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Before converting an AI video to another frame rate, decide whether its duration should stay the same. A delivery conversion and a speed change solve different problems. Record the source rate, timeline rate, export rate and intended duration, then judge the finished motion rather than treating a higher frame count as automatic improvement.
Check the three rates and the delivery requirement
The source rate describes the clip; the timeline rate describes the edit; the export rate describes the delivered file. They need not be identical, but differences require a deliberate choice. Start with the project's actual delivery specification rather than choosing a number because it sounds more cinematic or smoother.
Read the exact values in the file and project settings. For example, 23.976 and 24 are different rates, as are 29.97 and 30. The arithmetic below uses exact integer rates of 24 and 30 frames per second. Do not silently apply it to a fractional-rate project or round its metadata.
Separate fixed-duration conversion from reinterpreting footage
Imagine an exact ten-second, 24-fps clip containing 240 source frames. A ten-second export at 30 fps needs 300 output frame positions. The conversion method determines how those positions are filled while preserving the intended duration.
If those same 240 source frames are instead played once each at 30 fps, the duration is eight seconds. That is a speed change. Adobe's frame-rate interpretation guide explains that reinterpreting a clip changes its duration and can affect audio as well. Check what the chosen command actually does before accepting the result.
Choose a conversion method by its result
Adobe's export guide distinguishes three methods: frame sampling repeats or removes frames, frame blending combines neighboring frames, and optical flow estimates motion between surrounding frames. These are different ways to create the required output cadence, not interchangeable quality labels.
