huge file bloat

[katiecopeland55]

So, I"m importing from a DVD that's 1.59 file size.  I edited what I needed to and then rendered....when it's done and saved to my desktop it's 95 gb.  HOW?!? Clearly I'm doing something, but what????

[Dave_LaRonde · Accepted solution]

Simple -- DVD video has the bejeezus compressed out of it.  File sizes are small.

When you rendered out of AE, you probably rendered it out as lossless.  File sizes are very large.

[katiecopeland55]

I did export lossless.  What should I change it to?  Is it possible to do it again without spending another 3 hours to render?  It's only a 1 hour video

[Dave_LaRonde]

Can't tell you -- we have no clue how you're going to use this.... which makes all the difference.

What is it you have to deliver?  What kind of application will this be used in?

[Dave_LaRonde]

Incidentally, AE is a LOUSY editing application.  That's not what it's for.

You should be using Premiere Pro, which is 1) very good at video editing and 2) far easier to learn than AE.

[katiecopeland55]

I'm mainly trying to restore some old VHS footage that's been transferred to DVD.  Is premier pro still what you recommend?

[Rick Gerard]

You need to study up on formats. Take your existing render (uncompressed) and open it up in the Adobe Media Encoder, then render an h.264 MP4 using one of the standard presets that matches your frame size and frame rate. Until you are an expert in video formats and compression you should never see the word "custom" in any of your settings.

And, yes, Premiere Pro would be the correct app for doing what you are doing. You should only be using After Effects to create motion graphics and composites that you cannot create in a Non-Linear Editor (NLE) like Premiere Pro.