(slow music)
- Hello and welcome to the 28th video
in this beginner's guide to Adobe After Effects.
In this tutorial we are going to look
at how we can export our projects from After Effects.
So, now we are coming to the end
of the essential practice section on this course.
Once we have finished our animated sequences
and built our video presentations,
it's time to export them.
Now, there are a few ways to export in After Effects
but there is only one you should really consider using.
In this video I'll be demonstrating
how you can export your finished projects off
in After Effects.
So, in this video we'll be covering the following topics:
the export checklist,
exporting using the media encoder,
exporting using the render queue
and exporting the work area.
After this video you will get a better understanding
of how to export your projects in After Effects.
So, let's get into it.
So, here I am in After Effects
and I have a project open here that I'm going to use
to demonstrate how to export in After Effects.
What I have here is a number of video sequences
we have created over the past few videos.
So, let's have a go at exporting some of these compositions.
Now, if you have the project folder,
you can open up this document I have here.
With the project folder open,
click into the S2 essential practice folder
into folder 28 exporting
and open the exporting after effects file
and you have the same documents I have opened here.
This is a document you can use to quickly experiment
with exporting with me in this video.
Now, if you don't have the project folder
and you want to follow along with this tutorial
using this document,
I have prepared especially for you,
you can download this project folder for a small fee.
The download link with instructions are in the description.
The download folder comes with lots of exercise documents
we will be using on this course
that have been carefully developed
to aid your learning experience.
The folder also comes with document resources
such as videos, graphics and images
you can use to build your first video presentation
from scratch later on in this course.
To get the full learning experience,
I recommend you get the project folder.
Download link with instructions is in the description.
So, with the project folder open,
click into the S2 essential practice folder
in the folder 28 exporting
and open the exporting After Effects file
and you will have the same document I have opened here.
So now, I want to draw your attention over
to the project panel.
Here you can see I have a folder called export
and in here I have a number of compositions.
These are some of the exercises we undertook
over the previous videos
and you can choose any of these to export.
For now I'm going to double click
on the first comp video edit.
So, this is a composition we created earlier in the course
when we looked at pre composing layers.
Here we have the intro section, a Hyde Park section
and the aquarium section.
So, once happy with the sequence, let's export it
but before that there are a few things we need to check
before we export any project out of After Effects.
Before we export anything out of After Effects,
we first need to check the workspace area
and the resolution factor.
For example, I want to export this composition
but right now if we look at the workspace area
on the timeline, we can see that it's currently set
between the middle section only.
Now, if we were to export like this,
we would only export this section.
The work area on the timeline panel
can be used to export specific sections of a composition.
Now, we will come back to this a little later
but for now if we want to export the entire composition,
we will need to make sure the work area
is across the whole comp.
So, I could come and drag the edges of the work area
and drag them to the far end of each side
or a cool little tip is to simply double click
on the work area to expand it to the full area
of the timeline, perfect.
So, that's the work area sorted.
Now, the last thing we need to make sure
is that the resolution factor is set to full.
Right now my resolution factor is set to half.
I typically use half because I find it a lot smoother
previewing on my computer as I develop my project.
Now, if you export with the resolution factor at half,
you will of course have an exported video
with half the quality.
So, before you export make sure
to set the resolution factor to full.
With these two things checked,
you are now ready to export.
So, the first way you can export in After Effects
is using Adobe Media Encoder.
So, when we're ready come up to composition
and click Add to Adobe Media Encoder.
Upon click you will see a new app open.
So, it's important to mention that there was once a time
where all rendering was done inside After Effects
but since 2014 it has been advised to render
in Adobe Media Encoder
for a few reasons we will come to shortly.
But for now, let's see how the media encoder works.
Now, if any of you were using After Effects before 2014
and don't have the media encoder,
don't worry I'll be showing you another way shortly.
So, with Adobe Media Encoder open,
we will see the composition appear in the list
and from there we can define a few settings.
First, we can click on preset.
Upon click this will give us a list of options
we can choose from.
So, first we can click format.
Now, from this list we can choose an array of formats
but in this case we are going to stay
with the popular H.264 format.
Now, for those of you not familiar,
the H.264 format is good for compressing video
while at the same time retaining good quality.
Files exporting using this format produce a video
with a .mp4 extension
and are generally quite light and not to large,
easy for sharing online,
uploading to social media and YouTube.
And this is exactly the format I use to export my videos.
So, under this we can choose the preset.
Again we have a list of options here
that will change the rendering settings
but I always set mine to match the source
for maximum quality.
Next, we can choose the output name and destination.
If we click this, we can choose
where we want to export the video.
So, I'll navigate to the project folder
and enter the exports folder.
I'll name it video export one and click Save.
I will make sure we export audio and video
but in this instance we have no audio.
Now, if you have audio and wish not to export it,
you could toggle this off here.
So, below this we have the summary
which we can look at to make sure everything looks good
and below this we have a series of tabs
which we don't need to worry too much about at this point.
All the settings in here have been set by our format
and preset above.
Below we have a couple of check boxes
but in this instance I will leave those alone.
So, once we are happy with the settings,
it's now a case of setting the composition to render.
To do this, we can hit the play button
at the top right of the menu box.
Upon click we will trigger the render
and see a render progress bar at the bottom of the panel
along with the output preview.
To the right of the review is all the details for the video.
Here is another moment where you can look over the settings.
Once the video has completed rendering,
we will see a tick to the right of the row.
