a source footage item is
heading and Log menu. missing.

Change the render-complete sounds Lloyd Alvarez provides a script on his After Effects Scripts website that takes items that are ready to render in the render
A chime plays when all items in the render queue have been rendered and exported; a different sound plays if a render queue and sends them to render in the background using aerender.
operation fails. You can change the render-complete sounds by replacing files named rnd_okay.wav and rnd_fail.wav
in the sounds folder. The sounds folder is in the following location: Network rendering with watch folders and render engines
• Program Files\\Adobe\\Adobe After Effects CC 2015\\Support Files (Windows) You can render one or more compositions from a project using multiple computers over a network in a fraction of the
• Applications/Adobe After Effects CC/Contents/Resources (Mac OS) time that a single computer would require. Network rendering involves copying the project and source files to a
networked folder, and then rendering the project. A network of computers used together to render a single composition
is sometimes called a render farm.
Render and export with Adobe Media Encoder
Render farming is when a network of computers is used together to render a single composition. You can set this up to
work with render-only versions of After Effects called render engines.
From an expert: Export a composition from After Effects to Adobe Media You can install render engines in the same manner as the full version of the application. You run the render engine using
Encoder the Adobe After Effects Render Engine shortcut in the Adobe After Effects CC folder. For more information, see same
From an expert: Export a composition from After Effects to Adobe Media Encoder composition Setup and installation.

You can also export After Effects compositions directly into Adobe Media Encoder, which offers the flexibility to You cannot use a watch folder and multiple render engines to simultaneously render a single movie file. However, in
continue working in After Effects while files are being processed. When you use Adobe Media Encoder, you can also render farming, you can use multiple render engines to render a movie as a sequence of still-image files. You can then
use additional presets and options that are not available in the After Effects Render Queue. use a post-render action to create a single movie file from that still-image sequence. For more information, see Post-
render actions.
You can add your composition to the Adobe Media Encoder Queue using one of the following methods:
• Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue (Composition > Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue or File > Export > Network considerations
Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue) for final rendering using presets and settings specified in Adobe Media When working with multiple render engines on multiple computers, keep in mind the following guidelines:
Encoder.
• When possible, identify folders using absolute file paths so that the paths are correctly identified for all render
engines. Identifying folders using absolute file paths may mean mapping network drives to a particular drive letter
on all computers (for example, H:\renders\watch\). Avoid using relative paths (for example, \\renders\watch).

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 561 542
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

• Queue in AME button in the render queue (Window > Render Queue) for rendering a draft copy of your
Argument Description
composition using the render settings specified in the rendering queue, while you continue to work on the
–help Print usage message. composition.
–version Display the version number of aerender to the console. Does not For information about using Adobe Media Encoder for rendering, see Encode video or audio items in Adobe Media
render.
Encoder.
–v verbose_flag verbose_flag specifies the kind of messages reported:
Note:
ERRORS: Reports only fatal and problem errors.
The output module settings, such as format settings or color channel selection, are not transferred to Adobe Media
ERRORS_AND_PROGRESS: (default) Reports errors and progress of
rendering.
Encoder when you choose the Queue in AME option. The output filename and location are transferred, however,
Adobe Media Encoder does not use the filename and location templates, which may result in image sequence
–reuse Reuse the currently running instance of After Effects (if found) to numbering mismatch.
perform the render. When an already running instance is used,
aerender saves preferences to disk when rendering has completed,
but does not quit After Effects. If this argument is not used, aerender Add a composition directly to Adobe Media Encoder
starts a new instance of After Effects, even if one is already running. It
quits that instance when rendering has completed, and does not save To add a composition to Adobe Media Encoder, do the following:
preferences.
1 Drag the After Effects project containing the composition you want to encode into the Encoding Queue in Adobe
–mem_usage image_cache_percentmax_mem_percent image_cache_percent specifies the maximum percentage of memory Media Encoder.
used to cache already rendered images and footage.
max_mem_percent specifies the total percentage of memory that You can add a composition to Adobe Media Encoder from After Effects. Do one of the following:
After Effects can use. For both values, if installed RAM is less than a
given amount (n gigabytes), the value is a percentage of the installed • Choose Composition > Add To Adobe Media Encoder Queue
RAM, and is otherwise a percentage of n. The value of n is 2 GB for 32-
bit Windows, 4 GB for 64-bit Windows, and 3.5 GB for Mac OS. • Choose File > Export > Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue

–project project_path project_path is a file path or URI specifying a project file to open. If this • Press Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows) or Command+Option+M (Mac OS)
argument is not used, aerender works with the currently open project.
2 The Import After Effects Composition dialog box opens. Choose the composition you want to encode.
If no project is specified and no project is open, the result is an error.
3 Encode the file as you normally would by choosing presets and an output location in Adobe Media Encoder.
–comp comp_name comp_name specifies a composition to render. If the composition is in
the render queue already, then the first instance of that composition
in the render queue is rendered. If the composition is in the project but Add a composition from render queue to Adobe Media Encoder
not in the render queue, then it is added to the render queue and
rendered. If this argument is not used, aerender renders the entire To add a composition to the Adobe Media Encoder with render settings for draft rendering:
render queue; in this case, only the –project, –log, –output, –v, –
mem_usage, and –close arguments are used, and all other arguments 1 Choose Composition > Add to Render Queue or press the keyboard shortcut Control + M (Windows) or Command
are ignored. + M (Mac).
–s start_frame start_frame is the first frame to render. If this argument is not used, 2 In the Render Queue panel, click the Queue in AME button.
aerender uses the start frame in the file.

