Right beneath Render Settings below your composition in the After Effects Render Queue is the Output Module option. Click, and then, under Format to the right, select how (e.g., Quicktime, AIFF, etc.) you'd like to download your file. Choosing Where to Download Your File from After Effects. Do you have the huge clips that come out of Lossless AVI's in After Effects? Or maybe just have a format you always render to and would like that to be the d. OK thanks for the video link. But that must be a CS5.5 function cause it doesn’t work that way in CS5.0. Ive found that If I throw one comp into the render que and hold cntrl and select my.mov+alpha template for the output module it will change that one compand then additionally change all future comps dragged to the render que.but i have to do the above first. Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project; Converting movies; Automated rendering and network rendering; Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences; Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects; Working with other applications. Dynamic Link and After Effects; Working with After Effects and other applications. So you want to know more about the Output Module. It's kind of complicated so I'll talk slow I suppose? Or maybe I just do that because I'm Canadian and can'.

This tutorial is on how to export a still frame out of After Effects. In it you’ll learn how to take a frame in After Effects and export a JPEG (.jpg), PNG (.png), PSD (.psd), or TIFF (.tif). And you will learn how to export a still with or without an alpha channel as well. Here’s how:

Save Frame As

After Effects Output Module Settings

To begin, open the Composition with the frame you want to export from After Effects and move your time position indicator to that exact spot in the timeline. Under the Composition menu, find Save Frame As and then select File…

The Render Queue should pop up as a result of this. If not, go under the Window menu and select Render Queue. In the Render Queue find Output Module and click Photoshop (or whatever your default setting is).

Output Module Settings for Exporting a Frame from After Effects

Doing this will open the Output Module Settings. In the Output Module Settings find the Format dropdown. Select the type of file you want to create.

Selecting Photoshop Sequence will give you a .psd file. JPEG Sequence will give you a .jpg file. PNG Sequence will give you a .png file. And TIFF Sequence will give you a .tif file. Please note, even though this says “Sequence” you will only be exporting one (1) frame.

Enjoying this tutorial? Check out this quick tutorial on using After Effect’s little-used Increment and Save feature.

For PSDs, TIFFs, and PNGs you can export the file with an alpha channel. An alpha channel keeps the information about what is supposed to be transparent. You cannot do this with a JPEG file. Let me repeat. A JPEG file (.jpg or .jpeg) does not contain an alpha channel. We clear?

Back to PSDs, TIFFs, and PNGs… if you want an alpha channel on them, from the Channels dropdown you must select RGB + Alpha. If you don’t need an alpha channel, just leave this set to RBG. Click OK to close the Output Module Settings.

Output To Settings for Exporting a Frame from After Effects

Now back in the Render Queue, click the file name that’s next to Output To.

Music used in this video, “San Juan Sunshine” by Mikey Geiger, was purchased and licensed through my friends at Soundstripe. For 10% off a subscription use the code “EVF” at checkout. 🎧 (affiliate link)

Name the file to what you want it to be and set the destination. Click Save. Lastly in the Render Queue click the Render button to export the frame from After Effects. All done!

Did you enjoy this tutorial on how to export a frame in After Effects? If so, I’d love to keep in touch. All you have to do is go here to stay in the loop on new blog posts, tutorials, and announcements.

– Josh

When exporting a Quicktime movie from After Effects on windows 7, I get the following error ...

After Effects error: Rendering error while writing to file '(my main internal drive / my file name).mov'. An output module failed. The file may be damaged or corrupted. (-161-153464).

I see a lot of suggestions for limiting the number of processors by using 'msconfig' to change the 'boot' file. This seems like a poor solution because it affects how all other programs use the processors.

After Effects Output Module Failed

Does anyone have any other help on how to resolve this without reducing processors ?

Thanks, for any help.

Posted on Oct 12, 2014 7:50 AM