# Render flags > The flags of dev, still, frames, strip and ship that change what the renderer draws, with defaults and examples. Canonical: https://vawe.dev/docs/render-flags This page lists the flags that change a render. The list comes from `bin/vawe --help` for `dev`, `still`, `frames`, `strip` and `ship`. A wrong flag exits 2 and prints the valid ones. For the other verbs, see [CLI](https://vawe.dev/docs/cli). Four flags work the same way in more than one verb: * `--aspect ` sets the aspect. It overrides the page `aspect` meta. The default output name gets it (`-2x1`), so two aspects do not overwrite each other. See [Aspect ratios](https://vawe.dev/docs/aspect-ratios). * `--param key=value` passes an option to the page. The page reads it with `new URLSearchParams(location.search)`. The flag is repeatable. It is part of the render key, and the default output name gets it (`-look-riso`). A repeated key exits with an error, because a page reads one value per key (`harness/lib/page-params.mjs`). See param. * `--from ` and `--to ` render a window of the film. * `--out ` sets the output file or folder. ## dev The draft: half size, 30 fps. It also writes a key-frame sheet PNG next to the mp4. See [Draft](https://vawe.dev/docs/draft). | Flag | What it does | Default | Example | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------- | | `--from ` | Start second. A window is silent | none | `--from 2` | | `--to ` | End second | none | `--to 6` | | `--aspect ` | Set the aspect | the page meta, else 16:9 | `--aspect 9:16` | | `--param ` | Pass an option to the page | none | `--param look=riso` | | `--silent` | Leave the audio tags out of the mix. Faster | off | `--silent` | | `--small` | Encode about 5 times smaller, for a file to post such as an `og:video` loop (x264 preset fast, CRF 24) | off | `--small` | | `--lock-length` | Write the found length of a `duration="auto"` page into its meta | off | `--lock-length` | | `--out ` | Output file | `out/-draft.mp4`, or `out/-draft--.mp4` for a window | `--out out/a.mp4` | | `--fast` | Run only the fast checks | off | `--fast` | | `--full` | Also run the ship-tier checks: per-frame box motion lint, object tracks, loudness and peak | off | `--full` | | `--taste` | Also print the taste lines. They are always in `out/.dev.md` | off | `--taste` | | `--no-judge` | Skip the stills judge that `dev` runs on the three directions, once per change of `directions.html` or their brief lines (about 25 s) | off | `--no-judge` | ```bash bin/vawe dev films/my-film/page.html --from 2 --to 6 ``` ## still One exact full-size frame as a PNG. The input is a page, an mp4 or an https mp4 URL. | Flag | What it does | Default | Example | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- | ------------------- | | `--at ` | The film second to write. A second past the last frame moves to the last frame, and the output says so | none | `--at 4.2` | | `--size ` | PNG size. A page only. The ratio must match the aspect of the page, or the verb refuses | the aspect at 1920 on the long edge | `--size 1200x630` | | `--aspect ` | Set the aspect | the page meta, else 16:9 | `--aspect 1200:630` | | `--param ` | Pass an option to the page | none | `--param look=riso` | | `--out ` | The PNG path | `out/still/-s.png` | `--out /tmp/f.png` | ```bash bin/vawe still films/card/page.html --at 0 --aspect 1200:630 --size 1200x630 ``` ## frames One still per `data-world` element and a contact sheet. See [Key frames](https://vawe.dev/docs/key-frames). | Flag | What it does | Default | Example | | -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------- | | `--full` | Full-size stills as `out/-frames/-full.png`. No sheet and no `frames.html` | off | `--full` | | `--zoom` | Also shoot a full-size still per world (about 5 s more), so a click in `frames.html` opens it sharp | off | `--zoom` | | `--world ` | Only this world. A comma list or a repeated flag. No sheet and no `frames.html`. Each still is at the time of its own world | none | `--world s3,s5` | | `--looks` | Show a page frame under every named lens look, and as is, one labelled grid per second. The page is not edited | off | `--looks` | | `--at ` | With `--looks`: comma-separated film seconds | none | `--at 4.5,9` | | `--only ` | With `--looks`: the look names. All when left out | none | `--only anamorphic,crt` | | `--out ` | With `--looks`: the folder for the grids | `out/looks-` | `--out out/looks` | `frames` takes no `--aspect`, `--param`, `--from` or `--to`. A