–e end_frame end_frame is the last frame to render. If this argument is not provided, Choosing formats and output settings
aerender uses the end frame in the file.
After Effects provides various formats and compression options for output. Which format and compression options
–i increment increment is the number of frames to advance before rendering a new you choose depends on how your output will be used. For example, if the movie that you render from After Effects is
frame. A value of 1 (the default) causes normal rendering of all frames. the final product that will be played directly to an audience, then you need to consider the medium from which you’ll
Higher values render a frame and use it increment times in output, and
then skip ahead increment frames to begin the cycle again. Higher
play the movie and what limitations you have on file size and data rate. By contrast, if the movie that you create from
values result in faster renders but choppier motion. After Effects is an intermediate product that will be used as input to a video editing system, then you should output
without compression to a format compatible with the video editing system. (See Planning your work.)
–OMtemplate output_module_template output_module_template is the name of a template to apply to the
output module. If the template does not exist, using this argument Keep in mind the fact that you can use different encoding and compression schemes for different phases of your
causes an error. If this argument is not used, aerender uses the
template already defined for the output module. workflow. For example, you may choose to export a few frames as full-resolution still images (for example, TIFF files)
when you need approval from a customer about the colors in a shot; whereas you may export the movie using a lossy
–RStemplate render_sett ings_template render_settings_template is the name of a template to apply to the
encoding scheme (for example, H.264) when you need approval for the timing of the animation.
render item. If the template does not exist, using this argument causes
an error. If this argument is not used, aerender uses the render
template already defined for the item.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 543 560
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

Supported output formats 9 Record both movies to the same device.

You can add the ability to export other kinds of data by installing plug-ins or scripts provided by parties other than 10 Play both movies.
Adobe. One movie will look distorted and have jumpy horizontal motion or shape distortion during vertical motion. The
Unless otherwise noted, all image file formats are exported at 8 bits per channel (bpc). other movie will play back smoothly, with sharply defined edges. Use the field order for the smooth-playing movie
whenever you render movies with that particular hardware configuration.
Video and animation formats
• QuickTime (MOV)
• Video for Windows (AVI; Windows only) Automated rendering and network rendering

To create an animated GIF movie, first render and export a QuickTime movie from After Effects. Then import the
QuickTime movie into Photoshop and export the movie to animated GIF. Automating rendering with aerender
Video project formats The executable file aerender.exe is a program with a command-line interface with which you can automate rendering.
The executable file is located in the same folder as the primary After Effects application. The default locations for this
• Adobe Premiere Pro project (PRPROJ) file are:
Still-image formats • Windows: \Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CC\Support Files
• Adobe Photoshop (PSD) • Mac OS: /Applications/Adobe After Effects CC
• Cineon (CIN, DPX) You can use the aerender application to perform rendering operations on multiple computers as part of a render farm,
• Maya IFF (IFF) or you can use the aerender application on a single computer as part of a batch operation.

• JPEG (JPG, JPE) You use the program by entering the command aerender on the command line (or in a batch script), followed by a series
of optional arguments. Some of the arguments are simple options that take no arguments of their own (for example, -
• OpenEXR (EXR)
reuse), whereas others take arguments of their own (for example, -project project_path).
• PNG (PNG)
• Radiance (HDR, RGBE, XYZE)
• SGI (SGI, BW, RGB)
Enter the command aerender -help to show usage information.
• Targa (TGA, VBA, ICB, VST)
The version and build number of the application are written to standard output (stdout).
• TIFF (TIF)
The render may be performed either by an already running instance of After Effects or by a newly started instance. By
Audio-only formats default, aerender starts a new instance of After Effects, even if one is already running. To instead use the currently
• Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) running instance, use the –reuse argument.
• MP3 This example command tells After Effects to render frames 1 through 10 of Composition_1 in project_1.aep to a
• WAV numbered sequence of Photoshop files using a multi-computer render:
aerender -project c:\projects\project_1.aep -comp "Composition_1" -s 1 -e 10
-RStemplate "Multi-Machine Settings" -OMtemplate "Multi-Machine Sequence"
Collect files in one location -output c:\output\project_1\frames[####].psd
The Collect Files command gathers copies of all the files in a project or composition into a single location. Use this To render just Composition_1 to a specified file, enter this command:
command before rendering, for archiving, or for moving a project to a different computer system or user account.
aerender -project c:\projects\project_1.aep -comp "Composition_1" -output c
When you use the Collect Files command, After Effects creates a new folder and the following information is saved in :\output\project_1\project_1.avi
the new folder:
To render everything in the render queue with current settings in the project file, enter this command:
• A new copy of the project
aerender -project c:\projects\project_1.aep
• Copies of the footage files
• Proxy files as specified

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 559 544
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

