Lower File Size but high quality

[chang_yeh12127702]

So i have been spend along time searching for a way to reduce the file size after being rendered but they all used H264 which doesn't exist even when i go into quicktime as my format. Is there a way to reduce the file size but also maintain the high 1080p 60fps quality for a video? I rendered a video earlier which was only 3 minutes and it had take up about 70gb. Any help?

[Roei Tzoref]

to render H.264 you should use Adobe Media Encoder. read about the workflow here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/basics-rendering-exporting.html#ae_adobe_media_encoder

[Rick Gerard]

What Roei said.. Do Not use Quicktime H.264 even if you open an encoder that will render to that format because that flavor of MPEG never worked well in a QT container and Apple stopped development a long time ago.

MP4 is the most universal delivery format and the file sizes and quality is very reasonable using the presets in the Adobe Media Encoder. You should never mess with presets for rendering until you have spend a good deal of time studying video formats and compression because the chances are very high that you will make a mess of things.

Check out Roei's AE Blues channel on YouTube. He's got a pretty decent tutorial on rendering.

[HeinPotas]

Great guide, but here's my problem.

In my profession, I have to create and render up to 90 videos every few weeks. Trailers of upcoming videos that is branded with our cinema branding and used in various places such as cinema foyers and social media.

When I add to M.E, it takes longer to render than it does when rendering straight from A.E (Approx. 10mins longer)
This problem becomes an even bigger one when adding 50+ videos to the queue, with every video taking progressively longer than the last until, eventually, M.E stops responding and fails.

I then have to restart the process, wasting too much time.

In the past, I rendered to Quicktime H.264 as this kept adequate quality without destroying storage space (roughly 2gig a file) and I could use this file to convert to anything from HD screens to small online videos.

Now, my Quicktime files destroy storage space (almost 20gig a file), making it impossible to do all videos at once.

I have no problem using M.E, in fact I love the little guy, but the dynamic (de-)link between M.E, A.E and P.Pro is something I cannot afford.

OSX 10.11.6

CC 2018 Version 15.1.1 (Build 12)

[Warren Heaton · Accepted solution]

Have you tried H265 yet?  If you're seeing 70GB with H264, you should get about 60% of that file size (so, 43GB); however, even thought it's a MP4 it won't play back on as many devices as H264 as H265 is not a standard yet.  Also, it's a little tricky to find in Adobe Media Encoder because the Format appears as "HEVC (H265)".

If rendering to QuickTime movie file format, Apple ProRes 422 {Proxy) yields a relatively small file with good image quality.

What is the intentended use for you rendered movies?  Broadcast?  Social Media?  Mobile devices?  More othen than not, the delivery format determines your settings and your files sizes are in keeping with those settings.

For what it's worth, H264 is one of three compression types still supported by Apple for both compression and decompression.  It just hasn't been through QuickTime since 2013.  While the MOV file format is still in use, it's AV Foundation Frameworks now.

-Warren