Dataclay’s documentation does not give a list of what Adobe Media Encoder’s queue shares with After Effects and what it does not, so this page does not draw one. What the documentation does explain is how Templater hands work from After Effects to Media Encoder, what Templater does to the project along the way, and what the Media Encoder machine needs in order to render the result. Those facts show where the two applications are connected and where you have to set things up yourself. Which Media Encoder queue settings carry over from After Effects is not stated here, so check them in your own installation before you rely on them.
Two Ways to Render, and Why Media Encoder Is Used
Templater can send replicated comps to the After Effects render queue or Adobe Media Encoder. Templater’s three main tasks are Preview, Render and Replicate, and the Replicate task is the one that connects to Media Encoder. Replicate saves a copy of the project with the data inserted, so Adobe Media Encoder can render codecs After Effects lacks. Templater Replicate inserts the data into your project file and saves a copy of that project file.
The reason to use Media Encoder is spelled out in the documentation: Templater can use Adobe Media Encoder via its Replicate function for codecs After Effects does not include. If the output format you need is one that After Effects does not include, the Replicate route is the way Templater provides. Templater can also send auto generated compositions to Adobe Media Encoder for rendering, and Templater supports batch rendering using Adobe Media Encoder.
A replicate is not the finished video. An AEP replicate is a versioned duplicate of an After Effects project set up for Templater, not a rendered video. Templater creates each replicate as a separate After Effects project (AEP) file, which is what Projector needs. So the handoff is a project file per job, and the rendering of that file is done by Media Encoder. For background on batch rendering itself, see the guide on what batch rendering in After Effects is.
Turning On the Media Encoder Route
Several settings control the route, and which one you use depends on whether you run Templater by hand or with The Bot.
- To render Templater replicas in Adobe Media Encoder, enable Send replicates to Adobe Media Encoder under Replication.
- For The Bot to render with Media Encoder, check Replicate in Bot Settings in Templater Preferences.
- To have The Bot render with Media Encoder, add a Media Encoder watch folder set to the Templater output folder.
- To render Templater replicas, add a Media Encoder watch folder pointing at the Templater output folder, and click Replicate in the Templater panel.
The watch folder is the link between the two applications. In the Templater free trial, replication must use the Send Replicates to Adobe Media Encoder option. Batch replicate, batch render, Media Encoder rendering, custom output naming and project switching are Pro and Bot only, and Render and Replicate are only available in Templater Pro, while Enable Bot is only in Templater Bot.
Templater batch rendering through Adobe Media Encoder requires the Templater Settings effect on all dynamic layers. Check every dynamic layer before you start. For a walk-through of the wider workflow, see the guide on batch rendering software and how Templater handles it.
Media Encoder Route
How to send Templater replicates to Media Encoder
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Enable Send replicates to Adobe Media EncoderEnable Send replicates to Adobe Media Encoder under Replication to render Templater replicas in Adobe Media Encoder.
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Check Replicate in Bot SettingsFor The Bot to render with Media Encoder, check Replicate in Bot Settings in Templater Preferences.
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Add a Media Encoder watch folderAdd a Media Encoder watch folder set to the Templater output folder.
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Check every dynamic layerTemplater batch rendering through Adobe Media Encoder requires the Templater Settings effect on all dynamic layers.
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Pre-flight with one replicateDataclay recommends a pre flight render of one video before a full batch.
The Bot ties these settings to unattended work. The Bot lets you customize and render a rigged After Effects project without operating the After Effects user interface, and Templater Bot can automatically Render, Replicate or Spot Check, chosen by checkboxes. Leaving Templater Bot enabled for long periods can slow versioning because of After Effects layer caching, and Dataclay recommends disabling After Effects disk caching on any machine where Templater Bot is left enabled. Since After Effects 24.3, Templater’s Purge all memory caches after each job no longer empties the disk cache. These cache facts concern After Effects, and this page does not state how Media Encoder handles its own cache.
What Templater Changes in the Project When It Sends Replicates
When Templater sends replicates to Media Encoder, it makes changes to the project that are easy to miss. The documentation lists them:
- Templater saves the master project file after each replication.
- Templater removes unused footage references from your project.
