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# How to Export a Video in Lightworks
- URL: https://lightworksguide.net/export/settings/
- Published: 2026-09-29T14:51:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T20:56:02.000Z
- Description: Choose a local MP4 export, confirm the sequence and range, and check frame rate, quality controls and licence limits before reviewing the finished file.
- Author: Lucas Bennett
- Tags: export

For a normal local video file, start with MP4 and H.264, keep the sequence’s frame rate, and choose its native resolution when your delivery target and licence allow it. Open the full Export panel, check the source and range, choose a preset or Custom settings, then start the export. Before you send or upload the finished file, open it outside Lightworks.

I prefer that full-panel route for a first delivery because it lets you inspect the choices before rendering, whereas a quick preset can start immediately. The controls below follow the current v2026 documentation; older tutorials may show the ASSEMBLE/EDIT export menus instead.

## Select the sequence and range

Make sure you are exporting the edited sequence. Lightworks can also export a source clip or a subclip, so a picture in the viewer is not enough to identify the intended output. The [current export overview](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/export-overview?ref=lightworksguide.net) distinguishes those objects and supports either the whole item or a marked section.

1. **Open the intended sequence.** Check its name and the timeline’s opening and ending. If you have several versions of an edit, settle on the version you mean to deliver.
2. **Open the full Export panel.** Use the toggle to show the timeline’s side menu, then choose **Export**, as shown in the [current timeline toolbar guide](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/timeline-tools-and-commands?ref=lightworksguide.net). Inspect the source and settings before choosing a quick-export preset.
3. **Expand the Source List.** In the Export layout, loading a clip or sequence into the viewer automatically adds it to this list. Review every entry so an earlier source clip does not join the finished edit by accident.
4. **Choose the whole sequence or a marked section.** Use the offered whole-item range for the complete edit. For an excerpt, work on the intended *sequence timeline*: move its playhead to the requested beginning and mark in, then move to the requested end and mark out. The [standard keys are I and O](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/keyboard-shortcut-tables?ref=lightworksguide.net); check your assignments if you use another mapping. In the Export panel, choose the offered marked-section range and inspect it before starting.

The list has controls for correcting the selection. If it contains unwanted items, **Clear Export List** empties it. Explicitly select the intended sequence before using **Add to Export List**: with nothing selected, that command adds the source-viewer item instead. **Reveal Timeline** loads the active sequence into the viewer; recheck the other list entries afterwards. These [Source List controls](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/export-overview?ref=lightworksguide.net) are useful when you have been reviewing several items in the Export layout.

Keep the two marking contexts separate. [Source marks choose part of a camera clip; sequence marks define a range on the edit](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/basic-editing?ref=lightworksguide.net). For an export excerpt, check the sequence's marked beginning and end, then the offered export-range choice. After export, compare the file's opening, ending and duration with that requested excerpt. A cue marker is not an in/out range.

![Export Source lists the edited sequence while the timeline distinguishes whole and marked coverage](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/settings-body1-redo-v1.webp)

Confirm the sequence object, then check whether the output should contain the whole edit or its marked section.

Check the source before selecting a shortcut preset: the documented **Auto start** option begins exporting as soon as that preset is chosen, including through the right-click Export menu or the viewer’s cogs menu. For a first export, inspect the full panel and start deliberately.

## Choose settings for a local file

Use a system preset when it matches the delivery you need. It fills the settings from the source material; **Custom** lets you configure them manually and save your own preset. Even with a preset, read the resulting choices before starting.

- **Container and codec:** MP4 is the file container; H.264 is the video codec. I would use that combination for a routine review file or broadly compatible web delivery. Lightworks recommends [H.264 when compatibility matters](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/web-and-social-delivery?ref=lightworksguide.net). Choose H.265 or AV1 only when the option is available and the recipient or destination supports it.
- **Resolution:** start with the sequence’s native size, then reduce it if the delivery specification or available export option requires that. A request for a smaller review copy can justify downscaling; a larger number alone is not a delivery requirement. For a portrait or square edit, check that the chosen output also has the intended shape.
- **Frame rate:** keep the sequence’s rate unless the recipient has specified another one. The [web-delivery guidance](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/web-and-social-delivery?ref=lightworksguide.net) explicitly advises against changing it solely for an upload. For example, an edit intended for 25 fps can stay at 25 fps; a 60 fps export is not a general quality upgrade.
- **Quality or bitrate:** inspect the controls your selected format and plan expose. Within a comparable encoding setup, more bitrate gives the encoder more data and increases file size; too little can leave movement visibly broken up. Judge a short motion-heavy section before committing to a long render.

![Export Video fields separate size and rate, MP4 container and H.264 codec](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/settings-body2-redo-v2.webp)

For the article’s review-file example, match the edit’s size and rate when your build and licence offer them.

**Same as Source** matches the source clip’s format. Check the selected source before relying on it, particularly if you switched between camera clips and the edited sequence. The [native-size and frame-rate guidance](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/export-overview?ref=lightworksguide.net) makes the sequence the normal reference for a finished edit.

