Making client previews..

Question

Since the mp4 encoding option was removed It's quite a detour make client previews using AME.
Rendering to to lossless format and let AME pick that up is quite a waste and  sending AE comp to AME directly takes a lot of time, memory and longer encoding times among other problems.
Can something be done to fix that workflow?  Are there 3th party mp4 encoders other then quicktime?  I've tried moving the encoder files from cc to cc2014 but no luck there..

Answer 1

I have used the AME to render client previews directly from the AEP project files since AME was introduced. This works because I have never produced a project for a client using Ray-traced rendering. It also works because I can send a comp to the AME, start it rendering, and keep working in AE on more projects. This results in NO down time waiting for renders. The days are long gone when you could bill a client for rendering previews. For final delivery and for archiving I set up the Render Cue to render to a 10 or 12 bit lossless 444 master and drop those in a watch folder for the AME when I leave the office at night and render my deliverables while I sleep. AME is, if properly utilized, a great addition to the workflow. It's the only way to render things from Premiere Pro, which is where most of my final deliverables come from because I use AE to create shots and composites and almost never produce a comp that is more than a few seconds long. All editing is done in Premiere Pro, sound mixing is done in Audition via dynamic link, and the final color grade for the most part is done in Premiere Pro or Speed Grade.
If AME rendering directly from AEP files slows down AE or is really slow in AME then you need to check your memory settings. If you happen to be creating a project that would seriously benefit from MP rendering in AE then you are better off rendering a lossless production master or DI in AE because AME does not use MP rendering.
I have found very few projects that did not benefit from this workflow. Any projects that do not benefit from this workflow are rendered directly in AE to a DI (digital intermediate) using a frame based 10 or 12 bit codec and 444 color at a minimum. BTW, as much of a fan as I am of Apple, Quicktime, in it's current version is a mess and I don't use it for any rendering or encoding or compressing. AME is almost as good as any of the third party compression software out there and it's free with PPro or AE so I have long abandoned use of 3rd party compressors but feel free to explore them.
BTW, the next version of AE and PPro are just around the corner. It sounds like you can expect some major speed increases with these new versions.