- Templater has a Remove Templater Settings from replica’s layers option for Media Encoder machines without Templater.
- Enabling Remove Templater Settings from replica’s layers slows down Templater replication.
- Remove Templater Settings from replica’s layers fills After Effects File, Open Recent with replica project paths.
The option to remove the Templater Settings from the replica’s layers exists because the Media Encoder machine may not have Templater installed. The documentation states the trade-offs: the option slows replication, and it adds replica project paths to the Open Recent list in After Effects.
Auto generated compositions are placed in a known location. Templater puts auto generated compositions in subfolders of a [TEMPLATER COMPS] folder in the project panel. As Templater processes data, Templater Bot removes replicates from the project automatically to save disk space.
What the Media Encoder Machine Needs to Match
This is the clearest answer the documentation gives to what has to be shared between the two sides. A Media Encoder machine rendering Templater replicas needs the same drive mappings and fonts as the creating machine. Drive mappings and fonts must match on the machine that renders the replica. That matches what the documentation says elsewhere about project files and satellites: QUE does not copy Autografs to Satellites, and fonts, effects and project files must be deployed to each Satellite.
Dataclay also warns about one folder type. A cloud sync folder for Templater output can cause Media Encoder errors, so use a local or network folder. Footage matters too. Dataclay advises one footage folder per After Effects project configured for Templater, and footage file paths in a Templater data source must be relative to the path in the Footage folder field.
If you run Templater through QUE, a QUE Satellite’s Output Mode can be Render, Replicate or Spot Check, one or more. With QUE Meter, each customized output consumes one credit, and outputs include spot checks, replicas and renders, so a replica counts as an output. The guide on optimizing After Effects for the Templater Bot covers machine setup for unattended runs.
Output Modules and Render Settings Live in After Effects
Some of the settings you choose for a Templater render are After Effects templates. For a Templater batch render, you choose Render Settings and Output Module templates under Output Options. Templater installs output modules in dataclay-output-modules.aom and render settings in dataclay-render-settings.ars, and Dataclay output modules are loaded in After Effects via Edit, Templates, Output Module, then Load. The output modules cover specific formats. For example, the dclay-QT422HQ module makes QuickTime files with Apple ProRes 422 HQ and is macOS only, and the dclay-AVILOSSLESS module renders uncompressed AVI and is Windows only. The render settings templates are dclay-best-comp, dclay-best-workarea, dclay-draft-comp and dclay-draft-workarea.
Output Templates
Dataclay’s installed render settings and output modules
| Template name | Type | Format or scope |
|---|---|---|
| dclay-best-comp | Render settings | Best quality, comp duration |
| dclay-best-workarea | Render settings | Best quality, work area |
| dclay-draft-comp | Render settings | Draft quality, comp duration |
| dclay-draft-workarea | Render settings | Draft quality, work area |
| dclay-QT422HQ | Output module | QuickTime Apple ProRes 422 HQ, macOS only |
| dclay-AVILOSSLESS | Output module | Uncompressed AVI, Windows only |
These facts describe the After Effects side of a render. This page does not state whether Media Encoder reads those same templates when it renders a replica, and that is one of the items to confirm in your own test. Replication is built for the case where the codec you need is not one After Effects includes, so check the format of the file that Media Encoder writes.
How After Effects Rendering Compares With Projector
If your goal is to render many videos at once, the documentation draws a line between After Effects and Projector. After Effects renders one video at a time. Projector renders videos in parallel, one per processor core. Projector docs say a quad core machine can process four videos in roughly the time After Effects takes for one, and on a rendering machine with eight cores, Projector renders eight videos at once. Projector uses the Adobe After Effects rendering engine in parallel based on the machine’s cores, and it renders finished videos from AEP files when the Enable AEP rendering checkbox is selected. Projector must run on the same computer where Templater is installed and where its output files are stored. That is the connection to replicas: because Templater creates each replicate as a separate AEP file, those files are what Projector needs.
Rendering Options
After Effects renders one video; Projector renders many at once
- How many videos at once?
- After EffectsOne video at a time
- ProjectorOne per processor core
- Eight-core machine output
- After EffectsOne video at a time
- ProjectorEight videos at once
- What does it render from?