3 Adjust the render settings as desired, and click Render. • A report describing the files, effects, and fonts necessary to re-create the project and render the compositions.
After you collect files, you can continue making changes to a project, but be aware that those changes are stored with
Introduce 3:2 pulldown the original project and not with the newly collected version.
If you are creating output for film that’s been transferred to video, or if you want to simulate a film look for animation, 1 Choose File > Dependencies > Collect Files.
use 3:2 pulldown. Footage items that were originally film transferred to video and had 3:2 pulldown removed when 2 In the Collect Files dialog box, choose an appropriate option for Collect Source Files.
imported into After Effects can be rendered back to video with 3:2 pulldown reintroduced. You can introduce 3:2
All Collects all footage files, including unused footage and proxies.
pulldown by choosing one of five different phases. (See Remove 3:2 or 24Pa pulldown from video.)
For All Comps Collects all footage files and proxies used in any composition in the project.
Note:
For Selected Comps Collects all footage files and proxies used in compositions currently selected in the Project
It is important to match the phase of a segment that had 3:2 pulldown removed if it will be edited back into the video footage
panel.
it came from.
For Queued Comps Collects all footage files and proxies used directly or indirectly in any of the compositions with
1 In the Render Queue panel, select the render item and then click the underlined text next to the Render Settings
a Queued status in the Render Queue panel.
heading.
None (Project Only) Copies the project to a new location without collecting any source footage.
2 For Field Render, choose a field order.
3 For 3:2 Pulldown, choose a phase. 3 Select other options, as appropriate:
Generate Report Only Selecting this option does not copy the files and proxies.
4 Select other settings as appropriate, and then click Render.
Chris and Trish Meyer provides an overview of 3:2 pulldown in an article on the Artbeats website. Obey Proxy Settings Use this option with compositions that include proxies to specify whether you want the copy
to include the current proxy settings. If this option is selected, only the files used in the composition are copied. If
this option is not selected, the copy contains both proxies and source files, so you can later change proxy settings in
Test field-rendering order the collected version.
When you render a composition containing separated footage, set the Field Rendering option to the same field order Note:
as your video equipment. If you field-render with the incorrect settings, the final movie may appear too soft, jerky, or
distorted. A simple test can determine the order in which your video equipment requires fields. If you choose For Queued Comps in the Collect Source Files dialog box, After Effects uses the proxy settings from the
render settings, not the composition.
Note:
Reduce Project Removes all unused footage items and compositions from the collected files when the following
The field order might get altered if you change the hardware or software of your production setup. For example, changing options are chosen in the Collect Source Files menu: For All Comps, For Selected Comps, and For Queued Comps.
your device control software or VCR after setting the field order can reverse your fields. Therefore, any time you change
Change Render Output To Use to redirect the output modules to render files to a named folder in the collected files
your setup, test the field-rendering order.
folder. This option ensures that you have access to your rendered files when you’re rendering the project from
The test takes about 15 minutes and involves creating two movie versions of the same composition (one rendered with another computer. Rendering status must be valid (Queued, Unqueued, or Will Continue) for the output modules
Upper Field First and one with Lower Field First), and then playing the movies to see which choice looks right. to render files to this folder.
1 Create a simple composition with the correct frame size and frame rate. Choose an NTSC or PAL preset in the Enable ‘Watch Folder’ Render You can use the Collect Files command to save projects to a specified watch folder
Composition Settings dialog box, and make the composition at least 3 seconds long. and then initiate watch-folder rendering over a network. After Effects also includes a render control file called
2 Within the composition, make a layer that is a small rectangular solid. The layer can be any color as long as it [project name]_RCF.txt, which signals to watching computers that the project is available for rendering. After Effects
contrasts sharply with the composition background. You may want to add a title (such as “Upper Field First”) to the and any installed render engines can then render the project together across a network. (See Set up watch-folder
solid to make identification of the movie easier. rendering.)

3 Apply some fast movement to the solid using keyframes in its Position property. Set keyframes from the upper-left Maximum Number Of Machines Use to specify the number of render engines or licensed copies of After Effects that
of the Composition panel to the lower-right for 1 second. you want to allocate to render the collected project. Below this option, After Effects reports how many items in the
project will be rendered using more than one computer.
4 Save the project, and then drag the composition to the Render Queue panel.
Note:
5 Click the underlined Render Settings name, and then choose Upper Field First from the Field Render menu.
6 Click OK, and then click Render to make the movie. If rendering time is unusually long, you may have set Maximum Number Of Machines too high, and the network
overhead required to track rendering progress among all computers is out of proportion to the time spent actually
7 In the composition, change the color of the solid in the Composition panel, and add a new title, such as “Lower Field rendering frames. The optimal number depends on many variables related to the network configuration and the
First”, to identify it. computers on it; experiment to determine the optimal number for your network.
8 Render the composition again, choosing Lower Field First from the Field Render menu in the Render Settings dialog
box.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 545 558
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

4 To add your own information to the report that will be generated, click Comments, enter your notes, and click OK. resulting composition rendered at full resolution and best quality will have better image quality than if you had resized
The comments appear at the end of the report. the movie. However, this method also renders slower than if you created a composition and resized it.
5 Click Collect. Name the folder and specify a location for your collected files. Note:
Once you start the file collection, After Effects creates the folder and copies the specified files to it. The folder To create a draft movie with specific dimensions, use both the Resize option and reduced resolution in the rendered
hierarchy is the same as the hierarchy of folders and footage items in your project. The new folder includes a composition.
(Footage) folder and may include an output folder (if you selected Change Render Output To).
Resize the composition For example, if you create a 320x240 composition and render it at full resolution, you can set
The names of these folders appear in parentheses to signal to any attending render engines that they should not search the Resize value in the Output Module Settings dialog box to 200% to create a 640x480 movie. For a composition
these folders for projects. rendered at full resolution, the image quality is usually acceptable.
Note:
Specify filenames and locations for rendered output
Do not use resizing to change the vertical dimensions of a movie with field rendering. Resizing vertically mixes the field
order, which distorts any motion. Use either cropping or composition nesting if you need to vertically resize a field-rendered
movie.
You can locate a previously rendered item or check the destination of a queued render item by expanding the Output Crop the composition To enlarge a movie by a few pixels, increase the size using negative values for the Crop options
Module group in the Render Queue panel and clicking the underlined file path, or by right-clicking (Windows) or Control- in the Output Module Settings dialog box. For example, to increase the size of a movie by 2 pixels, enter –2 in the
clicking (Mac OS) the Output Module heading. Cropping section of the Output Module Settings dialog box. Remember that negative cropping adds to one side of a
movie, so objects originally centered in the composition may not appear centered when the movie is cropped.
Specify the filename and location for a single render item
Note:
• To manually enter a filename and destination folder, click the underlined text next to the Output To heading.
Adding an odd number of pixels to the top of a field-rendered movie reverses the field order. For example, if you add one
• To name a file using a file naming template, click the triangle next to the Output To heading, and choose a template
row of pixels to the top of a movie with Upper Field First field rendering, the field-rendering order then becomes Lower Field
from the menu.
First. Remember that if you add pixels to the top of the movie, you need to crop from the bottom row of the movie to
maintain the original size.
Create and use a custom file naming template
You can use custom templates to name the output according to properties of the composition and project.

