After Thoughts

After Effects offers you a powerful feature called Post-Render Actions. These allow you to choose from a list of pre-defined actions that you'd like to happen after the file is rendered.

1. Choose Composition>Pre-render or flip down the triangle next to the Output Module of an existing item in the render queue.

2. Choose one of the following Post-Render Actions

• None “ Does Nothing (the default)

• Import “ Adds the rendered file into the project window when rendering is complete

• Import & Replace Usage “ Imports the file into the project and replaces usage for specified items. You determine which files will be replaced via the pickwhip. We find this most useful to replace precompositions that appear in multiple comps (such as the motion background in a group of show bumpers).

• Set Proxy “ Allows you to use the rendered file as a proxy for a specified project item (again use the pickwhip). This will speed up previews. For more on proxies, be sure to look at Chapter 11.