Add back rendering support for H264 codec directly out of AE

[vanessaa28291406]

Around 2012 you removed the option for rendering a .mp4 file directly out of AE. Please add it back. The work around is to either render in a different codec and compress that in media encoder, or to launch the render directly from media encoder from AE (which is extremely slow and cumbersome, especially when you have large/complex project files). Not sure why removing functionality seemed like a good idea at the time...?

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

The current H264 compression out of the render queue compresses the quality of video, whilst keeping the file size still quite large. Overall better compression would be great out of AE, rather than rendering out Lossless or ProRes4444 and then compressing using QuickTime 7 Pro.

[TimKurkoski]

Do you use Adobe Media Encoder to export your compositions to H.264? The H.264 options in AME are very flexible.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Thanks for your response Tim, Media Encoder is a nice solution. Though I was wondering if H264 is offered as an output option in the render queue, it might be nice to be able to get better results rather than having to double handle a file, saving time on the user end.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Bring back the ability to export H.264 format in After Effects. I use that codec weekly for my work. What is wrong with you people???!!

[David Simonton, DVA]

After Effects can export H.264 by adding your comp to the Media Encoder queue; can you tell us what's missing or bad about this workflow? What features do you get in AE's native render queue that you can't do by sending it to Media Encoder?

[laurapanel]

As of CC2018, the ability to output H264 mov's is gone from both AE and Media Encoder. This is CRUSHING my livelihood, as this is an extremely common deliverable in the world of broadcast commercials. If we can't make them, they'll find someone who can. Please put this back in the output menu!!!!!

(Secondarily, I really miss onion skinning in the paint tool from ten or so years ago. Tertiarily, it'd be great to have a panel for 'swatches,' where you can keep specific colors up at all times to be able to eyedropper them from any composition -- the current workaround is creating a composition with those colors as solids and making it tiny, placing it with your side panels and locking it, but it always goes away on restart or quit, which is a bummer.)

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Try to put in one feedback idea at a time because it makes it easier to upvote the ones you really want 🙂

[eikonoklastes]

With Media Encoder, you don't have to double-export. You can send your composition from AE directly to ME for encoding, and do a single export to H.264.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

yes the loading to encoder is very slow! every process in "from"-"to" encoder are incredible slow

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Nothing is wrong with them. Export to Media Encoder and choose H.264 and done.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Please re-add the h.264 codec in export settings. Thousands of editors and camera ops rely on this every day and it's daft to say that it's obsolete.

For instance - rendering out of AE takes HALF the time that it does in Media Encoder (sometimes longer if 3D and motion blur is involved). Even stranger - the codec still exists in Premiere! So the inconsistency is laughable.

Please fix this. It was an inept decision to remove it in the first place.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I cannot believe they removed this. Everyone I know (viz design people) use H264. It's as if the people who build the products are completely unaware of their users.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Hello you can use AfterCodecs for that ! aescripts.com/aftercodecs/
H.264 quality / filesize is even better

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

this, a million times this! Removing codecs people use for work and client projects is ridiculous. Then you contact support and they say use the media encoder. Thanks for making life harder and adding more steps. Also the media encoder sucks terribly.

This is a step backwards, so ******! Been using adobe products since 1998 and subscribed as long as I haven't been a student.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Please add this back in! AME is slow much slower and less user friendly. I like to use AME for final delivery but for previews a quick h264 out of AE was so easy. I could be convinced to switch to always using AME if it wasn't so slow to use the UI, even though I have a very fast up to date computer.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Yeah this is a big bummer. I get you want us to transition to AME when opening it out of AE its soooo slow, and I have to wait minutes for Dynamic Link to sync up if it does at all.

Please bring back all the codecs you stripped out (including HAP!) or make AME more user friendly. Thanks!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I use this codec multiple times a day as an editor/animator, absolutely devastated after updating AE and finding this codec missing...

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

If I have a project that has Variable Frame Rate H.264 footage and interpret the footage to Smooth Video and then collect and transfer this project, I find that the Variable Frame Rate option has been reset back to Preserve Audio Sync!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

same here, it was a quick alternative to get a small file rendered for preview purposes.
What is the need to remove it!!

[Smilevil]

A better idea would be simply to add the export dialogue of AME to AE, as PPro has, so all (AE, Ame and PPro) are in harmony with the same export dialogue.

[Heathenlamb]

I 2nd this ... I require the ability to export H264 straight from After Effects. I used to have it and it was a far superior workflow than adding an extra step to AME. Some people use AE in industries other than film and TV and the removal of H264 export form AE is a major pain **********.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It'd be GREAT to be able to get our videos in these formats. Thanks.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Also, if you need a quick preview render aescripts.com/aftercodecs/ will be even faster than the previous built-in H264 codec (use Speed=8 and Quality = 80 !)

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Why should I have to open a second application just to export a file, when it used to work perfectly from AE render queue. It's ridiculous... There used to be tons of formats to choose from in the render queue. Now it's a graveyard.

It's like writing a document in Word, and to print it, you have to open an additional printing application

[VictoriaNece]

Media Encoder supports H264 in an mp4 container. Will your clients accept that as an alternative?

And you have two ways to store and eyedropper color swatches in AE: use the Adobe Color Themes panel (Window > Extensions > Adobe Color Themes) to create palettes, and you'll see them in the Libraries panel as well.