Understand when Fast browser, Full desktop, and Cloud are selectable, what source each accepts, and which settings each path currently honors.
Where: Select a Video Render node → Render With
Key ideas
- Fast (browser): Available in the tab and the only honest choice for a Layer Compose or flat-video source. The browser path honors the card’s relevant encode settings and all-intra scrubbing mode.
- Full (desktop): Available for native document/composition sources when the live desktop editor bridge is present. It renders the live editor frame by frame and uses the ffmpeg-backed advanced settings.
- Cloud: Available for native documents only when NEXT_PUBLIC_RENDER_WORKER_URL configures the GPU render service.
- Controls can be unavailable by design: Disabled target buttons explain whether the source type, missing desktop app, or unconfigured cloud worker prevents the choice.
Steps
- Connect the source and check whether it is a Layer Compose/video source or a native document/composition.
- Choose Fast for an in-tab render, Full when the desktop bridge is available, or Cloud only when configured.
- Review the target warning state before relying on scrubbing or advanced encoder behavior.
- Render a short test and verify the downloaded codec, duration, audio, captions, breakpoint, and seek behavior.
Source matrix
- Layer Compose / Video In: Fast (browser) only.
- Document / Composition: Fast; Full when desktop is available; Cloud when the worker is configured.
Scrubbing warning
Cloud currently drops both the Optimize for scrubbing setting and explicit GOP control, so the UI shows an error when either is selected. Switch to Fast/browser (or another target that honors keyframe control) for a scrub asset.
Render and repair reliability
Recent fixes address composition finishing, attached precomp identity, image-sequence readiness/CORS, and initial frame rendering. Embedded document editors retain access to the render project. Video repair targets existing scenes and source reads instead of unnecessarily recreating shots or regenerating already available media.
- A dropped frame folder creates an image sequence with playback configuration rather than only a static frame.
- Wait for image sequences to settle before judging captured output; the render path now handles their readiness explicitly.
- Check the actual browser/desktop/GPU result after changing nested compositions; a source preview alone does not validate delivery.
- Caption work is bounded, and the editor reduces redundant generation and idle timeline rebuilding.
Limitations and important notes
- Target availability is runtime/build dependent.
- Do not assume every target has feature parity; the node surfaces warnings for known differences.
Troubleshooting
Full (desktop) is disabled
Open the compatible desktop app/runtime and use a native Document / Composition input.
Cloud is disabled
The build has no configured render worker, or the source is not a native document/composition. Use Fast or Full instead.