- After EffectsCompositions in the project
- ProjectorAEP files with Enable AEP rendering checked
Projector docs say a quad core machine can process four videos in roughly the time After Effects takes for one.
When Scripts Run, and What They See
Event scripts have one timing rule that is specific to Media Encoder. When Templater sends comps to Adobe Media Encoder, shell scripts run after versioning in After Effects, not after Media Encoder finishes. In other words, a script registered to run after a job does not wait for the Media Encoder render to complete. The same rule appears in the notes on Templater’s shell scripts: when Templater uses Media Encoder, shell scripts run after versioning in After Effects, not after Media Encoder renders.
That matters for anything that depends on the finished file. If a script needs the rendered video, do not assume it exists when the script runs. Scripts on the Templater After Batch event can operate on all output, for example stitching files into one video, but the documentation’s timing rule still applies when the output is rendered by Media Encoder. Templater runs registered scripts synchronously by default, so After Effects waits for them to finish, and the guide on what happens when a Templater batch fails mid-queue gives more context on planning around failures.
Setting Up a Test Before a Full Batch
Because the documentation does not state what Media Encoder’s queue shares with After Effects, the practical approach is a small test. Send one replicate to Media Encoder and check these items, each of which comes from a documented fact:
- The Templater Settings effect is on all dynamic layers.
- The watch folder is set to the Templater output folder.
- The Media Encoder machine has the same drive mappings and fonts as the creating machine.
- The output folder is local or network, not a cloud sync folder.
- Any script that needs the finished video does not run before Media Encoder renders it.
Pre-Flight Test
Check these five things before a full batch
- The Templater Settings effect is on all dynamic layers.
- The watch folder is set to the Templater output folder.
- The Media Encoder machine has the same drive mappings and fonts as the creating machine.
- The output folder is local or network, not a cloud sync folder.
- Any script that needs the finished video does not run before Media Encoder renders it.
Spot Checking in Templater lets you quality check batch render or replication by seeing how data merges across jobs, and Dataclay recommends a pre flight render of one video. For speed questions in general, the guide on speeding up After Effects exports offers more tips. For the product overview, start with Templater for Adobe After Effects.
Bottom Line
The documentation does not list what Adobe Media Encoder’s queue shares with After Effects, so that question stays open. It does state how the connection works. Replicate saves a copy of the project with the data inserted, a watch folder set to the Templater output folder feeds Media Encoder, Templater saves the master project and removes unused footage references as it goes, the Media Encoder machine needs the same drive mappings and fonts as the creating machine, and shell scripts run after versioning in After Effects and not after Media Encoder finishes. Set those up on purpose, test with one replicate, and treat anything else about the shared queue as something to confirm in your own setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Adobe Media Encoder’s queue actually share with After Effects, and what does it not?
Dataclay’s documentation does not list what the two queues share. It does state how Templater connects them: Replicate saves a copy of the project with the data inserted so Media Encoder can render codecs After Effects lacks, and the Media Encoder machine needs the same drive mappings and fonts as the creating machine. Test one replicate to confirm the rest.
Why would I send Templater replicas to Media Encoder?
Templater can use Adobe Media Encoder via its Replicate function for codecs After Effects does not include. Replicate saves a copy of the project with the data inserted so Media Encoder can render it.
How do I make The Bot render with Media Encoder?
Check Replicate in Bot Settings in Templater Preferences, and add a Media Encoder watch folder set to the Templater output folder.
What does the Media Encoder machine need?
A Media Encoder machine rendering Templater replicas needs the same drive mappings and fonts as the creating machine. Dataclay also warns that a cloud sync folder for Templater output can cause Media Encoder errors, so use a local or network folder.
When do shell scripts run when Media Encoder is used?
Shell scripts run after versioning in After Effects, not after Media Encoder finishes rendering.
Does Templater change my project when it sends replicates?
Yes. Templater saves the master project file after each replication and removes unused footage references from your project. The Remove Templater Settings from replica’s layers option slows replication and fills Open Recent with replica project paths.
Which editions can render through Media Encoder?
Batch replicate, batch render, Media Encoder rendering, custom output naming and project switching are Pro and Bot only.
