Add "Fast Start" option for native MP4 encoding in AE 2023

[davemyron]

I'm happy to see native MP4 encoding being reintroduced to After Effects after being unceremoniously ripped out 6–7 years ago. 

However, there's a lot lacking in this "first" pass. 

A major need for getting a usable file straight out of After Effects is having a "Fast Start" option that places the MOOV atom in the correct place (at the front of the file) for progressive download / pseudo-streaming. 

Can we please get this option added in a patch and quickly?

(We have Enterprise Support which is incredibly dismissive and told me to fill out the "wish form" which just redirects to Community…)

[Mylenium]

You misunderstand. Native H.264 encoding is in AE 2023, not 2022. You need to update to that.

Mylenium 

[davemyron]

Sorry. Typo. This is about After Effects 2023. I'd edit the post if I could. 

[JohnColombo]

Hi @davemyron,

Thank you for making this request. I've moved it to our Ideas section for better visibility and edited the title to reflect the request and correct version. Please let me know if it doesn't correctly describe your request.

Is the "Fast Start" option already available in Media Encoder? The new H.264 encoding in After Effects shares components with AME, but not all options are surfaced. This feedback is helpful as we further refine the feature.

Thanks for this request and for any further information you can provide,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team 

[davemyron]

Fast Start does not appear in Media Encoder that I can find. Here's an Adobe discussion from 2019 about fast start / MOOV atom placement: https://community.adobe.com/t5/adobe-media-encoder-discussions/mp4-faststart-moov-atom-placement/td-...

It looks like an Adobe Employee confirmed the placement with "Thanks for the clarification. Yes I can confirm that we always place MOOV atom at the beginning of the file (right after FTYP atom) when exporting to H.264 in MP4."

If this is true (and remains true in the native exporting from After Effects in AE 2023) then I think that's sufficient enough for my needs.