Comp settings vs. Output Module settings

Oh geez I hate to even ask this question:
What the heck did I do? Maybe I'm losing it here...
I've been rendering HD videos in H.264 for some time, but all of a sudden I'm getting "settings mismatch" in output module settings.
And my animations are always 1920x1080
Could somebody give me a refresher on selecting comp settings versus render settings? Please?
If I know I'm going to use output module setting of H.264, what size should my original comp be? Does comp setting have to be 1280x720? Cause I've been using 1920x1080.
I've cycled thru just about every output module setting and every render is all grainy and unusable.
Maybe I changed something somewhere and not aware of it?
My Comp Settings:
Preset: HDTV 1080 29.97
width: 1920 px
height: 1080 px
What's got me stumped is the fact that the video/graphics look so crisp and clear while editing and previewing, but rendered video is all grainy and blurry.

H.264 renders out as progressive scan, but 1920x1080 is typically upper field first for most editing applications.
What's the field order you're using? Add the comp to AE's Render Queue and check the Render Settings.
How are you viewing the rendered file? In an editing application? In a viewer?
Personally, I'd be tempted to use 1280x720, 59.94 frames/sec if I had a choice.

Similar Messages

Default file location render settings and output module - Windows 7?

Hi all,
Confession: I am generally confused about render settings and output modules, so forgive me if this question seems stupid.
Problem 1: Where does AE store the default render settings and output module files (I'm on Windows 7)? I want to backup a copy of these in case I mess them up, but can't find the folder. I think they are .aom and .ars files, but I just upgraded my CC 2014, lost all my custom settings, and want to save the defaults before I try loading my various customized files to see if I can get my settings back. When I search for *.aom or *.ars, I can't find any "default" settings from later than 2013 (I would think there would be a newer one somewhere.
Thanks in advance,
Lori

They're in the same folder as the general preferences file and the keyboard shortcuts file. You can open that folder by clicking the button at the bottom of the Preferences dialog box.
But there is no need to back up the defaults. If you delete the render settings or output module settings file, After Effects will just recreate the defaults.

Setting format and format options in Output module settings for render queue item

Hello,
I am unable to set the "Format" and "Format options" for video in output module settings programatically using After effects apis.
I referred the after effects cs3 sdk guide for the apis.
I find apis for all other options in the "outputmodule settings " like :
AEGP_SetEmbedOptions
AEGP_SetOutputChannels
AEGP_SetStretchInfo
AEGP_SetSoundFormatInfo
But there is no api listed for setting the options available in the "Format" tab and "Format options" tab.
The "Format" tab and "Format options" tab is available in the dialog that opens when user clicks on the Output module settings for the render queue item.
The format tab when clicked shows a drop down list with aff different formats. By default "Video for Windows" is set.
The drop down list contains following format options
Adobe Clip Notes
Adobe Flash video
Quicktime movie
Video for Windows
I need to be able to set the "Quicktime movie" option in the Format tab programmatically and then set the compression type as "Animation" in the compression settings programatically using the api functions available in AE CS3 SDK
Please suggest the suitable api to do so.
I need to write my own plugin to export to Quicktime movie using the after effects apis.
I follow below steps to do so.
1. AEGP_InsertMenuCommand and add export option to AE with my own plugin name
2. In the command hook, select active item using AEGP_GetActiveItem
3. Add it to render queue
4. Set the output module settings for 0 th output module using
suites.OutputModuleSuite1()
5. Use different functions from suites.OutputModuleSuite1() to set the output module settings like EmbedOptions,StrechInfo etc.
6. Till this step, I am doing it right. But I am not able to find any api for setting Format options using suites.OutputModuleSuite1()
I also checked all other suites available for setting FormatOptions but no luck.
Please help.
Thanks,
-Namita

Hi Namita,
I am experiencing the same problem.
I am using AE CC SDK, and I am unable to change the outputmodule format to any of the other movie format types (mov, mpg, flv, etc.).
It is always set to "avi"
I even compiled and ran the Queuebert example in the SDK, and there I get the same problem: the path extension is always left on ".avi"
Does anyone know how to change this?

