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Export a reel as video

One file, ready to upload: the whole reel with its music, overlay templates, fades and cards rendered in, at the frame size you choose.

Before you start

  • A reel with no gaps. A gap has no automatic fix, so video export refuses until every gap is filled or removed. See Arrange clips.
  • Every clip's source present. An offline clip blocks export; relink it from its shot list.

Steps

  1. In the reel settings panel, under Export, click Export Video….
  2. If the reel holds restricted shots, Shotwork lists them and asks Export anyway?. See Restricted.
  3. If the reel runs over its Limit to budget, Shotwork says how much will be cut from the end and asks before continuing.
  4. In the Export Video dialog, set Save to, or Browse… to a file.
  5. Pick a Format: H.264 (review/upload), ProRes 422 HQ (editorial) or DNxHR HQ (editorial).
  6. Leave Include overlay ticked to burn the overlay template band in.
  7. Pick a Frame size: Match the footage, 4K UHD, 1080p, 720p, Square, Vertical, or Custom… with your own width and height.
  8. Read Reel Info, then click Export Video.

What happens

Reel Info states what is about to render: shot count, frame rate, total length, frame size, format, music and overlay. Under it, Some clips can't be used exactly as they are lists any clip whose frame rate differs from the reel's (its frames are resampled) or whose size differs (it is scaled to fit and padded, never cropped). Nothing there stops the export; it is what to know before pressing the button.

The render always re-encodes. Music plays with the volume and fades the music lane shows, overlays and title cards appear exactly as the viewer drew them, and a clip's Scale punch-in renders as it previewed. The button reads Cancel while ffmpeg runs; tick Detailed (raw ffmpeg output) to watch the log.

What frame size does to the footage

The reel's frame size defaults to the footage's own. Choosing a different one conforms every clip to it: a smaller source scales up and a mismatched aspect is letterboxed in the clip's background color. Odd dimensions are rounded to even, since the H.264 pixel format cannot hold an odd width or height.