Adobe Photoshop provides fine control over resampling methods used for scaling of images. For fine control of resampling,
you can export frames to Photoshop to change the image size and then import the frames back into After Effects.
To make a file naming template the default template, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you choose
the template from the Output To menu. For a list of plug-ins that provide high-quality scaling—including some designed to create high-definition images from
standard-definition sources—see the Toolfarm website.
1 In the Render Queue panel, choose Custom from the Output To menu.
For a script that scales multiple compositions simultaneously, see the AE Enhancers forum.
2 If you want to base the new file-naming template on an existing template, choose the existing template from the
Preset menu.
3 Click in the Template box where you want to insert a file-naming rule, and do any of the following:
Create a composition and render source footage items simultaneously
You can simultaneously create a composition from source footage and prepare it for rendering. This process is useful
• To add a preset property to the filename, choose the property from the Add Property menu.
when you want to change some characteristic of the source footage, such as frame rate or compression method, and
• Enter text in the Template box. have that rendered version available in your project.
Note: 1 Drag one or more footage items from the Project panel to the Render Queue panel, or select the footage items in the
Make sure that the insertion point is outside the square brackets [ ] of preset properties. Project panel and do one of the following:

4 Do any of the following:

• Choose Composition > Add to Render Queue.

• To save the file-naming template as a preset for future use in the Output To menu, click the Save button . In the • Press Ctrl+Shift+/ or Ctrl+M(Windows) or Command+Shift+/ or Command+M (Mac OS).
Choose Name dialog box, enter a name for the file-naming template, and click OK. Note:
• To always use the selected file-naming template, select Default. If the Use System Shortcut Keys option is enabled in General preferences (Mac OS), the shortcut is Ctrl+Cmd+M.
• To apply the selected file-naming template to the current Output Module, click OK. 2 After Effects creates both a new item in the render queue and a new composition in the Project panel for each
footage item.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 557 546
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

to scale the composition to fit the new smaller composition size: Press Ctrl+Alt+F (Windows) or Command+Option+F Name output files automatically
(Mac OS), and then collapse transformations by choosing Layer > Switches > Collapse. The resulting composition The Use Default File Name And Folder preference ensures that all compositions added to the render queue are
rendered at full resolution and best quality will have excellent image quality, better than if you had rendered using a automatically assigned a unique output filename (except for files created by saving previews, which still use the
reduced resolution. composition name). When this option is selected, each render item is assigned the same folder name as the previous
Resize the composition This method produces the highest quality reduced-size movie but is slower than nesting. For render item until you change the path. If a composition is rendered more than once, After Effects adds a number to the
example, if you create a 640x480 composition and render it at full resolution, you can set the Resize value in the Output filename (for example, composition_name_1).
Module Settings dialog box to 50% to create a 320x240 movie. For a composition rendered at full resolution, the image Note:
quality is excellent when the Resize Quality is set to High.
Avoid using high-ASCII or other extended characters in filenames for projects to be used on different platforms or rendered
Note: using a watch folder.
Do not use resizing to change the vertical dimensions of a movie when field rendering is on. Resizing vertically mixes the 1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Output (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Output (Mac OS).
field order, which distorts motion. Use either cropping or composition nesting if you need to vertically resize a field-rendered
2 Select Use Default File Name And Folder.
movie.
Crop the composition This method is ideal for reducing the size of a movie by a few pixels. Use the Crop options in the
Support for paths in templates
Output Module Settings dialog box. Remember that cropping cuts off part of the movie, so objects centered in the
You can add paths to templates. Absolute paths can be defined in a template. For example, you can define and save a
composition may not appear centered unless the movie is cropped evenly on opposite edges.
template that always places rendered files in E:\\Output\\[compName].[extension].
Note:
In some special cases, After Effects will automatically crop rather than scale when creating an output movie with Render settings
dimensions that don’t match the dimensions of the composition. For example, when creating a 720x480 movie with a pixel
Render settings apply to each render item and determine how the composition is rendered for that specific render item.
aspect ratio of 0.91 or 1.21 from a 720x486 composition, After Effects will crop instead of scale.
By default, the render settings for a render item are based on the current project settings, composition settings, and
Crop to a region of interest To render just a portion of the composition frame, define a region of interest in the switch settings for the composition on which the render item is based. However, you can modify the render settings for
Composition panel. Then, select the Region Of Interest option in the Output Module Settings dialog box before each render item to override some of these settings.
rendering. (See Region of interest (ROI).)
Render settings apply to the root composition for a render item, as well as all nested compositions.
Note:
Note:
Cropping an odd number of pixels from the top of a field-rendered movie reverses the field order. For example, if you crop
Render settings only affect the output of the render item with which they’re associated; the composition itself is not affected.
one row of pixels from the top of a movie with Upper Field First field rendering, the field-rendering order then becomes
Lower Field First. Remember that if you crop pixels from the top of the movie, you need to add to the bottom row of the
movie to maintain the original size. If you don’t mind losing one scan line, this technique gives you a way to output two
movies from one render, each with a different field order.
Render the composition at a reduced resolution This method is the fastest for creating reduced-size movies. For
example, if you create a 640x480 composition, you can set the composition resolution to one half, reducing the size of
the rendered composition to 320x240. You can then create movies or images at this size. The reduced resolution reduces
the sharpness of the image and is best used for creating preview or draft movies.
Note:
When rendering at reduced resolution, set the quality of the composition to Draft. Rendering at Best quality while reducing
resolution does not produce a clean image and takes longer to render than rendering at Draft quality.
Render settings

Scaling a movie up
Change render settings
Increasing the size of the output from a rendered composition reduces the image quality of a movie and is not
• To change render settings for a render item, click the render settings template name next to the Render Settings
recommended. If you must enlarge a movie, to maintain highest image quality, enlarge a composition that was rendered
heading in the Render Queue panel, and choose settings in the Render Settings dialog box.
at full resolution and highest quality using one of the following methods:
• To apply a render settings template to selected render items, click the triangle next to the Render Settings heading
Nest the composition Create a new composition at the larger dimensions and nest the smaller composition inside it.
in the Render Queue panel, and choose a template from the menu. You can choose a custom render settings template
For example, if you create a 320x240 composition, you can place it in a 640x480 composition. Resize the composition
or one of the preset render settings templates:
to fit the new larger composition size, and then collapse transformations by choosing Layers > Switches > Collapse. The

