The Render Queue in Ae could stand a bit of love from the development team over at Adobe. Certainly it is fine the way that it is, but it could be so much more. As a brilliant example of how it could be better, Dave Jacobson launches his new script for After Effects, QueueMaster, which cleverly allows you to automate the render queue.
QueueMaster automates the render queue by associating label colors with any output settings you’ve defined
QueueMaster for After Effects
QueueMaster is a render automation script for After Effects which allows you to take the color labels that are associated with your compositions and associate those with render output settings.
This means that you can save a bunch of time on setting up renders for your projects. QueueMaster allows you to define your render templates, file paths, versioning and much more. These features make it a great tool for teams who need to be all on the same page in terms of rendering the same way for a given project.
QueueMaster uses relative file paths which allow you to easily move between projects without the need to define the output directory every time you render. QueueMaster looks where your After Effects project is saved and bases all output directories from that location.
Ways You Can Use QueueMaster Automation
-
Use QueueMaster to define render presets for every phase of your project such as picture references, work-in-progress, client approval renders, final renders and etc. Each phase can be saved to a different directory in an effort to keep your files organized.
-
Generate Proxies / Pre-renders
-
Automatically include an audio file when image sequences are rendered
-
Save RGB and alpha passes separately for each render
-
QueueMaster can help with color managed projects. Working with Alexa Log-C footage is one of the best examples of this. QueueMaster can be configured to output both Log-C and sRGB files for a single render, meaning you have your final file with the LUT applied as well as a second file that can be used for viewing reference.
-
QueueMaster is great for teams of After Effects users who want to ensure everyone is producing renders the same way.
QueueMaster Pricing and Availability
QueueMaster is offered through aescripts + aeplugins with a special introductory price of $9.99, which is 50% off until Oct 20, 2014. Dave suggests that you download QueueMaster’s fully functioning 15 day trail version to make sure that it will meet your needs before you buy. Check out QueueMaster for After Effects here.
