Exporting
Export MP4 or WebM videos, save PNG or WebP images and choose the name, quality and folder in Beam.
Export a Studio video
Export captures the composition when you start the job; later edits do not change that render. Beam remembers format, quality, resolution, frame rate and audio choices in its default editor preset. If the destination file already exists, Beam asks before replacing it.
Preview the final composition
Play through the edit and check the framing, cuts, captions, zooms and sound. Export uses this composition.
Choose the output
Open Export video. Choose MP4 or WebM, resolution, frame rate and Quality & Bitrate. Set Include audio and Export until playhead if needed.
Name the file and choose its folder
Enter the filename and select the export folder directly in Beam. The initial folder is your system Videos location; you can choose another or reuse the last successful destination.
Export and check the file
Choose Export video and keep Beam open while it renders. After completion, use Watch to play the result or Open folder to reveal it.
Choose MP4 or WebM
MP4 is selected unless a saved preset overrides it. The standard exporter checks hardware encoding for the chosen dimensions and settings, then tries software encoding when needed. MP4 uses Beam’s AAC encoder if Chromium cannot supply one. Encoder support depends on your machine.
| Format | Video | Audio | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 | H.264 / AVC | AAC | The initial format; useful for apps and services that expect MP4. |
| WebM | An available VP9, VP8 or AV1 encoder | Opus | An alternative for web content and apps that accept WebM. |
Choose the output dimensions
720p and 1080p reduce the canvas to the selected height while preserving its aspect ratio; they do not upscale smaller canvases. Original uses the canvas dimensions, including higher resolutions. Encoding adjusts dimensions to positive even values. The tooltip shows the actual output size.
| Resolution | Available when | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 720p | Canvas height is at least 720 px | Targets 720 px in height, preserving the canvas aspect ratio. |
| 1080p | Canvas height is at least 1080 px | Targets 1080 px in height, preserving the canvas aspect ratio. |
| Original | Always | Uses the current output canvas size, including higher resolutions. |
Set frame rate and quality
At 1920 × 1080 and 30 fps, Low, Medium and High target roughly 3.4, 5.9 and 10.0 Mbps. The dialog also shows an estimated file size; actual size varies with content and encoding. Higher fps does not create detail missing from the source.
| Setting | Choices | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Frame rate | 24, 30 or 60 fps | Without a saved override, a source at 50 fps or above selects 60, at 27 fps or below selects 24, and other sources select 30. |
| Quality & Bitrate | Low, Medium or High | Medium is the initial balance. High preserves more detail at a larger target bitrate; Low reduces the target size. |
| Bitrate tooltip | Calculated for the chosen dimensions and fps | Beam targets 0.5–40 Mbps. Increasing dimensions, fps or quality increases the target until the cap is reached. |
Include sound or stop at the playhead
Include audio mixes enabled tracks using their timing and volume settings, at 48 kHz stereo with a 128 kbps target. Export until playhead renders from the start to the playhead, rather than a selected interval. At time zero, Export is disabled; at the end, it exports the whole timeline.
| Control | Default | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Include audio | On | Mixes enabled audio clips into the video. Turn it off for a silent file; no audio track is added when there is no enabled audio with positive duration. |
| Export until playhead | Off | Exports from the beginning of the timeline up to the current playhead, rather than the full project. |
Reuse an export folder
Video and Screenshot export share one Export folder setting. Choose a folder in the export dialog or Settings → General. Keep a fixed destination or reuse the last successful folder. A completed manual export updates the recent-folder list; a cancelled or failed export does not.
Follow progress or troubleshoot a failure
A status pill shows the preview and export percentage. Hover over it or focus it to reveal details, Cancel Export and Copy report. Beam publishes the finished file only after rendering and finalization succeed.
- Copy report includes the export configuration and rendering/encoding diagnostics. Keep it when reporting a failure.
- After success, use Watch or Open folder. The completed status dismisses automatically; hovering or focusing it keeps the actions available.
- Restore missing media before retrying. Animated GIF sources are not supported for deterministic video export.
- For an encoder error, try the other format or lower the resolution and frame rate. Include the report if the problem persists.
Try experimental GPU export on Linux
Linux exposes FFmpeg GPU (experimental) in the export dialog and Settings → Video editor. This preference persists and also affects Instant video exports. The standard WebCodecs exporter remains the default. Windows and macOS do not show this switch.
| Requirement or format | Experimental behavior |
|---|---|
| MP4 / WebM | Uses H.264 / VP9 VA-API video encoding respectively, with AAC / Opus audio. |
| Linux setup | Requires Beam’s native exporter helper, compatible external FFmpeg shared libraries, libva/libdrm, a suitable VA-API driver and a functioning X11/XWayland display. |
| Unsupported hardware or GPU transfer | Reports an error; this experimental path does not switch silently to a CPU video-transfer backend. Turn the option off to return to WebCodecs. |
| Screenshot export | Keeps the image exporter and is unaffected by this preference. |
Save PNG or WebP still images
Remove the canvas background for transparent PNG or WebP areas. Export includes visible layers, effects, transforms and static zooms. Copy uses PNG regardless of the selected file format and does not change the remembered export folder.
Open a Screenshot project
Capture or reopen a Screenshot project. The camera button in Studio can also create one from the current composed frame.
Choose dimensions
Choose the output size. Original and aspect-ratio presets are available; Advanced exposes width, height and the aspect-ratio lock.
Choose a format
Choose PNG for lossless output or WebP with Quality from 10% to 100%.
Save the image
Enter the filename, choose the folder in Beam and select Save image. Beam asks before replacing an existing file. Copy places a PNG image on the clipboard instead.
Export caption text as JSON
In Captions, choose Export transcript (JSON) when enabled text captions exist. The file includes their text, identities and absolute timeline timestamps in milliseconds. It excludes keyboard captions, disabled captions and content outside the timeline.
Export through Beam CLI
Beam CLI can export an open project or render a standalone image document or complete video export request. A desktop project.json alone is not a self-contained video export: its media and render snapshot must be resolved. Follow the AI native guide for working commands and input examples.