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How to Export Faster in Adobe Media Encoder?

Published in Video Encoding 5 mins read

To export faster in Adobe Media Encoder, focus on hardware acceleration, optimized settings, efficient codecs, and smart rendering.

Here's a breakdown of techniques to speed up your export times:

1. Leverage Hardware Acceleration

  • Enable GPU Acceleration: Media Encoder benefits significantly from GPU acceleration. Go to Preferences > General and ensure that the "Renderer" is set to a GPU-accelerated option (e.g., "Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (CUDA)" or "Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (OpenCL)") instead of "Mercury Playback Engine Software Only." CUDA is for NVIDIA cards, while OpenCL is for AMD and some Intel cards. Choose the option appropriate for your hardware.

2. Optimize Project and Export Settings

  • Source Footage Considerations:
    • Use footage that is already close to your desired output resolution and frame rate to minimize scaling and conversion during export. Scaling and frame rate conversion add significantly to export times.
    • High bit-depth footage (e.g., 10-bit or 12-bit) will require more processing power than 8-bit footage. Consider if the higher bit depth is truly necessary for the final product.
  • Resolution and Frame Rate: Export at the lowest acceptable resolution and frame rate for your needs. Higher resolutions and frame rates drastically increase export times and file sizes.
  • Bitrate: Lowering the bitrate will decrease the export time and file size. However, excessively low bitrates will result in poor video quality. Experiment to find the optimal balance between file size, quality, and export speed. Consider using VBR (Variable Bitrate) with appropriate minimum and maximum values. For most online platforms, use their recommended encoding settings.
  • Effects and Adjustments: Complex effects and color corrections require significant processing power. If possible, bake-in (apply permanently) effects within your editing software before sending the project to Media Encoder.

3. Choose Efficient Codecs

  • H.264 (AVC): A widely supported and relatively efficient codec, suitable for online platforms and general use. It offers a good balance of quality and file size.
  • H.265 (HEVC): More efficient than H.264, resulting in smaller file sizes for the same quality. However, it requires more processing power and may not be supported by all devices or platforms. Using H.265 can increase export times unless you have dedicated hardware encoding support (e.g., an NVIDIA NVENC-enabled GPU or an Intel Quick Sync Video-enabled CPU).
  • DNxHD/DNxHR, ProRes: These are intermediate codecs. They are designed for editing, not final delivery. Using them for export results in very large files. Only use them if your workflow requires it.

4. Optimize Your System

  • RAM: Ensure you have enough RAM (at least 16GB, ideally 32GB or more) for smooth operation. Insufficient RAM will force your system to use the hard drive as virtual memory, significantly slowing down the encoding process.
  • Fast Storage: Use a fast SSD (Solid State Drive) for your project files, source footage, and Media Encoder cache. A separate SSD for each (OS/Applications, Source Footage, Cache, Export Destination) is ideal.
  • Processor (CPU): Media Encoder uses the CPU for encoding. A processor with more cores and higher clock speeds will generally result in faster exports.
  • Close Unnecessary Applications: Close other applications to free up system resources and prevent conflicts.
  • Keep Your System Updated: Ensure your operating system, drivers (especially GPU drivers), and Adobe software are up to date. Updates often include performance improvements and bug fixes.

5. Manage Hard Drives and Storage

  • Disk Space: Ensure you have ample free disk space on your drives, especially the drive where Media Encoder is saving the exported file. A full drive can significantly slow down performance.
  • Disk Defragmentation (for HDDs): If you're using a traditional HDD (Hard Disk Drive) instead of an SSD, defragmenting the drive can improve performance by organizing files more efficiently. Note that you should not defragment an SSD.

6. Utilize Smart Rendering and Render and Replace

  • Smart Rendering: If you're re-encoding footage that was previously rendered, Media Encoder can sometimes use the existing rendered files to speed up the process. This works best when using the same codec and settings.
  • Render and Replace in Premiere Pro: For complex sequences in Premiere Pro, consider using "Render and Replace" on computationally intensive sections before sending the project to Media Encoder. This pre-renders those sections, reducing the load on Media Encoder during export.

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly reduce your export times in Adobe Media Encoder. Experiment with different settings to find the optimal balance between speed and quality for your specific needs.

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