Why Manim Renders Slowly (and Fixes) | QuantumSketch
Manim renders slowly mostly because of high quality flags and LaTeX/caching overhead. Use -ql while drafting, cache equations, and render -qh only at the end.
Manim renders slowly mostly because of high quality settings and one-time LaTeX overhead. Draft with -ql (low quality), let equation caching work, and only render -qh (1080p60) for the final export.
The quality flags — your biggest lever
| Flag | Resolution / FPS | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| -ql | 480p15 | Drafting (fast) |
| -qm | 720p30 | Review |
| -qh | 1080p60 | Final export |
| -qk | 4K60 | Rarely |
manim -pql scene.py MyScene # fast iteration
manim -qh scene.py MyScene # final
Rendering 1080p60 on every test wastes minutes. -ql can turn a 2-minute render into 10 seconds.
The first-render LaTeX tax
The first time a scene typesets a MathTex, Manim shells out to LaTeX and dvisvgm — slow. After that, Manim caches the compiled equation, so re-renders are fast unless you change the equation. If every run is slow, you may be regenerating equations or have caching disabled.
More speed tips
-srenders only the final frame — perfect for checking layout.- Reduce Mobject count. Hundreds of sub-objects = per-frame cost.
- 3D scenes are heavier. Keep camera moves modest while drafting.
- Reuse equation strings so the cache hits.
Diagnose first
If it's not just slow but failing, run manim checkhealth before optimizing.
Or render in the cloud
Local rendering is bound by your CPU. QuantumSketch renders Manim on cloud hardware, so you get a finished MP4 without tying up your machine — and without juggling quality flags. See Manim Without Code.
Written by Shihab Shahriar Antor · Shahriar Labs
FAQ
Q.How do I make Manim render faster while I'm working?
Render at low quality with the -ql flag while drafting and only switch to -qh (high) for the final export. The quality flag controls resolution and frame rate: -ql is 480p15, -qm is 720p30, -qh is 1080p60. Rendering 1080p60 on every test wastes minutes per iteration. Also use the -p flag to auto-play the result and -s to render only the final still frame when you just need to check layout. Together these can cut your iteration time from minutes to seconds.
Q.Why is the first render slow even for a simple scene?
The first render of a scene with equations pays a one-time LaTeX cost: Manim compiles each MathTex through the latex binary and converts it via dvisvgm, which is slow. Subsequent renders reuse Manim's cache of those compiled equations, so they're much faster — unless you changed the equation, which invalidates that cache entry. If every render is slow, check that caching isn't disabled and that you're not regenerating identical equations each run. Heavy 3D scenes and large numbers of Mobjects also add per-frame compute.