Export for Rendering @2x

[jjjnyt]

Is there a way to export at 2x in After Effects CC if all your layers are vector?

[Rick Gerard]

No, but you can go to File>Scripts>Demo Pallet and choose Resize Composition, double the width and then make sure Continuous Rasterization is turned on and render the new comp. The comp panel is pixels, not matter what the source material and that's what gets rendered so you cannot just scale up on render without loosing a bunch of quality.

[Warren Heaton]

Parent all of the vector layers to a Null Object, enable Continuously Rasterize for each vector layer, then scale Null Object to 200%.

[Roei Tzoref · Accepted solution]

Rick's suggestion is probably the shortest route.

to be more accurate here's the workflow:

1. in the project window, highlight the composition you wan't to scale

2. go to file->script->scale composition

3. enter new scale factor (2 in your case) and hit "scale"

4. open the composition, and make sure all the layers have the continuously rasterize switch

BTW, if you have effects applied to your Ai layers, you might experience differences in appearance and even a total mess since continuously rasterize switch will reverse the render order, so watch out for that and carefully examine it. next time you should make sure you create the largest version you need, because it's easy to scale down.

[jjjnyt]

Marking Roei's as correct since it's the most clear explanation.

As a follow up question, is it good to always work at double the composition size of what you think just in case you need it to display clear for retina?

[Roei Tzoref]

the short answer is NO. you produce video and video is only clear at 100%. the only reason to work double size is if you know you need the output to be at that size. on every job you make, you should know the output resolution and setup you project accordingly. if you have more than one output, then start with the largest, and prepare other versions from there.

[jjjnyt]

Got it.

The need arose later in the project, when I received specs that required the video to be viewed on iPad (retina) within another design. Obviously I always clarify needs at the beginning of a project but things change.

[Roei Tzoref]

I see. if the client changes specs, it's an additional cost that depends on the complexity. if you had puppet effect going on there, you could not scale the layers without rebuilding a lot of the work. if it's no hassle - then fine. scaling down is usually fine, but can also come at a price if you have text and lines that become to thin or unreadable. charging for different specs is a way to make a living too

[Warren Heaton]

When it comes to creating source footage from scratch in Photoshop, I commonly design at 2x and animate at 1x.  Part of that is also to make sure that design elements can float.  (That is, be moved around as needed for different aspect ratios).  Even in video post, if the edited master is 1920x1080, I push for 3840x2160 source to allow for reframing shots.   I wish it were more common.