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Render and export a movie using the 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 the composition to the render queue:

    • Choose Composition > Add To Render Queue.

    • Drag the composition to the Render Queue panel.

    To create a new composition from a footage item and immediately add that composition to the render queue, drag the footage item from the Project panel to the Render Queue panel. This is a convenient way to convert a footage item from one format to another.
  2. Click the triangle next to the Output To heading in the Render Queue panel to choose a name for the output file based on a naming convention, and then choose a location; or click the text next to the Output To heading to enter any name. (See Specify filenames and locations for rendered output.)
  3. Click the triangle to the right of the Render Settings heading to choose a render settings template, or click the underlined text to the right of the Render Settings heading to customize the settings. (See Render settings.)
  4. Choose a Log type from the Log menu.

    When a log file has been written, the path to the log file appears under the Render Settings heading and Log menu.

  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 settings to specify the file format of the output movie. In some cases, a format-specific dialog box opens after you choose a format, in which you can specify format-specific settings. (See Output modules and output module settings and Encoding and compression options for movies.)

    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 Queued. The status Queued means that the render item is in the render queue.

    Press Caps Lock before you start rendering to prevent the Composition panel from displaying rendered frames. By not updating the Composition panel, After Effects requires less time to process simple render items with many frames.
  6. Click the Render button in the upper-right corner of the Render Queue panel.
After an item has been rendered, you can import the finished movie as a footage item by dragging its output module from the Render Queue panel into the Project panel. (See Import footage items.)

Rendering a composition into a movie can take a few seconds or many hours, depending on the composition’s frame 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.

A chime plays when all items in the render queue have been rendered and exported; a different noise plays if a render operation fails. You can replace the render-complete sounds on Windows by placing files named rnd_okay.wav and rnd_fail.wav in this folder: C:\Documents and Settings\[user_name]\Application Data\Adobe\After Effects\9.0.