aerender

Render Adobe After Effects projects using Python

aerender is an asyncio wrapper over aerender (Adobe After Effects 2019) built and tested on Windows 10. It can be used to automate the rendering of After Effects projects.

Install it

pip install aerender

Usage example

• To render just Comp 1 to a specified file:

import asyncio

from pathlib import Path

from aerender import AERenderWrapper

asyncio.set_event_loop_policy(asyncio.WindowsProactorEventLoopPolicy())

if __name__ == '__main__':
    AERENDER_FULLPATH = Path('C:/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe After Effects CC 2019/Support Files/aerender')
    aerender = AERenderWrapper(exe_path=AERENDER_FULLPATH)
    coro = aerender.run(
        project_path=Path('C:/projects/proj1.aep'),
        comp_name='Comp 1',
        output_path=Path('C:/output/proj1/proj1.avi'),
    )
    asyncio.run(coro)

aerender -help

Below you can see the -help output of aerender executable on Windows.

USAGE:

1. aerender renders After Effects comps. The render may be performed either by an already running instance of AE or by a newly invoked instance. By default, aerender will invoke a new instance of AE, even if one is already running. To change this, see the -reuse flag below.

2. aerender takes a series of optional arguments.

   Some are single flags, like -reuse. Some come in flag-argument pairs, like -project project_path. And one comes in a triplet, -mem_usage image_cache_percent max_mem_percent.

3. aerender with 0 arguments, or with any argument equaling -help or -h, prints this usage message.

4. The arguments are:

   • -h print this usage message

   • -help print this usage message

   • -reuse use this flag if you want to try and reuse an already running instance of AE to perform the render. By default, aerender will launch a new instance of After Effects, even if one is already running. But, if AE is already running, and the -reuse flag is provided, then aerender will ask the already running instance of AE to perform the render. Whenever aerender launches a new instance of AE, it will tell AE to quit when rendering is completed; otherwise, it will not quit AE. Also, the preferences will be written to file upon quit when the -reuse flag is specified; otherwise it will not be written.

   • -project project_path where project_path is a file path or URI specifying a project file to open. If none is provided, aerender will work with the currently open project. If no project is open and no project is provided, an error will result.

   • -teamproject project_name where project_name is a name of a team project to open.

   • -comp comp_name where comp_name specifies a comp to be rendered. If the comp is in the render queue already, and in a queueable state, then (only) the first queueable instance of that comp on the render queue will be rendered. If the comp is in the project but not in the render queue, then it will be added to the render queue and rendered. If no -comp argument is provided, aerender will render the entire render queue as is. In this case (no -comp), the only other arguments used will be -project, -log, -v, -mem_usage, and -close; the -RStemplate, -OMtemplate, -output, -s, -e, and -i arguments will be ignored.

   • -rqindex index_in_render_queue where index_in_render_queue specifies a render queue item to be rendered. Options that make sense when rendering a single render queue item are available like with the -comp flag.

   • -RStemplate render_settings_template where render_settings_template is the name of a template to apply to the render queue item.If the template does not exist it is an error. Default is to use the render template already defined for the item.

   • -OMtemplate output_module_template where output_module_template is the name of a template to apply to the output module. If the template does not exist it is an error. Default is to use the template already defined for the output module.

   • -output output_path where output_path is a file path or URI specifying the destination render file. Default is the path already in the project file.

   • -log logfile_path where logfile_path is a file path or URI specifying the location of the log file. Default is stdout.

   • -s start_frame where start_frame is the first frame to render. Default is the start frame in the file.

   • -e end_frame where end_frame is the last frame to render. Note, this is "inclusive;" the final frame will be rendered. Default is the end frame in the file.

   • -i increment where increment is the number of frames to advance before rendering a new frame. A value of 1 (the default) results in a normal rendering of all frames. Higher increments will repeat the same (frame increment-1) times and then render a new one, starting the cycle again. Higher values result in faster renders but choppier motion. Default is 1.

   • -mem_usage image_cache_percent max_mem_percent where image_cache_percent specifies the maximum percent of memory used to cache already rendered images/footage, and max_mem_percent specifies the total percent of memory that can be used by After Effects.

   • -v verbose_flag where verbose_flag specifies the type of messages reported. Possible values are ERRORS (prints only fatal and problem errors) or ERRORS_AND_PROGRESS (prints progress of rendering as well). Default value is ERRORS_AND_PROGRESS.

   • -close close_flag where close_flag specifies whether or not to close the project when done rendering, and whether or not to save changes. If close_flag is DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES, project will be closed without saving changes. If close_flag is SAVE_CHANGES, project will be closed and changes will be saved. If close_flag is DO_NOT_CLOSE the project will be left open; but the project is left open only if using an already-running instance of AE, since new invocations of AE must always close and quit when done. Default value is DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES.

   • -sound sound_flag where sound_flag specifies whether or not to play a sound when rendering is complete. Possible values are "ON" or "OFF". Default value is "OFF".

   • -version displays the version number of aerender to the console. Does not render.

   • -continueOnMissingFootage Do not stop rendering on missing footage. Log and render with placeholder color bars.

5. EXAMPLES: To render just Comp 1 to a specified file:

   aerender -project c:\projects\proj1.aep -comp "Comp 1"
            -output c:\output\proj1\proj1.avi
   

   To render everything in the render queue as is in the project file:

   aerender -project c:\projects\proj1.aep
   

   To render frames 1-10 using multi-machine render:

   aerender -project c:\projects\proj1.aep -comp "Comp 1" -s 1 -e 10
            -RStemplate "Multi-Machine Settings"
            -OMtemplate "Multi-Machine Sequence"
            -output c:\output\proj1\frames[####].psd