remotion-render

Remotion Render

Drive the render-and-iterate loop: turn a composition into an MP4, take natural-language feedback, make the smallest edit that satisfies it, and re-render. The costly failure mode is the opposite loop - rewriting whole scene files for a copy tweak, or re-rendering at full quality for every check - which destroys the approved work and the iteration speed that makes Remotion worth using.

Operating procedure

Step 1: Gather inputs

• Composition ID (the id on the <Composition> in src/Root.tsx, not a filename) and the entry point (the file calling registerRoot, typically src/index.ts).
• Target: platform/aspect (landscape 16:9, vertical 9:16, square), resolution (1080p default; 4K only on request), and whether transparency is needed.
• Machine cores (for concurrency) and whether this is one render, an iteration session, or a batch.

Step 2: The base render

npx remotion render src/index.ts <CompositionId> out/video.mp4

Default output is H.264 MP4 at the composition's own width/height/fps; Remotion creates out/ if needed.

Step 3: Resolution, fps, and codec presets

Resolution and fps live on the <Composition> (width/height/fps) - change them at the source. Use flags only for scaling and container:

# 1080p landscape - Composition authored 1920x1080@30
npx remotion render src/index.ts ProductDemo out/1080p.mp4

# 4K - upscale the 1080p canvas without touching layout
npx remotion render src/index.ts ProductDemo out/4k.mp4 --scale=2

# 9:16 vertical - render a Composition authored at 1080x1920
npx remotion render src/index.ts ProductDemoVertical out/vertical.mp4

Codec rules:

• Social/web delivery stays H.264 MP4 (the default) - maximum compatibility.
• Transparency: --codec=vp8 or vp9 (WebM), or --codec=prores with alpha for editing pipelines. H.264 cannot carry alpha.
• True 60fps means fps={60} on the Composition with frame counts scaled to match - a flag-only fps change desyncs every animation timed in frames.

Step 4: Tune concurrency

Rendering is CPU-bound (each frame is a headless-Chromium screenshot). Default is roughly half the cores; explicit tuning is the easiest local speedup:

npx remotion render src/index.ts ProductDemo out/video.mp4 --concurrency=8

Start at the number of physical cores (--concurrency=50% accepts a percentage); back off if the machine swaps or thermal-throttles - past the sweet spot, more Chromium tabs make it slower, not faster.

Step 5: Run the iterative refinement loop

Keep Studio open (npx remotion studio, http://localhost:3000) so the user previews instantly; reserve full renders for sign-off.

1. User previews in Studio and gives feedback in plain language.
2. Translate it to a surgical edit - change only the relevant value:
   • "Too fast" → widen the interpolate input range or raise spring damping.
   • "Logo should pop more" → lower spring damping / add overshoot.
   • "Change the CTA copy" → edit the prop / defaultProps, touch nothing else.
   • "Different accent color" → change one hex in the colors object.
   • "Hold the last feature longer" → bump that <Sequence>'s durationInFrames AND re-derive the Composition's total durationInFrames.
3. Re-render, or let Studio hot-reload for the visual check.

Surgical edit vs rewrite: edit in place when the change is a value, prop, color, or one scene's timing; rewrite only when scene structure changes (adding/removing/reordering scenes - and route structural authoring to remotion-compose). Default to surgical: it preserves everything already approved.

Step 6: Batch variants

The composition is data-driven, so N variants = N prop sets in a JSON file:

[
  { "out": "out/acme.mp4",   "props": { "logoText": "Acme",   "colors": { "accent": "#6C5CE7" }, "cta": "Try Acme" } },
  { "out": "out/globex.mp4", "props": { "logoText": "Globex", "colors": { "accent": "#00B894" }, "cta": "Try Globex" } }
]

--props takes inline JSON or a file path; for more than a couple of variants, write a small Node script that reads the JSON and shells out per entry, or use @remotion/renderer's renderMedia() for a typed loop. Localize or A/B copy and colors entirely by editing the JSON.

Step 7: Lambda when local is the bottleneck

Reach for Lambda when a single render takes minutes locally or the batch is large - it fans frames out across serverless workers. Otherwise local is simpler and free.

npx remotion lambda functions deploy            # one-time per AWS account/region
npx remotion lambda sites create src/index.ts --site-name=product-demo
npx remotion lambda render product-demo ProductDemo --props='{"logoText":"Acme"}'

Requires AWS credentials and IAM permissions per Remotion's Lambda setup.

Step 8: Troubleshoot the three common failures

1. Frame-count mismatch - animation cuts off early or the clip has a dead tail. Cause: a <Sequence> duration changed but the Composition total did not. Fix: make the total equal the sum of its sequences; recompute after every timing edit. This is the #1 render surprise.
2. Missing staticFile() reference - render fails or an asset is blank. Cause: an asset imported by path or outside public/. Fix: put it in public/assets/ and reference staticFile("assets/<name>").
3. Font flash/fallback - text renders in the wrong font or shifts. Cause: @remotion/google-fonts loadFont() missing or called too late. Fix: call loadFont() at module top level and apply the returned fontFamily; the render then waits for the font.

Deliverable

A rendered file in out/ at the requested preset, plus - for iteration sessions - the loop offer: name the tweakable dimensions (pacing, copy, color, timing) and re-render on feedback. For batches, the variants JSON and the per-variant outputs.

Do NOT

• Do NOT rewrite a scene file for a value-level change - surgical edits preserve approved work.
• Do NOT change fps via flags alone - set it on the Composition and rescale frame counts.
• Do NOT change a Sequence duration without re-deriving the Composition's total durationInFrames.
• Do NOT full-render every iteration - Studio hot-reload is the preview loop; render at sign-off.
• Do NOT push concurrency past physical cores on a machine that is swapping or throttling.
• Do NOT reach for Lambda when local renders finish in seconds - it adds AWS setup and cost for nothing.
• Do NOT author new scenes or restructure the composition here - that is remotion-compose.

Quality bar

• The output plays at the requested resolution/aspect/fps with no dead tail and no early cutoff (Composition total matches sequence sum).
• Assets and fonts render correctly on the first frame - no fallback-font flash, no blank assets.
• An iteration changed only the lines the feedback required; everything previously approved is untouched.
• Batch outputs differ only by their prop sets.

Escalation

Scene authoring, animation design, and component structure go to remotion-compose; project scaffolding to remotion-setup; scoring and audio timing to sound-and-music-sync.