How to Export After Effects to MP4 with/Without Media Encoder

Developed by Adobe Systems, After Effects is a powerful visual effect, motion graphics, and compositing application. It’s used for the post-production process of film-making, video games, and television production.

Although After Effects has canceled the option of saving After Effects as MP4 from the render queue, you can still export After Effects to MP4. If you have installed Media Encoder, you’ll find it very easy to render After Effects to MP4. If not, you can export your work to AVI or QuickTime (MOV) video, and then use a third-party video converter (like MiniTool Video Converter) to convert it to MP4.

MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Now, follow these steps to learn how to export After Effects to MP4 with or without Media Encoder.

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How to Export After Effects to MP4 with Media Encoder

1. Open the After Effects project file.
2. Add the project to Adobe Media Encoder.
3. Choose H.264 as the export format.
4. Adjust export settings if needed.
5. Export the MP4 video.

Here are the detailed steps on how to export MP4 from After Effects with Media Encoder.

1. Open the After Effects project file.

Open the project file in After Effects by clicking the File > Open Project….

2. Add the project to Adobe Media Encoder.

On the top menu bar, click the Composition, then choose the Add to Adobe Media Encoder Queue… option from the dropdown list, or just press Ctrl + Alt + M (Windows) or Option + Command + M (Mac) to open Adobe Media Encoder.

3. Choose H.264 as the export format.

Select H.264 from the Preset Browser section. Go to the Queue panel, and click H.264 to open the Export Settings.

4. Adjust export settings if needed.

Choose H.264 from the Format dropdown list. And you can continue to complete other export settings. Once done, click OK.

5. Export the MP4 video.

Tap on the green play button to start exporting After Effects to MP4.

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How to Export After Effects to MP4 Without Media Encoder

1. Export After Effects to AVI or MOV.
2. Convert AVI or MOV to MP4.

If you haven’t installed Media Encoder, you can convert the project file to AVI or MOV first, and then convert it to MP4 using another video converter. Here’s how:

Step 1. Export After Effects to AVI or MOV

1). Click the File > Export > Add to Render Queue.

2). At the bottom left corner, click the Output Module. From the Output Module Settings, choose the AVI or QuickTime from the Format list, and click OK.

3). Then click the Render button to export After Effects to an AVI or MOV video file.

Step 2. Convert AVI or MOV to MP4

1. Install MiniTool Video Converter.
2. Upload the AVI or MOV file.
3. Set MP4 as output format.
4. Choose a save folder.
5. Start the conversion.
6. Locate the converted video.

MiniTool Video Converter is an effective and free video and audio converter on Windows, allowing you to convert a wide range of video types to MP4 and vice versa. And it won’t add watermarks to the converted file. Below is a detailed guide on how to convert AVI or MOV to MP4 with MiniTool Video Converter:

1. Download and Install MiniTool Video Converter

Download and install the latest version of MiniTool Video Converter.

MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

2. Import the AVI or MOV File

Launch this free video converter. Then, click the Add Files option to upload the AVI or MOV file (Here I take AVI as an example).

3. Choose MP4 as the Output Format

Click the settings icon, choose the Video tab, select MP4 in the left menu, and choose the video quality.

4. Choose a Save Folder

From the Output menu, specify the target directory for the converted file.

5. Begin the Conversion

Click the Convert option to start the conversion process.

6. Check the Converted Video

Once conversion is complete, the software will switch to the Completed tab. Click the folder icon to locate the video and view it.

MiniTool Video Converter also lets you transcribe audio to text, compress videos, and enhance video quality.

Conclusion

This article tells how to export After Effects to MP4. If Media Encoder is unavailable to export MP4 file, you can still export the project as AVI or MOV and convert it to MP4 using MiniTool Video Converter. Both methods help create MP4 videos with broad compatibility and high playback quality.

If any issues arise while using MiniTool Video Converter, contact the support team at support@minitool.com.   

How to Export After Effects to MP4 FAQ