normal run writes `out/-frames/.png`, the sheet `out/-frames.png` and `films//frames.html` (`harness/media/frames.mjs:4`). ## strip The frames through one moment or every cut, with motion numbers. The input is a rendered mp4, a page or a reference id from `bin/vawe refs list`. For a page, the verb reads its last draft, so run `dev` first. See [Critique and fix](https://vawe.dev/docs/critique). | Flag | What it does | Default | Example | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------ | | `--at ` | The second to centre the strip on | none | `--at 8.4` | | `--cuts` | One strip per world change (page or mp4) or per shot cut (reference). The strip is centred on the cut | off | `--cuts` | | `--span ` | Seconds of film in the strip, the onion or the velocity window | 1 (`--onion` 0.3) | `--span 0.6` | | `--fps ` | Frames per second of film in the strip. At most the fps of the video read. A grid holds 9 frames | 8 | `--fps 15` | | `--onion` | Blend several frames of the move at `--at` into one image: spacing, path and overshoot | off | `--onion` | | `--n ` | With `--onion`: frames blended, 2 to 12 | 5 | `--n 6` | | `--velocity` | Graph the speed and scale of page elements around `--at`. Reads a page only | off | `--velocity` | | `--sel ` | With `--velocity`: graph every element the selector matches. A canvas painted in `window.seek` has no element, so pass this | the 4 elements that move most | `--sel .hero` | | `--ids ` | With `--velocity`: element ids instead of `--sel` | none | `--ids title,logo` | | `--out ` | The folder for the grids or the PNG | `out/strip/` (`--onion` `out/onion/`, `--velocity` `out/velocity`) | `--out out/s` | ```bash bin/vawe strip films/my-film/page.html --at 2.75 --velocity ``` ## ship The final: 60 fps, motion blur, audio mixed, then a final check and a fresh judge. It runs in the background. The verb refuses until a fresh review of the page and the owner approval exist. See [Ship](https://vawe.dev/docs/ship). | Flag | What it does | Default | Example | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------- | | `--aspect ` | Set the aspect, or `all` for one file per aspect | the page meta, else 16:9 | `--aspect all` | | `--param ` | Pass an option to the page | none | `--param look=riso` | | `--out ` | Output file. It does not combine with `--aspect all` | `out/.mp4` | `--out out/b.mp4` | | `--wait` | Block until the render ends. With `--status`: wait up to 3.5 minutes, one progress line per minute | off | `--wait` | | `--status` | Print the progress or the result of a background render | off | `--status` | | `--profile` | Print a cost table: frames, subframes, screenshots, capture and encode seconds, the 5 costliest seconds | off | `--profile` | The argument is a page, or with `--status` a page or a job id. The default job is the newest one. ```bash bin/vawe ship films/my-film/page.html --aspect all bin/vawe ship --status --wait ``` A final also writes a small web copy beside the master, `.web.mp4` (`harness/media/render-page.mjs:10`, `:988`). ## What the verbs fix `bin/vawe` does not expose these values as flags. The renderer sets them. | Value | Draft | Final | Source | | ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | --------------- | ---------------------- | | Output size | half of the aspect size, at device scale 0.5 | the aspect size | `resolveFrame` | | Frame rate | 30 | 60 | `render-page.mjs:1233` | | Subframes of motion blur per frame | 1 | up to 32 | `render-page.mjs:1235` | | Frame capture | JPEG, quality 92 | PNG | `frameFormat` | The CSS viewport is always the full aspect size, so a draft lays out exactly like the final. The environment variable `VAWE_WORKERS` sets how many browser pages capture at once. ## Related pages * [CLI](https://vawe.dev/docs/cli) lists every verb. * [Aspect ratios](https://vawe.dev/docs/aspect-ratios) explains `--aspect` and the five common sizes. * [Files and outputs](https://vawe.dev/docs/files-and-outputs) lists what each verb writes. {/* sources (vawe 4d9a5acb4): dev, still, frames, strip, ship flags and defaults: bin/vawe --help --param repeated key refused: harness/lib/page-params.mjs paramsQuery frames outputs: harness/media/frames.mjs:4-8 web copy: harness/media/render-page.mjs:10, :988 draft 0.5 scale, final 1: harness/media/render-page.mjs resolveFrame fps 30/60, blur 1/32: harness/media/render-page.mjs:1233-1235 frame capture format: harness/media/render-page.mjs:148-151 VAWE_WORKERS: harness/media/render-page.mjs:121 */}