Output module settings in AE disappears when activating Creative Cloud

I have been using Creative Cloud a little year now. Sometimes one of the programs en the suite asks me to activate the software. Then I (again) type in my adobe id.
After that the output module settings in After Effects disappears and I have to rebuild them manually. Very annoying.
Why am I asked to activate? And where do the settings go?

HI Blues67,
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. I've experienced the reactivate behavior and it is something I know we are working to improve. I haven't experienced the output module issue before. I searched the After Effects forum for "output module" and read through all the posts and didn't see similar reports from other customers, so wondered if it was something unique. I think the the output module preferences are saved as part of the regular After Effects user preferences. I wondered if you were on Windows or Mac. If you've had to reset your user preferences that might account for the output module settings being reset too. I'd test recreating them by moving the original to a new location, and if they do get reset, you can save a backup for future reference if needed. I think
you can get more info about the location from here:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS37cb61f8f3397d86-164c9f19127035dd253-8 000.html
-Dave

Output Module Settings for QT?

I am trying to set the output module in AE CS3 for HD in Quicktime but cannot find any combination of settings to make the final movie come out as HD. Details, original footage *.m2t (1440 X 1080 p30). The render seetings are Best Settings using the defaults. In the output module, I select format as QT Movie, video output as default which is compression DV/DVCPRO-NTSC, progressive, 16:9. I get the same results if stretch is checked off or on. If off, it comes up 1440 X 1080 custom, lock aspect ratio to 4:3. If on, I have tried HDV 1080 29.97 which changes nothing, and HDTV 1080 29.97. I note that the later does change the module to 1920 X 1080 lock aspect ratio to 16:9. IN EVERY CASE, the QT movie comes out as a 4:3. When played in the QT Pro player is it 4:3. When reinput to AE it is 4:3. When a single frame is saved and opened in photoshop, the canvas size is 16:9 but only partially filled with a 4:3 image (i.e., it has white columns on the sides). So is there anyway (or set of settings) that will give me a genuine, 16 X 9 movie that I can use in QT. I note that I have no trouble getting exactly the right output when I set it for *.avi. Help...Thanks, dale

Thanks Rick, I understand your ideas. My ultimate goal is personal
entertainment using BD disks and my HD TV. Eventually, possibly entering
amateur contests such as sponsored by Videomaker Mag or Muvipix.com. The
reason I'm pursuing QT is simply there is no better way to learn than to
work a problem until it is solved. I am using AE CS3 to implement visual
effects vignettes which is where my real interest lies. To get to BD, I use
Adobe PE4 as my NLE which is more than adequate. In so far as I know, AE
and PE work equally well with avi as with QT so I'm OK. On the other hand,
I also use PS CS2 which is married with Image Ready which seems to prefer
QT. PS is great to roto with it's many tools. I realize the new PS has
incorporated the Image Ready functionality and Image Ready is no longer
supported. Nonetheless, It's what I will have for the foreseeable future.
If worse comes to worse, I can always use AE (or PE) to output a sequence of
stills that can be imported into Image Ready and then shifted to PS for
work. If I had QT available, QT Pro outputs image sequences more quickly.
Image Ready, however, only outputs QT as footage. Dale

Repeated Formats in Output Module Settings

If I click on Output Module in the Render Queue and pull down "Format" to change it from say, a JPG to a Quicktime movie, why is it that each format is repeated twice? I'm runnning CS3 on Vista.
Now, to be clear - my TEMPLATES aren't repeated .. just the FORMATS listed for what the templates could be.
Adobe Clip Notes
Adobe Clip Notes
Adobe Flash Video
Adobe Flash Video.
H.264
H.264
Windows Media
Windows Media
You get the idea.
Thanks
Marc

Mmh, still strange. Even if it looks harmless, it may cause issues eventually, if AE attempts to also load a specific output module twice. I'd keep an eye out for it. I forgot to mention that some of these modules also are hooked in the registry, so may be that's where this nonsense comes from - identical settings under different keys or redundant user-specific vs. systemwide keys.
Mylenium

