AfterEffects

Work with output module settings

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 options for final output.

You can also use output module settings to crop or stretch a rendered movie; doing this after rendering is often useful when you are generating multiple kinds of output from a single composition.

Output module settings are applied to the rendered output that is generated according to the render settings.

For some formats, an additional dialog box opens when you choose the format in the Output Module Settings dialog box. You can modify these settings and use settings presets to specify format-specific options, such as compression options.

You can apply more than one output module to each render item. This is useful when you want to make more than one version of a movie at the same time. 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.

Before rendering, check the Audio Output settings in the Output Module Settings dialog box to ensure that they are correct. To render audio, Audio Output must be selected. If your composition does not include audio, do not select Audio Output, so that the size of the rendered file will not increase needlessly.
Click the triangle to open the Output Module Settings menu, or click the underlined text to open the Output Module Settings dialog box.

Change output module settings

  • To change output module settings for a render item, click the underlined output module settings template name next to the Output Module heading in the Render Queue panel, and choose settings in the Output Module Settings dialog box.
  • To apply an output module settings template to selected render items, click the triangle next to the Output Module 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 NLE system.

    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.

Create, manage, and edit output module templates

You perform the following tasks in the Output Module Templates dialog box. To open the Output Module Templates 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.

  • To make a new output module settings template, click New, specify output module settings, and click OK. Enter a name for the new template.
  • To edit an existing output module settings template, choose a template from the Settings Name menu, click Edit, and specify output module settings.
    Note: Changes to an existing template do not affect render items that are already in the render queue.
  • To specify a default output module settings template to be used when processing movies, individual frames, RAM previews, pre-rendered movies, or proxies, choose a template from a menu in the Defaults area of the Output Module Templates dialog box.
  • To save all currently loaded output module templates to a file, click Save All.
  • To load a saved output module template file, click Load, select the output module template file, and then click Open.

Add an output module to selected render items

 Choose Composition > Add Output Module

Output module settings

For information on using controls in the Color Management area of the Output Module Settings dialog box, see Assign an output color profile.

Format
Specifies the format for the output file or sequence of files.

Embed
Specifies whether to include information in the output file that links to the source project in After Effects. When you open the output file in another application, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, you can use the Edit Original command to edit the source project in After Effects. Selecting Project Link creates a link between the output file and the source project. Selecting Project Link And Copy creates a link and adds an embedded copy of the linked project to the output file; if the project is missing or updated when you choose Edit Original in another application, you can choose whether to open the source project or the saved copy of the project.

Post-Render Action
Specifies an action for After Effects to perform after the composition is rendered. (See Use a post-render action.)

Format Options
Opens a dialog box in which you specify format-specific options.

Channels
The output channels contained in the output movie. After Effects creates a movie with an alpha channel if you choose RGB+Alpha, implying a depth of Millions of Colors+. Not all codecs support alpha channels.
Note: All files created with a color depth of Millions of Colors+, Trillions of Colors+, or Floating Point + have labeled alpha channels; information describing the alpha channel is stored in the file. Therefore, you do not have to specify an alpha interpretation each time you import an item created in After Effects.

Depth
Specifies the color depth of the output movie. Choose from color or grayscale options. Certain formats may limit depth and color settings.

Color
Specifies how colors are created with the alpha channel. Choose from either Premultiplied (Matted) or Straight (Unmatted). (See About straight and premultiplied channels.)
Note: PNG files don’t support premultiplied alpha.

Starting #
Specifies the number for the starting frame of a sequence. For example, if this option is set to 38, After Effects names the first frame [file_name]_00038. The Use Comp Frame Number option adds the starting frame number in the work area to the starting frame of the sequence.

Stretch
Specifies the size of your output movie. Select Lock Aspect Ratio To if you want to retain the existing frame aspect ratio when stretching the frame size. Select Low Stretch Quality when rendering tests, and select High Stretch Quality when creating a final movie. (See Scaling a movie down and Scaling a movie up.)

Crop
Used to subtract or add rows or columns of pixels to the edges of the output movie. You can specify the number of rows or columns of pixels to be added or subtracted from the top, left, bottom, and right sides of the movie. Use positive values to crop, and use negative values to add rows or columns of pixels. Select Region Of Interest to render only the region of interest selected in the Composition or Layer panel.
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.

Audio Output
Specifies the sample rate, sample depth (8 Bits or 16 Bits), and playback format (Mono or Stereo). Choose a sample rate that corresponds to the capability of the output format. Choose an 8-bit sample depth for playback on the computer, and a 16-bit sample depth for CD and digital audio playback or for hardware that supports 16-bit playback.