Export & Sharing

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Overview

Open Screen supports exporting your edited videos in both MP4 and GIF formats with customizable quality settings. The export engine uses hardware-accelerated encoding when available for fast, high-quality output.

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Starting an Export

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MP4 Export

Export high-quality video files suitable for YouTube, social media, or presentations.

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Quality Presets

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Video Codec

All MP4 exports use:

• Codec: H.264 (AVC)
• Profile: High Profile
• Container: MP4
• Color Space: BT.709 (sRGB)
• Bitrate Mode: Variable (VBR)

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Aspect Ratio Handling

The export respects your selected aspect ratio:

• 16:9 - Standard widescreen, maintains original proportions
• 1:1 - Square, optimal dimensions calculated for the selected quality
• 9:16 - Vertical/portrait, ideal for mobile platforms
• 4:3 - Classic format
• 21:9 - Ultra-wide cinematic

Dimensions are automatically calculated to maintain even pixel counts and exact aspect ratios.

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GIF Export

Create animated GIFs perfect for documentation, sharing on messaging platforms, or embedding on web pages.

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GIF Size Presets

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GIF Frame Rates

Choose frame rate to balance smoothness and file size:

• 10 FPS - Smaller files, slightly choppy
• 15 FPS - Recommended default, good balance
• 20 FPS - Smoother animation, larger files
• 25 FPS - Very smooth, large files
• 30 FPS - Maximum smoothness, very large files

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GIF Loop Settings

• Loop Enabled (default) - GIF plays infinitely
• Loop Disabled - GIF plays once and stops

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GIF Optimization

All GIFs are exported with:

• Floyd-Steinberg dithering - Better color quality
• Multi-threaded encoding - Uses 4 worker threads for faster encoding
• Palette optimization - Per-frame color palette for best quality

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Export Process

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Progress Tracking

During export, you’ll see real-time progress:

• Current Frame / Total Frames
• Percentage Complete
• Export Phase (encoding, finalizing, or rendering for GIFs)

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Hardware Acceleration

The export engine attempts to use hardware acceleration:

1. First attempt: Hardware-accelerated encoding (H.264)
2. Fallback: Software encoding if hardware unavailable
3. Detection: Automatic capability detection on export start

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Canceling an Export

During export:

• Click Cancel in the export dialog
• The export process stops immediately
• No partial file is saved
• You can adjust settings and try again

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Effect Rendering

All effects are rendered during export:

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Rendered Elements

• ✅ Wallpaper backgrounds
• ✅ Shadows and blur
• ✅ Border radius and padding
• ✅ Zoom regions with smooth transitions
• ✅ Annotations (text, images, arrows)
• ✅ Cropping
• ✅ Speed adjustments
• ✅ Motion blur (if enabled)

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Trim Region Handling

• Trimmed sections are completely removed
• Timeline is seamlessly stitched together
• Speed regions are respected within remaining content
• Export duration reflects all trims and speed changes

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File Naming

Exported files use timestamp-based naming:

• Format: export-{timestamp}.mp4 or export-{timestamp}.gif
• Timestamp: Unix timestamp in milliseconds
• Default Location: Your Downloads folder
• Custom Name: Rename during save dialog

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Export Quality Tips

Choose the right format

MP4 for:

• Videos longer than 30 seconds
• When audio is important (future feature)
• Professional sharing (YouTube, Vimeo)
• Archival/editing

GIF for:

• Quick demos (under 30 seconds)
• Documentation without sound
• Easy embedding in markdown/websites
• Compatibility without video players

Optimize for platform

• YouTube: MP4, Good quality (1080p)
• Twitter: MP4, Medium quality (720p), under 512 MB
• Instagram Feed: MP4, 1:1 aspect ratio, Good quality
• Instagram Stories: MP4, 9:16 aspect ratio, Medium quality
• Documentation: GIF, Medium size (720p), 15 FPS
• Email: GIF, Small size (480p), 10 FPS

Balance quality and file size

• Start with default settings (Good quality, Medium GIF size)
• Preview export file size estimates
• Adjust resolution/frame rate if file too large
• Use trim regions to remove unnecessary content
• Consider platform upload limits

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Export Performance

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Expected Export Times

For a 60-second video on modern hardware:

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Optimizing Export Speed

• Use hardware encoding - Ensure GPU drivers are up to date
• Close other applications - Free up CPU/GPU resources
• Disable unnecessary effects - Motion blur impacts export time
• Choose appropriate quality - Source quality takes longest
• Trim aggressively - Remove content you don’t need

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Troubleshooting

Export fails immediately

Possible causes:

• Insufficient disk space
• Video file permissions issues
• Codec not supported on system

Solutions:

• Check available disk space (need 2-3× final file size)
• Ensure video file is accessible
• Try different quality preset
• Restart Open Screen

GIF file size too large

Solutions:

• Reduce frame rate to 10-15 FPS
• Choose smaller size preset (Medium or Small)
• Trim video to shorter duration
• Consider using MP4 instead for long content

Export takes very long

Solutions:

• Check if hardware acceleration is active (shown in logs)
• Update GPU drivers
• Reduce export quality/resolution
• Close background applications
• Disable motion blur effect

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Post-Export

After export completes:

• File is saved to your chosen location
• A success notification appears
• Click the notification to reveal file in Finder/Explorer
• Video remains loaded in editor for further adjustments
• Export again with different settings if needed