I would like to create an automation that adds the active comp to the render queue, renders the comp, and then imports the exported video back into the comp.
Is that possible?
Hi @efraser88,
Indeed, it is possible to create an automation that accomplishes what you’re looking for. I’ve put together a simple automation that does exactly that – it adds the active composition to the render queue, renders it, and then imports the rendered video back into the project.
However, there’s an important point to consider. When you use an automation for rendering, it will cause After Effects to be unresponsive for the duration of the rendering process (a limitation of adobe). This means you won’t be able to see the progression of your render or have the option to cancel it midway. The only way to stop the process is by forcing the program to quit. This might make the automation less efficient for complex compositions that take a long time to render or those more prone to crashing.
Despite this, the automation can still be beneficial for simpler or shorter compositions where you’re sure about the rendering process and would like to automate the steps.
Bear in mind that this is a basic version of the automation and there’s potential for additional complexity. For example, in this version, the automation prompts the user to select a file path for saving the rendered file. However, this could be enhanced to automatically choose a file path based on your specific folder structure. Furthermore, the automation currently imports the rendered file to the root directory of your project. But it could be modified to place the file in a specific folder for proxies, or wherever you’d find most convenient.
You can download the automation from this link -
render selected comp.zip (3.2 KB)
Feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance or if you want additional functionalities to be added.
Thanks,
Alon
Thank you so much for your response Alon! As always, your advice about avoiding rendering inside the automation is solid.