So, now we can navigate to the export location
and notice that the file format is a .mp4
and if I double click on the video file,
I can proof for quality.
And once happy I can then share my video
and publish it online, excellent.
So, that's how you can render a comp
using the media encoder.
So, back into After Effects.
Remember what I mentioned about the work area.
So, if we come back to the video edit comp,
there may be occasions where you will only want to export
a certain amount of your video as a preview.
So, if for example I only wanted to export
this last section of a comp,
I can do this by setting the work area.
So, if I click on the timeline to place the time indicator
at the start of the third section and press B
to set the beginning of the work area,
with the work area now set covering just a third section,
I'll come to composition
and click Add to Adobe Media Encoder.
Upon click, media encoder will open
and I'll see the new comp on that list.
So, if I choose where to export it
and hit the render button,
After Effects will only render
that part of the video out, easy.
So, keep in mind it's important how your workspace is set
before rendering a video.
Next, I want to show you something quite cool
when exporting with the media encoder.
So, back into After Effects.
Over in the project panel this time,
I will select another composition
and I'll go with wish you were here.
So, with this composition open
I'll make sure that the resolution factor is set to full
and the top work area spans the entire comp.
I'll come up to composition
and click Add to Adobe Media Encoder.
So again, upon click media encoder will appear
and we will see the composition added to the queue.
Now, before hitting render,
I'll come back into After Effects.
This time I will select the dreamy comp.
I'll make sure that the resolution factor is set to full
and the work area spans the entire comp.
I'll come up to composition
and click Add to Adobe Media Encoder.
Again, media encoder will appear
and we will now see this new composition added to the queue.
So now, we have two.
Now, back into After Effects.
This time I will select the old history comp.
I'll make sure that the resolution factor is set to full
and the work area spans the entire comp.
I'll come up to composition
and click Add to Adobe Media Encoder.
Again, media encoder will appear
and we will now see the new composition added to the queue.
So, now we have three compositions in the list.
So, what we can do here is essentially
stack a list of compositions we want to export
and you can stack as many as you wish here.
So, I'll click on the output for location for each comp
and navigate to the project folder on my computer.
Once happy, I'll come up and click on the render play button
in the top right.
This will then trigger my three comps to start rendering.
Once the first composition is rendered,
the next one will start automatically.
Now, the cool thing about this is that
when a video is rendering,
you can jump back into After Effects and keep working.
You can even open another file
and start working on another project.
Adobe Media Encoder offers you
the flexibility to keep working
while rendering in the media encoder, pretty cool.
So, once the renders are finished,
you will see the tick next to the comps
and if we want to remove these from the list,
we can simply click them and press Delete on the keyboard.
So, that's how simple it is rendering multiple comps
in media encoder.
Now, there is another way to render in After Effects
though this technique is not used as common
as the media encoder.
As mentioned earlier, the video encoder was launched
back in 2014.
Now, the media encoder is used to render
really streamlined compressed video at maximum quality
for things like presentations and upload into YouTube.
Before rendering in media encoder,
we had to render in After Effects.
Now, for those of you using previous versions,
this is how you will export in After Effects.
So, back in After Effects with a comp open,
come up to composition and this time
click add to render queue.
Upon click, you will see the timeline panel change
to the render queue.
This will present a bunch of settings we can define
before we export our video.
So, this is similar to the media encoder.
Here we can change the render settings.
If we click this,
it's much like we saw in the media encoder.
For now, I'll just cancel that
and next we have the output module.
If we hit that a bunch of output settings will appear.
Again, this is much like we saw in a media encoder.
Now, if you're using an older version of After Effects,
you should be able to select the H.264 format
in this drop down.
However, in newer versions of After Effects
with a media encoder you won't have this option here.
In newer options of After Effects,
here we could only export as QuickTime
which is going to create a huge file.
For newer versions of After Effects,
this is why we should really use media encoder
but if you are using an older version,
select your H.264 format here.
For now, I'll click cancel.
So, with the rendering and output settings sorted,
all that's left is to choose
where we want to export the video
by clicking on the last setting on the right, output two.
Upon click we will get a dialog box asking to name the video
and where to save.
On this occasion I'll navigate to the project folder
and select the export folder.
I'll keep the name and click Save.
Now, once you are happy and ready to render,
click the render button on the top right
of the render queue panel.
Now, upon clicking render,
you will now see a progression bar appear
along the top of the render queue panel
and you will see the video play as it progresses
in the composition panel.
Now, unlike with the media encoder,
when we render this way we cannot keep using After Effects.
If you render this way, you will have to wait
until it's finished to continue working.
Once the render is complete
we will hear the infamous ding sound
(ding sound)
and if we navigate to the project folder
we can see our video as a QuickTime video
and if you're using an older version
you should be able to see your .mp4 here.
So, that is how you can export your project out
in After Effects.
Now, remember if like me you are only going to use
After Effects to create videos to share on social media
or upload to YouTube,
I would strongly recommend you use the Adobe Media Encoder
to export nice streamlined video files.
So, that's it.
We are now done with the second section of the course.
Over the past 28 videos,
I have covered everything you need to know
as a beginner to Adobe After Effects,
ready to start your own projects.
Now, it's time to take all of what we've learnt
and create a project from scratch.
Now, after this last section on the course,
you should be able to undertake projects alone
and create more work comfortably in After Effects.
So, see you in the next video.
(upbeat music)