After Effects render ends early: check the Render Queue time span
A work-area or custom range can shorten a completed render. Check the queued item before changing the composition or its animation.
If a render finishes successfully but ends too soon, open that item's Render Settings and inspect Time Span. Work Area Only or Custom may cover less than the full composition. Use Length Of Comp when you need the complete composition, then render to a new filename.
In this guide
After Effects desktop Render Queue on Windows and macOS. Media Encoder uses separate range controls; a render that stops with an error needs error-specific troubleshooting.
Check Time Span on the queued render
Keep the short file until you have compared the replacement. Reusing its filename makes it easy to reopen an old output by mistake.
Is the file short, or does the picture end early?
Check the expected duration against the exported file, then look at the end of the selected composition.
| Result | Where to look |
|---|---|
| The file stops at the work-area endpoint | Time Span on the queue item |
| The composition itself is too short | The selected composition and its duration |
| The file has the right duration but ends in empty frames | Layer content and timing near the end |
| Rendering stopped with an error | The error message and failing frame |
Extending the render range will not add animation beyond a layer's end.
Set the range for this output
In Render Queue, click the settings name beside Render Settings. Adobe's render settings reference lists three Time Span choices:
- Length Of Comp: the full composition.
- Work Area Only: the work area you set in the timeline.
- Custom: a specified portion.
Check each queued version separately. There is no need to change a reusable default template to correct one item. If you are delivering an excerpt, keep the limited range and verify its intended start and end.
Watch the new ending
Open the new render and watch through the point where the earlier file stopped. Confirm that the required layers remain visible through the final frame; a matching duration alone does not establish that the ending is complete.
For a Media Encoder job, check the range in Media Encoder instead. If the export stalls rather than completing with a short file, use the Media Encoder export guide.
If Time Span already covers the intended duration, report the composition length, selected range, output length, and any error to Adobe support.
Sources
Based on official documentation; not independently tested. Sources checked Sep 27, 2026. How we review guides
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