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Filmmaking Dictionary: Letter Q / Queue (Render and Export Queue)
Definition
A queue is a collection of jobs waiting for processing. In post-production, a render or export queue holds tasks such as creating preview files, encoding deliverables or rendering compositions. Each job normally identifies source material, output settings and a destination.
Adding a job to a queue does not necessarily start it. Applications may wait for a start command, follow a schedule or begin automatically under a chosen preference. A waiting, completed and failed job are different states.
What a Queue Contains
An editor might queue a high-quality master, a review copy and a vertical version of a video. They can share source material while requiring different frame sizes, crops, codecs, audio arrangements or captions.
Before starting a batch, check:
- The correct sequence or composition and its version.
- The intended duration, including in and out points.
- Format, codec, image dimensions and frame rate.
- Audio channels, captions and other required outputs.
- A unique filename and the correct destination folder.
- Available media, storage space, fonts and required effects.
A preset is a starting point. It does not know whether the client requested a new version, a different soundtrack or a particular crop.
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Order, Dependencies and Shared Resources
Some queues process jobs one after another; others allow concurrent work. A render farm can distribute work across machines. The application’s behaviour and available hardware determine what runs when.
Jobs can depend on material that has not finished rendering or copying. Starting several jobs at once can also make them compete for memory, processing power or storage bandwidth. More simultaneous jobs do not automatically produce an earlier finish.
Keep the source version clear. Applications differ in how they use saved project states and linked compositions. If editing continues after a job is queued, confirm which version the job will actually render.
A Queue Is Different From a Cue
A cue is a signal or instruction that triggers an action, such as a performer’s entrance or a lighting change. A queue is a line or collection of waiting tasks. The words sound alike, but “add it to the render queue” and “wait for the cue” mean different things.
Checking a Completed Batch
A completed status shows that the application finished its processing task; it does not establish that the output is editorially or technically correct. Open the actual files and check them against the delivery requirements.
If one job fails, inspect its error message and dependencies before restarting the entire batch. Preserve successfully rendered files when they are correct, and give replacement versions clear names.
For example, three interview exports may finish while a fourth fails because its destination drive is unavailable. Restoring the destination and rerunning that job is different from assuming the whole queue is corrupt. Use a QC pass before delivery.
Related Terms
- Quality Control (QC) in Post-Production
- Delivery
- Cue
- Post Production
- Assistant Editor (Post-Production)
Browse terms beginning with Q or return to the filmmaking dictionary.