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 547 556
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

Best Settings: Often used for rendering to final output. • If your footage has scene cuts, or if you want to sacrifice quality for shorter rendering times, choose Layer >
Frame Blending > Frame Mix.
Draft Settings: Often appropriate for reviewing or testing motion.
4 Choose Composition > Add To Render Queue.
DV Settings: Similar to Best Settings, but with Field Rendering turned on, set to Lower Field First.
5 In the Render Queue panel, next to Render Settings, choose the appropriate preset from the menu. For example, if
Multi-Machine Settings: Similar to Best Settings, but with Skip Existing Files selected to enable multi-machine you’re converting to DV footage, select DV Settings from the menu.
rendering.
6 In the Render Queue panel, next to Output Module, choose the appropriate output module preset from the menu,
Note: or choose Custom to enter custom settings. For example, if you’re converting to DV PAL, choose the D1/DV-PAL
The default render settings template is assigned to a render item when it is created. To change which render settings output module preset with the audio sampling rate that you require.
template is the default, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you choose a render settings template from 7 Click the name of the output module preset that you chose in step 6 to select additional Format Options.
the menu.
8 Specify a name and destination for the output file using the controls to the right of the Output To heading in the
Render Queue panel. (See Specify filenames and locations for rendered output.)
Create, edit, and manage render settings templates
9 Click the Render button to render your movie.
You perform the following tasks in the Render Settings Templates dialog box. To open the Render Settings Templates
dialog box, choose Edit > Templates > Render Settings, or click the triangle next to the Render Settings heading in the
Render Queue panel and choose Make Template. Convert DV footage from PAL to NTSC using pulldown
• To make a new render settings template, click New, specify render settings, and click OK. Enter a name for the new Because After Effects can easily convert film (24 fps) to video (29.97 fps) using 3:2 pulldown, you can perform a clean
template. PAL-to-NTSC transfer by setting up 25-fps PAL video to act like 24-fps film. This lets you apply 3:2 pulldown to the
footage when converting to 29.97 fps. This technique works especially well for progressive (noninterlaced) PAL video.
• To edit an existing render settings template, choose a template from the Settings Name menu, click Edit, and specify
render settings. 1 Create a new composition with the DV NTSC or DV NTSC Widescreen preset.
Note: 2 Import your DV PAL footage into the new composition.

Changes to an existing template do not affect render items that are already in the render queue. 3 Select the layer with the DV PAL footage, and choose Layer > Transform > Fit To Comp Width (or Fit To Comp
Height).
• To specify a default render settings template to be used when rendering movies, individual frames, pre-rendered
movies, or proxies, choose a template from a menu in the Defaults area of the Render Settings Templates dialog box. 4 Do one of the following:

• To save all currently loaded render settings templates to a file, click Save All. • To preserve audio synchronization but slightly lower the pitch, choose Layer > Time > Time Stretch, and then
enter 95.904 in the Stretch Factor box.
• To load a saved render settings template file, click Load, select the render settings template file, and then click Open.
• To preserve audio pitch but not synchronization, or for clips without audio, right-click (Windows) or Control-
click (Mac OS) the footage item in the Project panel, select Interpret Footage > Main, select Conform To Frame
Render settings reference
Rate, and then enter 23.976 in the Conform To Frame Rate box.
Each of these settings overrides composition settings, project settings, or layer switch settings.
5 Choose Composition > Add To Render Queue.
Log You can choose how much information After Effects writes to a render log file. If you choose Errors Only, After
Effects only creates the file if errors are encountered during rendering. If you choose Plus Settings, a log file is created 6 Choose Custom from the Render Settings menu.
that lists the current render settings. If you choose Plus Per Frame Info, a log file is created that lists the current render 7 In the Render Settings pane, enable Field Rendering (choose the field order required by your output type), select any
settings and information about the rendering of each frame. When a log file has been written, the path to the log file option from the 3:2 Pulldown menu, and then click OK.
appears under the Render Settings heading and Log menu.
8 Choose the output type from the Render Queue Output Module menu (for example, Microsoft DV NTSC 32 kHz).
Quality The quality setting to use for all layers. (See Layer image quality and subpixel positioning.)
9 Specify a name and destination for the output file using the controls to the right of the Output To heading in the
Resolution Resolution of the rendered composition, relative to the original composition dimensions. (See Resolution.) Render Queue panel. (See Specify filenames and locations for rendered output.)

Note: 10 Click the Render button to render your movie.

If you render at reduced resolution, set the Quality option to Draft. Rendering at Best quality when reducing resolution
produces an unclear image and takes longer than Draft quality. Scaling a movie down
Disk Cache Determines whether the disk cache preferences are used during rendering. Read Only writes no new Several methods exist for producing a reduced-size movie from your composition, each with tradeoffs between speed
frames to the disk cache while After Effects renders. Current Settings (default) uses the disk cache settings defined in and quality:
the Media & Disk Cache preferences. Nest the composition Create a new composition at the smaller dimensions, and nest the large composition inside it.
For example, if you create a 640x480 composition, place it in a 320x240 composition. Use the Fit To Comp command

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 555 548
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

Proxy Use Determines whether to use proxies when rendering. Current Settings uses the settings for each footage item.
Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro (See Placeholders and proxies.)
project Effects Current Settings (default) uses the current settings for Effect switches . All On renders all applied effects. All
Off renders no effects.
You can export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project without rendering.
Solo Switches Current Settings (default) uses the current settings for Solo switches for each layer. All Off renders as
Note:
if all Solo switches are off. (See Solo a layer.)
Projects created using the latest version of Adobe After Effects and saved as Adobe Premiere Pro projects can be opened by Guide Layers Current Settings renders guide layers in the top-level composition. All Off (the default setting) does not
the latest version of Adobe Premiere Pro. render guide layers. Guide layers in nested compositions are never rendered. (See Guide layers.)
When you export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project, Adobe Premiere Pro uses the settings from Color Depth Current Settings (default) uses the project bit depth. (See Color depth and high dynamic range color.)
the first composition in the After Effects project for all subsequent sequences. Keyframes, effects, and other properties
are converted in the same way as when you paste an After Effects layer into an Adobe Premiere Pro sequence. (See Frame Blending On For Checked Layers renders frame blending only for layers with the Frame Blending switch set,
Importing from After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro.) regardless of the Enable Frame Blending setting for the composition. (See Frame blending.)

