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.

Similar Messages

After Effects CC Output Modules on Render Only Machines

Hi there, I'm having an issue with custom Output Module Templates and my renderfarm:
After Effects CC 12.0.0.404 (showing as up to date in Creative Cloud)
Mac OS X 10.8.4 (Latest Mountain Lion version)
Mac Pro 2.93 GHz 8-Core, Radeon 5870, 32GB RAM and with Blackmagic Decklink Extreme 3D+
Remote Machines (there are four) are Mac Pros as well (Quad-core, running 10.7.2 with 16GB RAM), using the ae_render_only_node.txt file in their user Documents folder.
The exact error:
aerender ERROR: No output module template was found with the given name.
I am trying to get a renderfarm working with After Effects CC (see exact version above). Unfortunately, I need custom output modules and I can't seem to get the render slaves to recognize them. I found older threads on this exact issue, but no solution was found.
I am using commandline aerender in OS X terminal to start a render with a basic test scene.
To simplify things, I have tried testing this on one render slave machine at a time... Same result everywhere.
Here's what I've tried:
I exported a .aom file from my main machine (where I have my desired custom Output Modules) and attempted to bring it in on the render slaves. However, because the render slaves are render only, (they have ae_render_only_node.txt in their Documents folder), the ability to import Output Modules is disabled in After Effects (it opens as the After Effects Render Engine, and the Edit>Templates menu is greyed out).
Next, I thought I'd try copying the main machine's /Users/(user)/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/12.0 folder over to the render slaves, thinking that would get whatever preference file to them that's needed to define the output modules. No luck. Launched After Effects (which loads as After Effects Render Engine) and reset my disk cache preferences (so they weren't still the main machine's). Tried aerender again... no luck. Same error:
aerender ERROR: No output module template was found with the given name.
After that, I thought it would be a good idea to sign out of Adobe Creative Cloud on the main machine, and try logging into the render slave machine with my full UserID and Password and temporarily remove the ae_render_only_node.txt file. Then, I'd import the .aom file in the full version of AE... I tried this and success! The renders work... they find the Output Modules no problem. Only issue is, as soon as I sign out, and switch to using the ae_render_only_node.txt file, the Output Modules are not found. Not sure what's going on-- if the Output Modules are being disabled by the ae_render_only_node.txt file? Or maybe signing out of my Adobe ID is removing the preferences that determine Output Modules? Don't know where the Output Module preferences are stored to be able to tell.
Next attempt: I thought I'd try syncing my preferences with Creative Cloud. I made sure to check After Effects Sync Preferences to ensure that Output Modules are set to sync. I did a sync where I uploaded my preferences from the main machine. Then, on the render slaves, I ran Sync Preferences, and chose to download preferences. Works when signed in, but not when used as a render only node. When it's a render only node, it still prompts me to Download the Sync Preferences and Quit the Application, which I do, but nothing seems to happen. I try aerender again, and still the same error:
aerender ERROR: No output module template was found with the given name.
I can't seem to find any info on where Output Modules are actually stored (apparently they're not anywhere in the User/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/ folder?). Are render only nodes not allowed to have custom Output Modules? Not even for something as simple as the Multi-Machine Sequence with a post-render action of Set Proxy enabled?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thank You.

I've verified this problem and filed a bug. Sorry about the hiccup.
I've trying to pin down why this happens, and while I don't have a full explanation yet I think I've stumbled onto a workaround:
Trash the prefs on the render machine.
Enable the ae_render_only_node.txt file.
Launch AE and then quit. <- This is a critical step. More on this later.
Disable ae_render_only_node.txt file.
Launch AE.
Add your Output Module template.
Quit AE.
Enable the ae_render_only_node.txt file.
After you do this, I highly recommend making a backup copy of the Adobe After Effects 12.0 Prefs-indep-output.txt file. Just in case. I've had the failure reappear.
Now test with aerender and let me know if that works. It has on my machine.
Why does this matter? When you run AE with the ae_render_only_node.txt file enabled, it appears to add a new section to the preferences: "Output Module Preference Section v28-TRIAL". It's the TRIAL part that is important. Without it, AE doesn't seem to be able to keep track of the OM's when in render_only_node mode. And if you disable the ae_render_only_node.txt file, AE has a tendency to destroy the TRIAL section (I'm still tracing why that happens).
Now, should this not work for you, I recommend you work around the problem by adding your comps to the render queue in each project. When you do that, and change your aerender flags appropriately, you can render to your desired settings without specifying OMtemplate parameter.
> I can't seem to find any info on where Output Modules are actually stored (apparently they're not anywhere in the User/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/ folder?).
You probably already discovered this. In After Effects CC the OM data is stored in the Adobe After Effects 12.0 Prefs-indep-output.txt file. In older versions of AE, a single pref file such as Adobe After Effects 11.0-x64 Prefs.txt holds all of this data.
Let me know if that workaround does the trick for you. If I get more information on the cause of the problem I'll update you.

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

Adobe Output Module install on MacBook Pro running OS X

I have tried to install the Adobe Output Module but it is not working. I see the "Output" option in Bridge but when clicked nothing happens. I followed the instructions provided with the download. I think my issue might be where i am placing the "Adobe Output Module" folder. In my Library/Application Support/Adobe/ file path I have a "Bridge CC" folder but not a "Bridge CC Extensions" folder. I am on a MacBook Pro running OS X (10.9.4). Do i need to create a "Bridge CC Extensions" folder in that file path and place the module folder there?

Also check
system preferences/Hardware/Keyboard and de select first check box Use all F1 F2 etc keys as standard function keys
(otherwise you have to presss the fn key) before selecting F1 F2

Adobe Bridge output module

I am having an issue getting the adobe output module to work on my computer. I did exactly what the website said and its still not working. Any advice?

BOILERPLATE TEXT:
Note that this is boilerplate text.
If you give complete and detailed information about your setup and the issue at hand,
such as your platform (Mac or Win),
exact versions of your OS, of Photoshop (not just "CS6", but something like CS6v.13.0.6) and of Bridge,
your settings in Photoshop > Preference > Performance
the type of file you were working on,
machine specs, such as total installed RAM, scratch file HDs, total available HD space, video card specs, including total VRAM installed,
what troubleshooting steps you have taken so far,
what error message(s) you receive,
if having issues opening raw files also the exact camera make and model that generated them,
if you're having printing issues, indicate the exact make and model of your printer, paper size, image dimensions in pixels (so many pixels wide by so many pixels high). if going through a RIP, specify that too.
etc.,
someone may be able to help you (not necessarily this poster).
a screen shot of your settings or of the image could be very helpful too.
Please read this FAQ for advice on how to ask your questions correctly for quicker and better answers:
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/419981?tstart=0
Thanks!

Bridge cc 64bit ,can't install Output Module ,help

hi
why is so hard to install output module
i did everything Install Adobe Output Module
and when i close bridge and restart it asked me if i want to add the output module , i asnwer yes
i have the outpot workspace ,but when i click on it , nothing ,,,
i tried to delete the files of the output module , re-load brige cc ,close ->re -install the output module
nothing i can't have the output module
why is so hard to let it work ?
may i ask ?
do you think reset the preferences could help ?
in this case, how can i backup them ?
i run the last version of bridge cc ,photoshop cc 64bit under w8,1 pro 64bit
thanks

hi
after reading around the forum without luck
i found the solution at least for windows
well inside the AOM_Package_Win64 in my case because i installed only bridge 64bit
there is
Adobe Output Module
AdobeOutputModule.workspace
copy/extract the folder Adobe Output Module -> C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Bridge CC Extensions
copy/extract the file AdobeOutputModule.workspace -> C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Bridge CC Extensions\Workspaces
start bridge

Output module failed 1610153464

I am running CS5 on a Mac 10.6.6. I have both QTX and QT 7.6.6 installed
Every time I render, it gives the following error message:
An output module failed. The file may be damaged or corrupted. (-1610153464)
I've tested the files on a different machine and they open and render out fine.
I'm having these issues and I don't have any plugins installed.
Re-Installed everything multiple times, trashed preferences, removed plugins from the Application support and still no luck.
The only thing that works for me is outputting to a PNG or JPEG sequence.
If I try to render using the Animation preset, It gives the error message.
I also have been getting a weird "MooV" error message when I try to import certain types of quicktime files. Not all just a few random ones.
All of this leads me to believe it is a Quicktime issue.
Please can you help. Other than doing a complete clean operating install, which i am doubting will work.
Robin Souter

hey todd,
good thinking, I was just trying the very same thing. alas when I try to open my AE project in Media Encoder I get the message
"Could not connect to Adobe After Effects. Please verify that Adobe After Effects and Adobe Dynamic Link components are installed."
I'm scratching my head, this also worked yesterday.
Could it be anything to do with de-activation? I have cs5 installed on my workstation in my studio.
I also have it installed on my laptop at home. do I need to contact Adobe each time I want to use 1 machine or the other?
Also ever since installing cs5 on my laptop I get the following message each time I launch After Effects (dont know if its connected as I normally just click ok and use AE as normal)
"Runtime Error! This application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way.
Please contact the application's support team for more information"
or maybe I didn't run the adobe uninstaller cleaner utility to get rid of traces of old versions, before installing cs5 to my laptop
thanks
ste

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.

Cannot use Bridge after output module added. VERY frustrated. Thoughts?

I've followed the instructions for adding the output module. I've done it 3 times. Once the process is finished, Bridge will not open.
Not sure why the option wasn't included in the CC version of Bridge, but I'm getting really frustrated, and wondering why I'm paying for this.

A lot more information about your hardware and software is needed.
BOILERPLATE TEXT:
If you give complete and detailed information about your setup and the issue at hand,
such as your platform (Mac or Win),
exact versions of your OS, of Photoshop (not just "CC", but something like CC2014.v.2.2) and of Bridge,
your settings in Photoshop > Preference > Performance
the type of file you were working on,
machine specs, such as total installed RAM, scratch file HDs, total available HD space, video card specs, including total VRAM installed,
what troubleshooting steps you have taken so far,
what error message(s) you receive,
if having issues opening raw files also the exact camera make and model that generated them,
if you're having printing issues, indicate the exact make and model of your printer, paper size, image dimensions in pixels (so many pixels wide by so many pixels high). if going through a RIP, specify that too.
a screen shot of your settings or of the image could be very helpful too,
etc.,
someone may be able to help you (not necessarily this poster, who is not a Windows user).
Please read this FAQ for advice on how to ask your questions correctly for quicker and better answers:
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/419981?tstart=0
Thanks!

No output module

Just installed PS, Flash & BR from the web premium CS4 There's no output module showing in Bridge nor is does it show in the "Window" drop down menu. I've checked Bridge->Preferences->Startup script panel-- Output Module is checked. I've restarted several times. Running Gateway PC-XP Media Center--Athlon-3GB ram. Any ideas as to how to resolve this issue?
Thanks, Gary

John,
Photoshop (PS) is installed. I just downloaded & installed the CS4 updates which included an output module update but still no joy. Everything is installed on the C drive- C> Program Files> Adobe>
Gary

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.

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.

How to list output module templates

I cant seem to get the list of output modules templates, without having a comp in the render queue and getting the template array by looking in: app.project.renderQueue.item(1).outputModules[1].templates.
I want to populate a DropDownList with these values prior to adding anything to the renderQueue if possible.

There is a less kludgy way to do this for Output modules:
function getOutputModuleTemplateNames()
var currentOMName;
var OMStringsPrefSection = "Output Module Spec Strings Section v28";
var OMStringsKeyPrefix = "Output Module Spec Strings Name ";
var hiddenPrefixRE = /_HIDDEN/;
var OMList = new Array();
for(var i = 0; app.preferences.havePref(OMStringsPrefSection, OMStringsKeyPrefix+i, PREFType.PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_OUTPUT); i++)
currentOMName = app.preferences.getPrefAsString(OMStringsPrefSection, OMStringsKeyPrefix+i, PREFType.PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_OUTPUT);
if(currentOMName.match(hiddenPrefixRE)==null) OMList.push(currentOMName);
return OMList;
My problem is I'd like to do this for Render Settings templates, too, but they aren't stored as individual keys in the preferences, but rather as some chunk of encoded data that can't be retrieved (as far as I can tell) using app.preferences.getPrefAsString().
Is there any way, short of reading in the preference file itself, which seems clunky and not at all future-proof, to get access to settings like this?

Setting Output module from outside AE

Hi,
I'd like to automate AE renders on a third machine.
I want to render out comps with the render engine to save myself from buying another copy just for rendering. I'd like to use aerender, and render to a custom format. For this, I'd need an output module, which I can make on my copy. My render engine is more than a month old, so I cannot go into the standard up because of the activation screen. If I run render engine the templates in the edit menu is grayed out.
How can I get my custom output module inside AE so aerender could use it? Or is there a way to point to a .aom file for aerender?
Thanks for any help,
Sa,

Thanks for your response, Aaron.
I've kinda got around the problem with simply copying the AE preference file which contains the templates alongside the preferences of the app.
My problem was that I rendering Premiere Pro projects straight with aerender because it's nicely automatable. And as such it has no render queue nor items in it.
For even more detail, I wanted to render XviD videos, but for some reason, Premiere doesn't likes XviD and cannot render videos to that format while AE can. So, I make the projects in Premiere, than pass them to a third machine, containing only an AE render engine and the new preferences file which I created templates for XviD output in. Than I can batch process a bunch of prproj's with aerender.
Once again thank you for your time and response.
Sam

Output Module Preferences

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