For example, suppose your edited sequence is **Review\_v3, 1920 × 1080 at 25 fps**, and the recipient wants the whole edit as a local review file. Select that sequence, inspect the whole-item range, and choose MP4/H.264 at its native size and rate if those options are available. Name it `Review_v3_review.mp4`. If 1080p is unavailable, settle whether a smaller permitted review copy meets the request or a different licence is needed; do not silently deliver a smaller file as 1080p. After the task completes, compare the actual file's dimensions, rate, opening and ending with that choice. The numbers here describe an example, not a preset every plan provides.

Manual H.264 bitrate settings are not part of every plan. The current [tier comparison’s H.264 Bitrate Config row](https://lwks.com/pricing?ref=lightworksguide.net) lists variable/constant encoding and minimum/maximum bitrate controls for Pro, with that feature absent from Free and Create. If those fields are missing, work with the offered preset instead of following an old tutorial’s sliders icon beside “H.264 High.” That older path may not match the current interface.

A professional master needs the recipient’s specification. Lightworks’ [master-file guidance](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/professional-delivery?ref=lightworksguide.net) recommends high-quality intermediate codecs such as ProRes or DNxHR/DNxHD at the sequence’s full resolution and frame rate, subject to the available licence and format. DNxHD requires a [separate codec licence](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/supported-formats-reference?ref=lightworksguide.net). A routine MP4 review copy serves a different purpose. Confirm the required codec and audio layout before making a broadcast or finishing delivery.

## Check a missing resolution or format

The Export panel offers the formats included in your licence. Record the plan actually active in Lightworks, the installed version and build, and the selected target before treating a missing option as a fault.

As checked on 19 October 2026, the [pricing table’s Export Resolution row lists Free up to 1080p](https://lwks.com/pricing?ref=lightworksguide.net), and the [Web and Social Delivery guide describes portrait export and 1080p delivery on Free](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/web-and-social-delivery?ref=lightworksguide.net). The [older FAQ still states a 720p Free limit](https://lwks.com/faqs?ref=lightworksguide.net). Check the options offered by your installed build, chosen target and active licence. If they differ from the current advertised capability, ask LWKS to clarify before paying for a plan solely to obtain that output.

The pricing table also has a separate proxy size row. That describes media used while editing and is not the export-resolution row. The [export-resolution guide](https://lightworksguide.net/export/resolution-limits/) separates those limits and explains the plan, build and target checks.

## Check the original media and audio mix

Make sure every original used by the sequence is online before making the final file. Reconnect its drive or location where needed. The export overview says Lightworks uses original full-resolution media, but the more specific [proxy documentation warns about offline originals](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/proxies-and-performance-media?ref=lightworksguide.net): export can fall back to available media. Smooth proxy playback therefore does not show that the originals are online.

Your mix is exported with the picture. A [mixed export respects video Monitor/Solo and audio Mute/Solo states](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/export-overview?ref=lightworksguide.net), so check them deliberately. Options that export each audio track separately include muted tracks; they serve a different purpose from the mixed output. Review the mixer balance and check that the master is not clipping, as the [audio export guidance](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/export-overview?ref=lightworksguide.net) recommends. Listen to dialogue against the music and review the loudest section before rendering. Separate stems or an unusual channel layout need their own delivery specification; do not assume a normal video preset supplies them.

## Start the export and check the file

Give the output a name that identifies the edit and version, such as `MyFilm_v3_review.mp4`. Choose a destination you can find with enough free space, and keep the previous good file. Confirm the destination in the panel or the save-location prompt that appears with Start, depending on your preset or build.

Start the export once the source, range and output are correct. Exports run as background tasks. The [Tasks page in the project settings panel](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/batch-export-and-background-tasks?ref=lightworksguide.net) shows progress; Tasks Log records completed work. A completed task confirms the render finished; you still need to inspect its contents.

1. **Find the actual output.** Open the named file in the chosen folder. Inspect its duration, pixel dimensions and frame rate using the player’s media information or available file properties, rather than relying on the filename.
2. **Check the beginning and end.** Confirm the correct opening and final frame, and that the file contains the intended whole sequence or excerpt.
3. **Watch the complete file outside Lightworks.** Look for missing picture, unexpected black sections and framing errors. Listen for missing sound or sync changes. The vendor’s [exported-file checklist](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/web-and-social-delivery?ref=lightworksguide.net) recommends an end-to-end playback before publication.
4. **Review difficult picture and sound.** Watch fast movement and fine detail for compression damage. Listen to the loudest section for distortion. If the result is poor, keep this file and change one relevant choice for a short comparison export.
5. **Retain the checked delivery.** Send or upload that exact revision. Keep the local file so you can compare it with a platform’s processed version later.

![Opening, motion-heavy section and ending to inspect in the exact completed MP4](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/settings-body3-redo-v2.webp)

Watch the exact completed file end to end, then confirm its duration, framing, movement and sound.

If the file looks wrong in one player, open it in another before changing the edit or colour grade. That comparison is a diagnostic step, not proof of a particular gamma or codec fault.

If the export fails, read the task’s error first. The documented next checks are reconnecting offline originals, freeing destination space, or inspecting a clip identified by the failure. For a repeatable failure within the timeline, continue with the [export-failure isolation guide](https://lightworksguide.net/fix/export-failed/). When cancelling from Tasks, check whether you are aborting the selected task or all tasks; [aborting an export discards that render](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/batch-export-and-background-tasks?ref=lightworksguide.net).