1 Choose File > Export > Adobe Premiere Pro Project. Field Render Determines the field-rendering technique used for the rendered composition. Choose Off if you are
rendering for film or for display on a computer screen. (See Interlaced video and separating fields.)
2 Specify a filename and location for the project, and click Save.
3:2 Pulldown Specifies the phase of 3:2 pulldown. (See Introduce 3:2 pulldown.)
Note:
Motion Blur Current Settings uses the current settings for the Motion Blur layer switch and the Enable Motion Blur
You can also import Adobe Premiere Pro projects and sequences into After Effects, copy and paste between After Effects composition switch. On For Checked Layers renders motion blur only for layers with the Motion Blur layer switch set,
and Premiere Pro, and use Dynamic Link to exchange data between After Effects and Premiere Pro. regardless of the Enable Motion Blur setting for the composition. Off For All Layers renders all layers without motion
blur regardless of the layer switch and composition switch settings. (See Motion blur.)
Time Span How much of the composition to render. To render the entire composition, choose Length Of Comp. To
Converting movies render only the part of the composition indicated by the work area markers, choose Work Area Only. To render a
custom time span, choose Custom. (See Work area.)
Frame Rate The sampling frame rate to use when rendering the movie. Select Use Comp’s Frame Rate to use the frame
rate specified in the Composition Settings dialog box, or select Use This Frame Rate to use a different frame rate. The
Convert footage items between video formats actual frame rate of the composition is unchanged. The frame rate of the final encoded movie is determined by the
You can use After Effects to convert one kind of video to another. When converting video, keep in mind the following output module settings. (See Frame rate.)
guidelines: Skip Existing Files Lets you rerender part of a sequence of files without wasting time on previously rendered frames.
When rendering a sequence of files, After Effects locates files that are part of the current sequence, identifies the
• Changes in resolution may result in a loss of picture clarity, especially when up-converting from a standard-
missing frames, and then renders only those frames, inserting them where they belong in the sequence. You can also
definition format to a high-definition format.
use this option to render an image sequence on multiple computers. (See Render farming - Render a still-image
• Changes in frame rate may require the use of frame blending to smooth out the interpolated frames. For longer sequence with multiple computers.)
footage items, the use of frame blending can result in very long render times.
Note:
1 Import the footage you’re converting into a composition using the preset of the format you’re converting to.
Example: if you’re converting NTSC to PAL, add your NTSC footage item to a composition with the appropriate The current image sequence must have the same name as the existing image sequence, and the starting frame number,
PAL composition settings preset. frame rate, and time span must be the same. You must render to the folder that contains the previously rendered frames.

2 Select the layer with the footage to be converted and choose Layer > Transform > Fit To Comp Width (or Fit To
Comp Height). Output modules and output module settings
Note: Output module settings apply to each render item and determine how the rendered movie is processed for final output.
Use output module settings to specify file format, output color profile, compression options, and other encoding
For converting between two formats with the same frame aspect ratio, either of these two Fit commands does the same
options for final output.
thing; if the frame aspect ratios differ (for example, going from 4:3 to 16:9), fitting to width or height chooses between
cropping or letterboxing the resulting image. You can also use output module settings to crop, stretch, or shrink a rendered movie; doing this after rendering is often
useful when you are generating multiple kinds of output from a single composition.
3 Do one of the following:
• If your footage has no scene cuts, choose Layer > Frame Blending > Pixel Motion. Pixel Motion provides the best Output module settings are applied to the rendered output that is generated according to the render settings.
results for interpolation of frames, but may require long rendering times.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 549 554
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

