The Export Panel provides controls and information for managing your export tasks.
- The Queue tab lists all of your current export tasks.
- The Presets tab shows all the Built-in export presets, as well as any user-created presets you have saved.
- The Preview at the bottom of the panel shows the progress of the current export while it is being rendered.
The Export Queue
The Export Queue is a list of all the timelines which are waiting to be exported. Each timeline contains export controls where you can add the timeline to the Queue. You can view the list of queued timelines here, and select the export details used by each task.
- Name: The name of the task to be exported. The resolution and frame rate of the timeline are also displayed here for reference.
- Preset: Presets contain a specified set of format and compression details which will be used to create the exported file. The presets panel on the right side of the Export screen can be used to manage your presets, and is discussed above. For each export task, you can select any preset you desire from the list in this menu.
- Duration: Indicates the total duration of the exported file. If the work area of the timeline differs from its contents, then the icon next to the duration becomes a toggle so you can switch the task from one to the other after it is added to the queue. If the work are and contents are the same, then the button will be greyed out.
- Progress: Once you click the Start Exporting button, the progress of the task will be shown here, so you can see how much is completed, and how much of the render remains.
- Output: Here is where you can set the name and location that will be used by the exported file. Click on the Output field to enter a name to be used by your exported file, and to choose the location to which it will be saved.
- Elapsed: The amount of time that has been spent processing the task so far. During the export, this number will change dynamically based on how long the task has taken. Once the export is complete, this will display the total time spent on rendering the exported file.
At the top right of the Queue you find the Export Options menu, and the Start Exporting button.
- Start Exporting: Click this button to begin exporting all items in the queue. Once you Start Exporting, you can return to the Edit screen and resume working on your project. The export will continue in the background while you work.
- Suspend Exporting: Once Exporting is in progress, this button will change to suspend Exporting, and can be used to pause the export.
Export Options Menu
The menu provides controls and options for the currently selected export task.
- Save Output As…: Edits the name applied to the exported file.
- Reveal Output: Opens the file on your computer containing the exported file. This option is only displayed for Finished export tasks.
- Duplicate Task(s): Creates a new copy of each selected task.
- Force Start: Forces the currently selected task to be exported, even if it is not the first item in the queue.
- Remove Task(s): Removes the selected task (or tasks) from the render queue.
- Remove Finished Task(s): When a render task is completed, it remains listed in the queue. You can select completed tasks and use this button to remove them when you no longer need them listed.
- Select All: Selects all items currently in the queue.
- Export Options…: Opens the Export tab of the main HitFilm Options.
Export Presets
The Presets tab of the Export panel lists all your available export presets. Export Presets are divided into two categories.
- Built-In Presets: All of the Export Presets that ship with the software are listed here. The included presets provide a variety of settings suitable for most export situations, but you are not limited to only exporting using these settings. Depending on your platform and version of the software, your Built-in Presets may differ from those shown here.
- User Presets: Contains any presets you edit and save yourself. You have full control over the resolution, format, and compression settings used during export, so if you have particular settings you want to use, you can create a preset for those settings and save it here. There is no limit to how many user presets you can save.
You can create your own presets at any time. Click the New Preset button above the presets list, then select the format you wish to use: MP4, Image Sequence, AVI (Windows), or MOV. Once you select a format, the options for that format will be shown, so you can select the specific settings you wish to use in your preset. Details of all available options for each export format are available in the Export Formats page of this manual.
The preset which will be used for each export can be selected within the Export Queue. The Default Preset, which is labeled with a check mark, will automatically be applied to each new Export Task, but you can select any of your available presets for each export task. Double-click any preset in the Export Preset list to set it as your default preset.
You can delete a preset by selecting it in the list, and then pressing the Delete key on your keyboard, or clicking the Delete Preset button at the top of the screen.
The Preview
The Preview Panel shows the progress of the export. As HitFilm proceeds through the export task, the frame currently being rendered is displayed here. Alongside the frame, all the details of the video being rendered are displayed, including the task name, the preset being used, and the format and compression details contained within that preset, which will be used by the exported video file.
The images displayed are taken from the buffer of the actual export, so the Preview does not negatively affect export times. No additional rendering is required to display the preview.
The Timeline Export Controls
In addition to the main Export menu in the top toolbar, there are Export controls located at the top right corner of the timeline. This allows you to export without leaving the timeline, while working on a project.
The Export Menu ![]()
The export menu on the timeline contains options similar to the main export menu.
- To File…: Use this option to immediately export the entire contents of the currently open timeline. A dialog will open where you can name the file, and select where it will be saved. Once you click Save in the dialog, the export will begin as a background task in HitFilm, so you can continue working on your project while the export is processed.
- Frame…: Use this option to export the current frame as a still image. A dialog will open where you can choose the format for the image, and whether it is re-imported back into your HitFilm project. See Export Frame for complete details.
- Export Now: Choose the portion of the timeline to be immediately exported.
- In-to-Out Area: Immediately exports the area between your In point and Out point, using the current Default Export Preset. Selecting this option opens a dialog where you can name the file and select the location where it will be saved.
- Contents: Immediately exports the entire contents of your timeline, using the current Default Export Preset. Selecting this option opens a dialog where you can name the file and select the location where it will be saved.
- Add to Queue: These options add the current timeline to the export queue, so it can be exported at a later point.
- In-to-Out Area: Adds the area between the In point and Out point of your timeline to the export queue.
- Contents: Adds the entire contents of your timeline to the export queue.
- Default Preset: Select the export preset that will be used for the Export Now options and for the Export button. All export presets currently available on your system will be listed here. Presets can be edited or created in the Presets tab of the Export panel.