How do I export a transparent video from After Effects?

Export a QuickTime movie with Apple ProRes 4444 and RGB+Alpha. That MOV keeps a real alpha channel for editors. After Effects does not natively export WebM alpha—if you need WebM, convert the ProRes file after the alpha is already in the clip.

What After Effects can and cannot export

After Effects can write transparency into a QuickTime file when the codec and channel settings both support alpha. The reliable editorial format is Apple ProRes 4444 (or 4444 XQ). ProRes 422 and below do not carry alpha.

After Effects does not natively export VP9 WebM with alpha. If a tutorial tells you to “export WebM from AE,” that usually means a third-party encoder or a later FFmpeg convert. Keep the AE step as ProRes, then convert.

Render intent: QuickTime ProRes 4444 with RGB+Alpha

Adobe’s output-module documentation states that After Effects writes an alpha channel when you choose RGB+Alpha, which implies a depth of Millions of Colors+. Not every codec can store that alpha. In current Adobe builds, check the Render Queue output module (or Media Encoder) for this intent:

• Container: QuickTime (.mov)
• Codec: Apple ProRes 4444 (or 4444 XQ)
• Channels: RGB+Alpha — this is the setting that actually writes transparency
• Color / matte: Premultiplied or Straight, depending on the next app. If edges look dark or haloed later, try the other interpretation.

Menu labels move between After Effects versions. If you cannot find a named preset, look for QuickTime + ProRes 4444 + RGB+Alpha rather than memorizing a click path. Confirm the composition background is actually transparent (checkerboard), not a black solid.

After export: edit the MOV, or convert to WebM

Once the ProRes file has alpha, you have two honest next steps:

• Stay in an editor: Import the MOV into Premiere, Resolve, or Final Cut. Layer it over other footage. See the Premiere Pro export guide if you need to hand the same alpha downstream.
• Need WebM for Chrome, Firefox, or OBS: Convert the ProRes that already has alpha. Use the transparent WebM guide or the dedicated FFmpeg ProRes-to-WebM convert.

Do not export H.264 MP4 from After Effects if you still need transparency. Everyday MP4 fills the holes. See why MP4 does not carry alpha.

If the composition has no alpha to begin with

RGB+Alpha cannot invent a matte. If the shot is a live-action plate with a real background, After Effects export will keep that background. You need a key, a rotoscope, or AI background removal first. ExportAlpha is that second case: upload a clip (up to 60 seconds, 1080p, 200MB), remove the background, then encode true-alpha WebM or ProRes. It is not a live webcam or stream-keying plugin.

Importing an ExportAlpha ProRes MOV into After Effects

If you uploaded an MP4 and chose ProRes, the download is a ProRes 4444 MOV. That container change is expected. Everyday H.264 MP4 cannot carry transparency, so After Effects needs the MOV, not the original MP4. A desktop player (iQIYI, QuickTime, the system player) often still shows leftover green because it reads RGB and ignores alpha.

Confirm the download finished first. A few-second 1080p ProRes file is usually tens to hundreds of megabytes. If the saved file is only a few megabytes, download it again from the job page and wait until the transfer completes. The extension must stay .mov.

Adobe documents that footage items can store an alpha interpretation separately from the pixels. In current After Effects builds, use this intent—menu labels move, so look for the setting rather than a single click path:

• Import: File → Import → File, then choose the finished .mov. Do not open it in a media player and expect a checkerboard.
• Interpret Footage → Main → Alpha: start with Straight - Unmatted. If edges look dark or haloed, try Premultiplied.
• Proof: put a solid color on a layer underneath. If that color shows through, the background was removed. A green thumbnail in the Project panel is not the test.

Recent After Effects versions on Windows include ProRes. A very old build may say the format is unsupported. In that case, transcode the same MOV in Adobe Media Encoder to QuickTime / Apple ProRes 4444 / RGB+Alpha, then import again. Premiere and DaVinci Resolve often accept the same cloud-encoded ProRes with less friction. CapCut and everyday players are not an After Effects proof.

Safari and HEVC

Safari does not composite WebM alpha. Safari pages typically need HEVC-with-alpha. ExportAlpha’s product formats are VP9 WebM and ProRes 4444—it does not ship HEVC. For Safari web delivery, encode HEVC-with-alpha in a tool that actually writes that format. See why transparent WebM is black in Safari.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I export a transparent video from After Effects?

Render QuickTime with Apple ProRes 4444 and RGB+Alpha. Adobe documents that RGB+Alpha writes the alpha channel. Then edit the MOV, or convert it to WebM only after alpha is present.

Does After Effects natively export WebM with alpha?

No. Keep the After Effects deliverable as ProRes 4444, then convert. See how to make a transparent WebM.

Can I use the After Effects ProRes file in Premiere?

Yes. That is the usual editorial handoff. If Premiere then needs a web file, convert the ProRes—do not bounce to H.264 MP4 and expect transparency back.

I uploaded an MP4 to ExportAlpha. Why did I get a MOV?

That is the expected ProRes deliverable. The upload can stay MP4; the alpha export is a ProRes 4444 MOV. See why everyday MP4 has no alpha.

Why does the ExportAlpha MOV still look green in a video player?

The player is showing leftover RGB, not the After Effects view. Import the finished .mov, interpret Alpha as Straight - Unmatted, and stack it over a solid. If After Effects rejects the file, confirm the download finished, then transcode the same MOV in Media Encoder to ProRes 4444 with RGB+Alpha.

Sources

• Adobe After Effects output modules (RGB+Alpha writes alpha; not all codecs support it): Basics of rendering and exporting
• Adobe After Effects footage interpretation (alpha can be set per item): Interpreting footage items
• Apple ProRes family and 4444 alpha: Apple support