Re: render queue or export?

I wrote the following in the days of AE 6.5, but almost all of it still applies:


If you're new to AE, you're probably used to exporting to get things from one application to another. So the way to get animation out of AE is by exporting, right? Wrong. Usually, exporting isn't the best choice.

You see, in AE there are TWO ways to create files for use in other applications, exporting and rendering. In AE, the two terms are not interchangeable, because they represent two broad file creation options. Exporting is almost always the down-and-dirty, limited-choice, one-at-a-time file creation option. Rendering is the sophisticated, choice-filled, customizable, batch-processing file creation option.

There aren't very many Words To Live By in AE, but there's one phrase that you'd do well to learn:
"If AE gives you a choice between rendering and exporting, it's almost always better to render."

Why?

1) More Choices -- Try this test: create a comp of your choice, then duplicate it. Export one of the comps, and notice the range of choices available to you. Now add the other one to the render queue: you'll note that you have LOTS more choices of what to do, giving you a range of choices for virtually any need.

2) Customization -- You'll note that when you add your comps to the render queue, you have two things you can adjust: the Render Settings and the Output Module. Each one lets you create and save your very own settings, a very handy thing to have.
What if you need to create a lot of alpha channeled quicktime movies? Create a custom Output Module for that very purpose!
What if you want to include audio in your quicktime move? No sweat. Make an output module that can do it.
Want to make 23.976, film-frame-rate footage into 29.97 TV-frame-rate video? Make a new Render Settings to do that.
Best of all, YOU choose the default render settings and output modules: just set 'em and forget 'em!

3) The Only Choice -- There are some things that you can do only in the Render Queue, such as adding 3:2 pulldown to 23.976 footage, as mentioned above. And it works slicker'n snot on a doorknob.

4) Batch Processing -- Too Cool For Words. Are you getting sick of exporting a big comp, then waiting several minutes or even hours for it to finish? What if you had a bunch of comps to get done? Hey, just add 'em to the Render Queue! If you've set your default Render Settings and Output Modules, just add 'em one after another, save the project, and then you can render when YOU want to... like overnight, when you're having fun and the computer isn't doing anything.

5) Exotica -- Wouldn't it be cool if you could make an animation AND attach the AE project right to it? You can do that in the render queue. Wouldn't it be slick to make a quicktime movie AND an image sequence of the same thing at the same time? No sweat in the render queue; in fact, there are a couple of ways to do it.


Now there ARE a few things that you can't do from the render queue. You can't make AIFF files, for one. There are others, but they're few and far between.

So, repeat after me:

"If AE gives you a choice between rendering and exporting, it's almost always better to render."

Class Dismissed.

Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA