Adobe After Effects CS4 - Manual (Page 696)

690 USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Rendering and exporting
Last updated 12/21/2009
Keep in mind the fact that you can use different encoding and compression schemes for different phases of your
workflow. For example, you may choose to export a few frames as full-resolution still images (for example, TIFF files)
when you need approval from a customer about the colors in a shot; whereas you may export the movie using a lossy
encoding scheme (for example, H.264) when you need approval for the timing of the animation.
Supported output formats
Note: The free trial version of Adobe After Effects software does not include some features that depend upon software
licensed from parties other than Adobe. For example, mocha for After Effects, some effect plug-ins, and some codecs for
encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of Adobe After Effects software.
Additional output formats may be available in the File > Export menu, depending on which QuickTime components
and codecs you have installed. Formats that use QuickTime components for export are listed under the dividing line
in the File > Export menu. To export to some image sequence formats, choose File > Export > Image Sequence.
You can add the ability to export other kinds of data by installing plug-ins or scripts provided by parties other than
Adobe. For example, Paul Tuersley provides a script on the
AE Enhancers forum with which you export After Effects
composition data as Cinema 4D project data. Mark Christiansen provides an article on the ProVideo Coalition website
that links to scripts and plug-ins for exporting from After Effects for use in Cinema4D, Maya, Lightwave, and other
3D applications.
Unless otherwise noted, all image file formats are exported at 8 bits per channel (bpc).
Video and animation formats
• 3GPP (3GP, 3G2, AMC; requires QuickTime 6.5 or later)
• Adobe Clip Notes (PDF containing rendered movie)
• Animated GIF (GIF)
• ElectricImage (IMG, EIZ)
• Filmstrip (FLM)
• FLV, F4V
• H.264 and H.264 Blu-ray
• MPEG-2 (Windows and Mac OS on Intel-based Mac only)
• MPEG-2 DVD (Windows and Mac OS on Intel-based Mac only)
• MPEG-2 Blu-ray (Windows and Mac OS on Intel-based Mac only)
• MPEG-4
• OMF (media [essence] only, Windows only)
• QuickTime (MOV, DV; requires QuickTime for 8 bpc and codec support for 16 bpc)
• SWF
• Video for Windows (AVI)
• Windows Media (Windows only)
After Effects can read and render QuickTime files in 16-bpc color depth. When you select a QuickTime codec that
supports 16-bpc color depth in the Output Module dialog box, such as the None16 codec, Trillions Of Colors is
available. To find out whether your video codec supports 16-bpc color depth, contact the manufacturer directly.