In this tutorial you’ll learn how to export an MP3 file (.mp3) and audio only from Adobe After Effects. You can accomplish this in just a few steps.
Exporting an MP3 File (.mp3) from the Render Queue in After Effects
To begin, have the Composition Timeline panel that you want to export active. Next, go to the Composition menu and select Add to Render Queue.
Make your way over to the Render Queue panel that should now pop up where your Composition Timeline panel was. Here click on the blue text next to Output Module. The blue text may be different depending on your project and previous exports. In the image below it’s the text that reads “H.264 – Match Render Settings – 15 Mbps”.
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A new box will now pop up. Under the Format dropdown, change this to MP3 to end up with an .mp3 file. Alternatively, you may need to create a .wav file if you’re looking to export audio only from After Effects. If that’s the case, choose WAV. But if you’re just looking for audio to export for ::waves hands:: whatever generic non-Hollywood reason, MP3 will probably be just fine for you. After you change the Format to MP3 click OK.
Now, back over to the Render Queue panel. Find where it says Output To and the blue text that follows it. It could say Not yet specified like in my example above (image #2) or something else. Doesn’t matter. Click this text. A new box will appear. Enter in a file name and set the destination of where you want your exported MP3 to go. Click Save (it might be something different like “Okay” or “OK” if you’re on a Windows computer but you know the drill).
Lastly, head back to your Render Queue panel. Last time, I promise. On the top-right side of the Render Queue panel there’s a button that says Render. Click it! After Effects will now export your MP3 to the destination you choose. Most likely this won’t take too long – under a minute? Maybe 10 seconds? But every computer and Composition is different so have some patience if it isn’t immediate.
If you’ve now gone through this tutorial and you still need help, please leave a comment and I’ll do what I can to help troubleshoot it. But if you can now export an MP3 from After Effects, I hope you stick around and check out some of the other After Effects tutorials on my website or consider signing up to get notified about new blog posts and happenings around EVF.
– Josh