After Effects "Output Module" render error & rendering advice

Hi all,
I've been working on an AfterEffects project for a few weeks and never had a problem with rendering it before, but in the past few days it has started giving me error messages every time I start a render.
After rendering about 48 - 60 frames of a 2 minute long composition (it doesn't seem to hang in the same place every time), the render freezes and I get this error message:
After Effects error: An output module stopped responding. The file may be damaged or corrupted. You may need to restart After Effects.
The project is really huge -- about 1022 3D layers, mostly all created in Photoshop, as well as some Quicktime movies. Motion blur is turned on for everything. Although the project is big, I have a 3D camera that animates through the scene, so not all the layers are onscreen at all times.
I haven't added anything significant to the composition lately, I've just been adjusting keyframes, so that would lead me to believe the render isn't failing because of a corrupted element.
I'm using Adobe After Effects CS5, Version 10.0.2.4. I have some 3rd party plug-ins installed (Trapcode, Magic Bullet Looks, Optical Flares), but I'm not using any 3rd party effects on this project, though I plan to in the future.
I'm running the project on a 2 x 2.66 Ghz 6-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro with 14 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM, using OS X version 10.6.8.
Here is some information about my project:
1280 X 720, Square Pixels, 23.976 Frame Rate, Rendering Plug-in: Advanced 3D. For my preferences, I don't have "render multiple frames simultaneously" checked, and I keep 4 GBs of RAM reserved for other applications. I also have OpenGL disabled.
And finally, here are some screenshots of my Render Settings and Output Module for this project:
I'd really appreciate any feedback or advice on how to troubleshoot this error. And I'd also love to hear if the experts on this board have render settings tips or advice on how to set up my render preferences for my particular machine.
Thanks and hope all is well,
Dan

Hey Dan,
Really nice post in regards to info provided initially. It's rare to see that these days.
The weird thing in your screen shots that I see, is that in your Output Module Settings, the audio bit-depth settings seem to be grayed out for some reason. Are you using some sort of audio hardware that is customized, or perhaps some compressed audio in your project? Here's what I mean:
Thoughts? Aside from that, your project does sound as if it is pretty intensive, so I'm sure the problem could be occuring elsewhere...

Import Output Modules to render slaves with expired trial

Hello, I intend to launch network render jobs through the command line in Windows 7, ie., not with Watch Folder feature but by passing command lines directly to aerender.exe.
The problem is that I need to create new Output Module settings for the render job and pass it on to my render slaves. The slaves are installed in trial mode which now have expired, so I am not able to open up full After Effects and import an .aom file. And I have not figured out a way to do the same thing with just the Render Engine as the menu option is disabled no matter what I do.
I thought that copying the preference files from my workstation to the render slaves would give them the new Output Modules as I read that these settings are stored in the preference files somehow, but the render still complains about missing modules if I try.
I have 'almost' solved the whole thing by temporarily register the expired versions with my serial, import the .aom (or recreate the template from scratch), and then deactivate AE into trial mode again.
However I noticed a strange behaviour when doing this which I cannot figure out. I had previously put a ae_render_only_node.txt into \Users\Public\Documents\Adobe to force it into Render Engine mode, but it seems like the aerender.exe can no longer find the new Output Module I just created when ae_render_only_node.txt is present in that folder.
As soon as i remove ae_render_only_node.txt the aerender.exe renders fine, but with the file present it just won't find the new module on any of the slaves. I guess it works for as long as the "new" trial period is active (by registering and deactivating I got 30 days trial mode again.) But once this trial is over I am forced to use ae_render_only_node.txt to make the slaves render, no?
It is perhaps so that using the standard way of network rendering through Watch Folder will avoid this issue, but the reason is that we are designing custom network render tools that use aerender.exe because of simplicity, speed and reliability compare to Watch Folder.
In this case it would have been so much easier if Render Settings and Output Modules would have been stored as an ordinary XML or INI file which could be transfered between systems and edited with simple external text editing tools.
Right now it seems like this won't be a problem for me during these next 30 days, but after that I fear that my custom Output Module settings will no longer be recognized.
Is there any solution to this?

>The most likely culprit is the h.264 Quicktime. It should have never been included as an option. It doesn't even work well in Quicktime Pro or in Final Cut...
I'll come to Apple's (partial) defense here:
Their H.264 codec was written and released at a time when it was difficult to imagine that mainstream computers would have as many CPUs as they do now, so it's somewhat understandable that the severe failures that this codec has with large numbers of threads occurs. Of course, we may all wish that Apple hadn't decided to end development on the QuickTime platform, since this has meant that bugs like this are likely to persist.
That said, this is why we increasingly recommend that people use other H.264 codecs and not use QuickTime for such things. See the H.264 options currently in Adobe Media Encoder.