For some formats, an additional dialog box opens when you choose the format in the Output Module Settings dialog When specifying the output filename for a still-image sequence, you actually specify a file-naming template. The name
box. You can modify these settings and use settings presets to specify format-specific options, such as compression that you specify must contain pound signs surrounded by square brackets ([#####]). As each frame is rendered and a
options. filename created for it, After Effects replaces the [#####] portion of the name with a number indicating the order of the
frame in the sequence. For example, specifying mymovie_[#####].tga would cause output files to be named
You can apply multiple output modules to each render item, which is useful when you want to make more than one
mymovie_00001.tga, filmout_00002.tga, and so on.
version of a movie from one render. For example, you can automate the creation of a movie and its alpha matte, or you
can create high-resolution and low-resolution versions of a movie. The maximum number of frames in a still-image sequence is 32,766.
Note:
Before rendering, check the Audio Output settings in the Output Module Settings dialog box to ensure that they are correct. Render and export a single frame of a composition
To render audio, Audio Output must be selected. If your composition does not include audio, do not select Audio Output, You can export a single frame from a composition, either as an Adobe Photoshop (PSD) file with layers intact or as a
so that the size of the rendered file does not increase needlessly. rendered image. This is useful for editing files in Adobe Photoshop, preparing files for Adobe Encore, creating a proxy,
or exporting an image from a movie for posters or storyboards.
The Photoshop Layers command preserves all layers from a single frame of an After Effects composition in the
resulting Photoshop file. Nested compositions up to five levels deep are preserved in the PSD file as layer groups. The
PSD file inherits the color bit depth from the After Effects project.
In addition, the layered Photoshop file contains an embedded composite (flattened) image of all the layers. This feature
ensures that the file is compatible with applications that don’t support Photoshop layers; such applications display the
composited image and ignore the layers.
A layered Photoshop file saved from After Effects may look different from the frame viewed in After Effects if the frame
uses features that Photoshop doesn’t support. For example, if the frame contains a blending mode that isn’t available in
Photoshop, a blending mode that most resembles it is substituted in the layer, but the embedded composite image
(viewable only by applications that don’t support Photoshop layers) looks the same. Alternatively, you can render the
frame using the Composition > Save Frame As > File command to export a flattened and rendered version of the file
to the PSD format.
You can set the output module of multiple render queue items at the same time. Select the render queue items, and then
choose an output module template from the Output Module Settings menu for one of the items. PSD files generated by Save Frame As > Photoshop Layers have the sRGB IEC61966-2.1 ICC color profile embedded if
color management is disabled for the project (the project's working color space is set to None). If color management is
You can drag an output module to the Project panel to import the finished movie or a placeholder into the project for
enabled for the project (the project's working color space is set to something other than None), then PSD files generated
use as a footage item. (See Import footage items.)
by Save Frame As > Photoshop Layers have the color profile embedded that corresponds to the project's working color
Andrew Kramer provides a video tutorial with tips for working with proxies, output modules, and output module space. (See Color management and color profiles.)
templates on the Video Copilot website.
1 Go to the frame that you want to export so that it is shown in the Composition panel.
2 Do one of the following:
Change output module settings
• To change output module settings for a render item, click the underlined output module settings template name next • To render a single frame, choose Composition > Save Frame As > File. Adjust settings in the Render Queue panel
to the Output Module heading in the Render Queue panel, and choose settings in the Output Module Settings dialog if necessary, and then click Render.
box. • To export a single frame as an Adobe Photoshop file with layers, choose Composition > Save Frame As >
• To apply an output module settings template to selected render items, click the triangle next to the Output Module Photoshop Layers.
heading in the Render Queue panel, and choose a template from the menu.
You can choose a custom output module settings template or one of the preset output module settings templates.
Several templates are provided, including the Lossless template for creating movies for transfer to video, film, or an To change the default output settings for the Save Frame As > File command, change the settings for the Frame Default
NLE system. render settings template (See Create, edit, and manage render settings templates.)
Note:
The default output module settings template is assigned to a render item when it is created. To change which output module
template is the default, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) as you choose an output module template from
the menu.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 553 550
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

Post-render actions
You can use post-render actions to automate simple tasks that occur after a composition is rendered.
To change output module settings for multiple output modules at once, select the output modules and then choose an output
A common example of the use of post-render actions is with pre-rendering: Choosing Composition > Pre-render adds
module template. The template is applied to all selected output modules.
the selected composition to the render queue and sets the Post-Render Action option to Import & Replace Usage.
Note: Create, manage, and edit output module templates
You choose Post-Render Action options in the Output Module group, so be aware that changing the Output Module You perform the following tasks in the Output Module Templates dialog box. To open the Output Module Templates
template could also change the Post-Render Action option. (See Output modules and output module settings.) dialog box, choose Edit > Templates > Output Module, or click the triangle next to the Output Module heading in the
Render Queue panel and choose Make Template.
1 Expand the Output Module group in the Render Queue panel by clicking the arrow to the left of the Output Module
heading. • To make a new output module settings template, click New, specify output module settings, and click OK. Enter a
name for the new template.
2 Choose one of the following from the Post-Render Action menu:
None Performs no post-render action. This option is the default.
• To edit an existing output module settings template, choose a template from the Settings Name menu, click Edit, and
specify output module settings.
Import Imports the rendered file into the project as a footage item when the rendering is complete.
Note:
Import & Replace Usage Imports the rendered file into the project and substitutes it for the specified item. Drag the
Changes to an existing template do not affect render items that are already in the render queue.
pick whip to the item to replace in the Project panel to specify it.
• To specify a default output module settings template to be used when processing movies, individual frames,
previews, pre-rendered movies, or proxies, choose a template from a menu in the Defaults area of the Output
Module Templates dialog box.
Use the Import & Replace Usage option to create a chain of dependent render items. For example, you can set one render
• To save all currently loaded output module templates to a file, click Save All.
item to use a watch folder and multiple computers to create a still-image sequence, and then the next render item can
render a single movie file from that still-image sequence. (See Network rendering with watch folders and render • To load a saved output module template file, click Load, select the output module template file, and then click Open.
engines.)
Set Proxy Sets the rendered file as a proxy for the specified item. Drag the pick whip to the item in the Project panel
Add output modules to and remove output modules from render items
item to specify it. • To add a new output module with default settings to a single render item, click the plus (+) sign to the left of the
Output To heading of the last output module for the render item.
• To remove an output module from a render item, click the minus (-) sign to the left of the Output To heading of the
output module.
Rendering and exporting still images and still-image
• To add a new output module with default settings to selected render items, choose Composition > Add Output
sequences Module.
• To duplicate selected output modules, press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac OS).

Output module settings

Render and export a sequence of still images For information on using controls in the Color Management area of the Output Module Settings dialog box, see Assign
You can export a rendered movie as a sequence of still images, in which case each frame of the movie is output as a an output color profile.
separate still-image file. When you render one movie using multiple computers on a network, the movie is always
Format Specifies the format for the output file or sequence of files.
output as a still-image sequence. Many 3D animation programs accept sequences of still images. Sequences of PNG files
are often a good choice for transfer of visual elements from After Effects to Flash Professional. Include Project Link Specifies whether to include information in the output file that links to the source After Effects
project. When you open the output file in another application, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, you can use the Edit
If you are creating a movie for transfer to film, you will need to create a sequence of still images that you can then
Original command to edit the source project in After Effects.
transfer to film using a film recorder.
Include Source XMP Metadata Specifies whether to include XMP metadata in the output file from the files used as
Creating a sequence of PSD files is a good way to transfer frames to Photoshop for touchup and editing. You can then
sources for the rendered composition. XMP metadata can travel all the way through After Effects from source files, to
import the image sequence back into After Effects.
footage items, to compositions, to rendered and exported files. For all default output module templates, Include Source
XMP Metadata is deselected by default. (See Exporting XMP metadata from After Effects.)
Post-Render Action Specifies an action for After Effects to perform after the composition is rendered. (See Post-render
actions.)

