AAF Export Guide Preparing Your Film for Post Sound
If your project is approaching picture lock, exporting a clean AAF is one of the most important steps in getting your film into post sound smoothly.
This guide walks you through the Premiere Pro turnover settings preferred for this workflow so your audio comes across cleanly, stays organized, and is ready for professional post sound work.
For most Premiere Pro turnovers, an embedded AAF with Breakout to Mono enabled is preferred.
Before You Export Check This First
Before creating your AAF, make sure the sequence you are sending is at or extremely near picture lock.
- Picture is locked or very close to locked
- All media is online with no missing clips
- Organize your timeline in this order whenever possible: all dialogue first, sound effects second, music third
- Unused or muted tracks are removed where possible
- Any temp processing is reviewed before export
Organizing the timeline this way makes the turnover cleaner and more efficient on the sound side. When dialogue, effects, and music are scattered randomly across tracks, it slows the process down and creates unnecessary time spent rebuilding editorial structure before the real sound work can begin.
Please organize your timeline with dialogue first, sound effects second, and music third whenever possible. This keeps the turnover cleaner and avoids unnecessary time spent sorting through a disorganized edit.
How to Export the AAF in Premiere Pro
Open Your Final Sequence
Select the locked sequence you want to send for post sound. Make sure you are working from the correct final timeline before exporting.
Go to File, Then Export, Then AAF
In Premiere Pro, go to File → Export → AAF.
Use the Following Settings
- Breakout to Mono: On
- Files: Embed Audio
- Format: Broadcast Wave
- Render: Trim Audio Files for a typical turnover, or Copy Complete Audio Files if specifically requested
- Handle Frames: Set to equal 5 seconds unless otherwise requested
- Render audio clip effects: Off unless specifically requested
Embedded AAF is the preferred workflow for most projects. If a project is unusually large or presents export issues, a different turnover approach may be requested.
Why These Settings Matter
- Breakout to Mono helps ensure channels arrive correctly for mixing in Pro Tools
- Embedded Audio keeps the turnover self-contained and easier to send in many workflows
- Broadcast Wave is a strong standard for audio turnovers
- Handles give extra edit room before and after cuts
- Unrendered clip effects keep the material more flexible unless a rendered version is specifically needed
Reference Video to Include
Along with the AAF, send a separate reference movie for sync and review.
- Preferred format: Apple ProRes 422 Proxy
- Frame rate should match the locked sequence
- Burn-in timecode is recommended when requested
A separate reference video keeps review simple and helps confirm that picture and sound remain aligned throughout the process.
Final Delivery Checklist
- AAF exports successfully with no errors
- No offline or missing media
- Audio media is organized and accessible
- Handles are included as requested
- Reference video matches picture lock
Common Issues That Slow Things Down in Post
- Missing or offline media
- No handles included
- Dialogue, sound effects, and music mixed randomly across the timeline
- Unexpected rendered clip effects
- Sending materials before the cut is truly ready
The stronger the prep is, the more time and energy can go into dialogue clarity, sound design, and the final mix instead of technical cleanup.
Start a Project
If your film is moving toward picture lock and you want professional help with dialogue cleanup, sound design, and final mixing, you can start the conversation here.