After Effects CC Audio Output Module

Hello.
I am running Adobe CC and for some reason, the default option in my audio output module is 8k, 16bit, Stereo, even though the project is set up for 48k.
This is the first time I've had to keep manually changing the kHz option to 48kHz. Any idea why this would have changed within the past week?
Also, it dosen't matter if I choose 48kHz. Even tho 48kHz is working properly and selected in the render queue, as soon as I REopen that Render Dialogue box, it goes BACK to 8kHz as the selection.
Glitch? Reinstall perhaps? Because my coworkers machines and my laptop are all default at 48kHz as usual.
Thanks.

This is a bug in After Effects CC (12.2). My apologies for this. We're working on a bug fix release.
You can avoid the bug by double-checking the audio sample rate value, and changing it if necessary, as your last action before you click OK in the Output Module Settings dialog.
For more detail please see my response in this other thread:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5938627#5938627

Output Modules Lost

I recently upgraded from CS3 to CS5 and I can't find the output Modules from CS3 to transfer to CS5 (the render settings are gone too). They are not in either presets folder. If I open CS3, the modules are there and I can use them but I can't find them. Spotlight can't find them either. Does anyone have any advice to help me find them?
TIA

Output Module templates aren't saved as separate files. (The data is embedded in your preferences file.) You can save your custom Output Module Templates from After Effects CS3 as a .AOM file, which you can then import into After Effects CS5. For more information, read the "Create, manage, and edit output module templates" section of the "Output modules and output module settings" article in After Effects Help.
Note that because of changes to how After Effects CS5 stores the data for certain output formats (including MPEG formats), some Output Module Templates from previous versions do not fully import into After Effects CS5. In this case you will receive a warning when opening the .AOM file, and the format-specific settings for those templates will be reset to the default values. You can change the template manually in CS5 to match the settings from the previous version.

Crash on Output Module

Hi,
Seem to have an ongoing issue.
When i go to render on an existing or indeed brand new project regardless of content my AE crashes.
I choose render, then go to output module settings. Click format options and it crashes.
A copy of your project was saved at: /After Effects Crash_1.aep.
Last log message was: <140735166022416> <ae.blitpipe> <2> Making New Context
Generating crash log, which may take a few minutes.
I then get this message - and the report crash window.
Apple Mac Pro (late 2013)
10.9.5

Wow that's quite a list of requirements.
Adobe After Effects CC 2014.0.2 release 13.0.2.3
Apple OSX 10.9.5
All adobe and apple updates are complete
Error message:
A copy of your project was saved at: /Documents/After Effects Crash_3.aep.
Last log message was: <140735207072528> <ae.blitpipe> <2> Making New Context
Generating crash log, which may take a few minutes.
Workflow to get error: Render, output module settings. Click format options and it crashes.
No idea what has changed on the computer but this is only a recent thing as i had been working on a project a few weeks ago and all was fine.
Multiprocessing is switched off
OpenGL is not supported on my graphics card
Processor 2.7 GHz 12-Core Intel Xeon E5
Memory 64 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 ECC
Graphics AMD FirePro D700 6144 MB
Quicktime is installed Version 10.3 (727.4)
Am just in the process of uninstalling the application and will reinstall clean with no plugins. Hopefully this will fix the issue.

Output Module Preferences

If you need to be able to export these formats directly from After Effects, you can re-enable them by setting the preference Show Deprecated Formats In Output Module Settings in the Output preferences category. How do I do this?

The Show Deprecated Formats In Output Module Settings is only available in After Effects CC. That option was removed in After Effects CC 2014.
Even before they removed the option (but especially now), here's what you should be doing: using Adobe Media Encoder to create H.264, MPEG-2, and WMV videos from After Effects
However, if you really want to encode h.264 directly out of AE (which is not recommended), you can choose to Save As CC in CC 2014 and open your projects in the older version and do it there.