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019

 551 552
Rendering and exporting Rendering and exporting

Format Options Opens a dialog box in which you specify format-specific options. For more information about output module constraints and the warnings for mismatches in frame rate, dimensions,
Channels The output channels contained in the output movie. After Effects creates a movie with an alpha channel if
and pixel aspect ratio, see the Adobe website.
you choose RGB+Alpha, implying a depth of Millions of Colors+. Not all codecs support alpha channels.
Note: Encoding and compression options for movies
Compression is essential for reducing the size of movies so that they can be stored, transmitted, and played back
All files created with a color depth of Millions of Colors+, Trillions of Colors+, or Floating Point + have labeled alpha
effectively. Compression is achieved by an encoder; decompression is achieved by a decoder. Encoders and decoders
channels; information describing the alpha channel is stored in the file. Therefore, you do not have to specify an alpha
are known by the common term codec. No single codec or set of settings is best for all situations. For example, the best
interpretation each time you import an item created in After Effects.
codec for compressing cartoon animation is generally not efficient for compressing live-action video. Similarly, the best
Depth Specifies the color depth of the output movie. Certain formats may limit depth and color settings. codec for playback over a slow network connection is generally not the best codec for an intermediate stage in a
Color Specifies how colors are created with the alpha channel. Choose from either Premultiplied (Matted) or Straight production workflow. For information on planning your work with final output in mind, see Planning your work.
(Unmatted). (See Alpha channel interpretation: premultiplied or straight.) After Effects uses an embedded version of the Adobe Media Encoder to encode most movie formats through the
Starting # Specifies the number for the starting frame of a sequence. For example, if this option is set to 38, After Effects Render Queue panel. When you manage render and export operations with the Render Queue panel, the embedded
names the first frame [file_name]_00038. The Use Comp Frame Number option adds the starting frame number in the version of the Adobe Media Encoder is called automatically. The Adobe Media Encoder appears only in the form of the
work area to the starting frame of the sequence. export settings dialog boxes with which you specify some encoding and output settings.

Resize Specifies the size of your output movie. Select Lock Aspect Ratio To if you want to retain the existing frame Note:
aspect ratio when resizing the frame. Select Low Resize Quality when rendering tests, and select High Resize Quality The embedded version of the Adobe Media Encoder used to manage export settings within After Effects output modules
when creating a final movie. (See Scaling a movie downand Scaling a movie up.) does not provide all the features of the full, stand-alone Adobe Media Encoder application. For information about the full,
Crop Used to subtract or add rows or columns of pixels to the edges of the output movie. You can specify the number stand-alone Adobe Media Encoder application, see Adobe Media Encoder Help.
of rows or columns of pixels to be added or subtracted from the top, left, bottom, and right sides of the movie. Use For most output formats, you can specify format-specific encoding and compression options. In many cases, a dialog
positive values to crop, and use negative values to add rows or columns of pixels. Select Region Of Interest to export box opens and presents these options when you choose a format to export to or click the Format Options button in the
only the region of interest selected in the Composition or Layer panel. (See Region of interest (ROI).) Output Module settings dialog box. (See Output modules and output module settings.)

QuickTime (MOV) encoding and compression settings

By adding one row of pixels to the top and subtracting one row from the bottom of a movie, you can change the field order. 1 In the Render Queue panel, click the underlined name of the output module.
Audio Output Specifies the sample rate, sample depth (8 Bits or 16 Bits), and playback format (Mono or Stereo). 2 Choose QuickTime from the Format menu.
Choose a sample rate that corresponds to the capability of the output format. Choose an 8-bit sample depth for playback
3 Click Format Options in the Video Output section.
on the computer, and a 16-bit sample depth for CD and digital audio playback or for hardware that supports 16-bit
playback. 4 In the QuickTime Options dialog box, choose a codec and set options according to the specific codec and your
needs:
Note:
Quality A higher Quality setting produces better image quality but results in a bigger movie file.
The specifications for some formats impose limits on audio parameters. In such cases, audio options may be unavailable
for modification in the Output Module Settings dialog box. Also, audio options for some formats are set in the export Key Frame Every In QuickTime terminology, the term key frames refers to something different from the change-
settings dialog box for that format. For example, to set audio output options for Windows Media, click Format Options in over-time keyframes placed in the After Effects Timeline panel. In QuickTime, key frames are frames that occur at
the Output Module Settings dialog box. regular intervals in the movie. During compression, they are stored as complete frames. Each intermediate frame
that separates them is compared to the previous frame, and only changed data is stored. Using key frames greatly
reduces movie size and greatly increases the memory required to edit and render a movie. Shorter intervals between
Warning for mismatch in frame rate or dimensions
key frames enable faster seeking and reverse playback, but can significantly increase the size of the file.
Some formats enforce constraints on frame dimensions and frame rate.
Frame Reordering Some codecs allow for frames to be encoded and decoded out of order for more efficient storage.
If you choose such a constrained output format, and your composition, its render settings, or its output module settings
don’t match the constraints, then After Effects shows a yellow warning icon and the message “Settings mismatch” at Note: For more information on QuickTime, see the Apple website.
the bottom of the Output Module Settings dialog box.
Click the warning icon to see a detailed message that describes how the output file will be modified to meet the format 5 Click OK.
constraints. You can go back and change composition settings, render settings, and output module settings if you don't
6 Specify other settings in the Output Module Settings dialog box.
want After Effects to make the changes automatically in the output module.

Last updated 11/4/2019 Last updated 11/4/2019