Trouble exporting .MOV & .MP4 from Animate 2020

[SheaB]

I'm having trouble exporting from an .FLA file to an .MOV or .MP4. The process I followed up until the change from Animate CC to Animate 2020 is as follows:

1. From the .fla File > Export > Video/Media > QuickTime
2. Add the .mov file to AME
3. Export as H.264 which created the .mp4

Now with the update to Animate 2020 the exported .mov file will not play the MovieClip that is on Frame 1 of the main timeline. So of course the .mp4 doesn't work either. I really only need a good working version of an .mp4, I don't actually need an .mov.

I have hundreds of .fla files that have the MovieClip on the first frame though. I've seen other forum entries about moving the MovieClip frames to the main timeline, 1) Animate freezes when I try to copy/paste the frames and 2) it would be redoing a LOT of files just to use previously usable files. If someone can tell me how to export to .MP4 without having to transfer frames out of the MovieClip and onto main timeline that would be ideal. See FLA below.

The files below were made in Animate CC and worked fine using the above steps.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PudUlg7Cqmco1IdD7Zz9CRNglxXfayce

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gDg9Jmu3gYxgOO_FJ2TsnJwcEjnZOG8U

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gdUFoWrhfoN-QhAobEaP7qilvi-F4q-C

[Colin Holgate · Accepted solution]

Previously you could export the FLA for a given amount of time, and not just all frames or a certain frame range. I don't know where that option went to. Strangely, the movie does come out at about the right duration still.

A workaround for now would be to extend the main timeline so that the movieclips last as long as the contents inside of them. That gives a good mp4.

[SheaB]

Thank you! Is it bad form to have the frames in the MovieClip? Is there a quality/performance reason I should move to the main timeline when possible? 

[Colin Holgate]

The quality would be the same. Something that can improve the exported quality is to change the stage quality settings. Doing that could lead to slower previewing frame rates, but you could always comment out the line when doing test movie.

This line in frame 1's Actions panel will give it the best possible quality:

stage.quality = "16x16";

Also, you should set the audio settings to Raw, 16 bit stereo, 44.1 kHz, and set any images in the library to be lossless, and allow smoothing. Those things would give you a larger SWF file, but as you're exporting to video there would be no drawback to using lossless, and some amount of quality gain.