Output Module preset "Use Comp Frame Number" won't save setting

I have an Output Module Template for my DPX sequences. I have the "Use Comp Frame Number" box checked, but upon restart of AE, the setting resets itself to Unchecked. If I re-check it in the template settings, it works until I restart AE. I have tried deleting the Template and rebuilding it but no luck.
I am using the most recent AE 2014 build on Windows 7. Ideas? Thank you!

Is your Output Module Template the first template in the list (alphabetically)? There is a known issue where the Use Comp Frame Number control is not correctly remembered in this case. To work around this, rename the template so it is not the first in the list. ex., Put it at the bottom of the list or put another template (maybe a dummy template?) above it.
Please do file a bug, even though we're already aware of this the number of reports we get about any particular problem do make a difference:
http://adobe.ly/ReportBug

Change Output Device Settings @ Runtime?

This will sound silly, but there is a good reason for it :). Also, I am not much of an ABAPer.
We have a requirement to change output device settings on the fly in a program. For instance, in case A, we would like to use the output device as it was originally configured in SPAD. However, in case B, we would like to override the output device's access method and host dynamically in code.
Is there any function module or technique that can change these output device properties via code at runtime (printtime)?
Thanks,
Kris

Hi,
Try out this.. The bold one is the output device name..
p_output_options-TDCOPIES = 3. "number of copies.
p_output_options-tddest = 'LP01'. "def
p_output_options-TDIMMED = 'X'.
p_output_options-tddelete = 'X'.
p_output_options-TDIMMED = ' '.
p_output_options-tddest = 'LP01'.
p_output_options-TDNEWID = 'X'.
wa_ctrl-no_dialog = 'X'.
deactivate the popup window
p_control_parameters-no_dialog = 'X'. "no dilog box
p_control_parameters-preview = 'X'. "no preview
wa_output_options-tdimmed = 'X'.
wa_output_options-tddelete = 'X'.
wa_output_options-tdimmed = ' '.
wa_output_options-tddest = 'LOCL'.
wa_ctrl-no_dialog = 'X'.
CALL FUNCTION '/1BCDWB/SF00000154'
EXPORTING
ARCHIVE_INDEX              =
ARCHIVE_INDEX_TAB          =
ARCHIVE_PARAMETERS         =
CONTROL_PARAMETERS            = p_control_parameters
MAIL_APPL_OBJ              =
MAIL_RECIPIENT             =
MAIL_SENDER                =
   OUTPUT_OPTIONS              = p_output_options
   USER_SETTINGS               = 'X'
IMPORTING
DOCUMENT_OUTPUT_INFO       =
JOB_OUTPUT_INFO            =
JOB_OUTPUT_OPTIONS         = wa_job
TABLES
    wt_header                  = wi_itab1
    wt_personal                = wi_itab2
    wt_payroll                 = wi_itab3
    wt_absence                 = wi_itab4
EXCEPTIONS
FORMATTING_ERROR           = 1
INTERNAL_ERROR             = 2
SEND_ERROR                 = 3
USER_CANCELED              = 4
OTHERS                     = 5
IF sy-subrc <> 0.
MESSAGE ID SY-MSGID TYPE SY-MSGTY NUMBER SY-MSGNO
        WITH SY-MSGV1 SY-MSGV2 SY-MSGV3 SY-MSGV4.
ENDIF.
Regards,
Arunsri

Save PDF Output custom settings?

After tweaking almost every panel in the PDF output settings, I'd like to save those settings to reuse with other PDF contact sheets I'll be creating in the future. How do I do that? As soon as I tweak a setting, the Preset changes to Custom, and as soon as I select a different preset, the entire Custom entry is deleted from the dropdown menu.
AM

AnneMarie Concepcion wrote:
After tweaking almost every panel in the PDF output settings, I'd like to save those settings to reuse with other PDF contact sheets I'll be creating in the future. How do I do that? As soon as I tweak a setting, the Preset changes to Custom, and as soon as I select a different preset, the entire Custom entry is deleted from the dropdown menu.
AM
While the Output Module of Bridge is a good idea it is not "ready for prime time" in either of the two functional areas.
I guess that's why they left the old-style methods available on the installation disk.
Just another casualty of the "Rush it out to meet a deadline" policy.

Comp settings vs. Output Module settings

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