Exporting

[positive_Lullaby3794]

I am trying to export my video in 1500 x 1080 using a 20 frame rate but it will not let me export it in 20 due to a "settings mismatch." It says it will do this due to "format constraints" but it will not tell me what needs to change. Can someone help me?

[Kyle Hamrick · Accepted solution]

20fps is a non-standard frame rate, and many export codecs (formats) have limitations about the frame rate or size that can be used when creating files of that type. You'll need to either choose a different format, or update your frame rate as recommended. I can't give you more specific info about the format you were attempting to use, since you didn't list it, but you can enter that format into your search engine of choice, and should be able to find the specs it allows.

[positive_Lullaby3794]

Is the format my composition?

[positive_Lullaby3794]

I also went through every format option and even changed my resolution and it still won't work.

[Kyle Hamrick]

For the purposes of this conversation, when I say "format," I'm talking about the file format you're actually exporting to, like an H264 .mp4 file, which will be the default if you're not changing any export settings. 

You can change the frame size (like 1920x1080) as we ll as the frame rate in each composition, by choosing Composition > Composition Settings (CTRL/CMD + K). However, you can also specify different settings on export. 

Is there a specific reason you're working at this non-standard frame rate? While you can technically set almost any frame rate in a composition, you won't always be able to actually export a video file with those settings, as you're seeing. I would recommend using one of the more standard frame rates, like 24 (23.976), 25, or 30 (29.97), depending on your desired destination. 

[positive_Lullaby3794]

I want to edit videos at 20 fps. Do you know if I can change my settings somewhere to where I can export at any fps?

[positive_Lullaby3794]

Or what ways other than H264.mp4 file I can export at where I get the same video result?

[Kyle Hamrick · Accepted solution]

If you must use 20fps, you'll need to do some trial and error to confirm which formats will allow export... and then also achieve the other goals you have for these files. This is honestly less an After Effects issue than one of video codecs and file formats in general. That said: 

In the Render Queue, under Output Module, you can choose other presets by clicking on the small arrow next to here it says "H.264 - Match Render Settings - 15 Mbps" in blue. Or, you can fully customize the export format settings by clicking directly on it. 



The "High Quality" preset will allow a 20fps export, for example, but this will be creating a .mov (Quicktime) file using the Apple ProRes 422 codec. This is a good *production* codec, but likely won't be playable by your phone, in browsers, by most people you might want to share this file with, or maybe even directly on your own machine without using specialized post-production apps like After Effects or Premiere Pro. 

In short, these limits have reasons for existing. There are different codecs and file formats for different purposes, and most *delivery* formats - made for ease of playback on a wide range of devices - have fewer allowances for specs that are outside the norm. 

If you want to continue down this road, I'd encourage you to do some research/learning about video codecs to understand what you're actually dealing with. Here's a good place to start.

If you're not interested in getting into those technical details or doing trial and error testing, I'd recommend sticking to the more-common frame rates, as suggested above.