Export Finished Media & Editor Timelines
Export Finished Video or Audio
Choose an output
Use the active editing tab, not just the project name, to choose which cut to deliver.
| Destination | Output | Editable structure and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Export | MP4 or MOV; audio-only M4A or WAV | Renders cuts, Multi-Cam layouts, framing, layers, and the selected audio bus into a finished file. Does not include transcript captions. |
| Final Cut Pro | .fcpxmld bundle |
Source-linked timeline with editable cuts, angles, transforms, layers, audio, optional native titles, and approved keywords. Original media may remain external. |
| DaVinci Resolve | .fcpxmld bundle |
Editable FCPXML interchange, not a .drp project. Import it in Resolve and review titles, layouts, and audio. Original media may remain external. |
| Package | .sqbundle |
Preserves Sequence editing data for another Sequence installation. Source media can be included or omitted; optional encryption protects editing data, not the media. |
| Frame Export | PNG or JPG | Saves or copies the current video frame. It is an image, not an editable timeline. |
| Add to Assets | Linked variant in the library | Makes a reusable live asset, not a rendered file. Later edits to that variant remain linked. |
| Transcript or subtitle export | TXT, CSV, SBV, SRT, ASS, or VTT | Text or timed cues. Separate from movie encoding and NLE native titles. |
For the editable handoff workflows, see Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Sequence Packages, and Layers and reusable assets.
The Export inspector offers destinations that are available for the current media. A source that still requires compatibility conversion offers Direct Export, Package, and Add to Assets rather than an NLE or current-frame export.
Direct export
- Open the variant or Multi-Cam programme you want to render.
- Select Export in the toolbar and choose Direct Export.
- Choose which streams to include and set the output format.
- Choose a destination and start the export.
The finished file follows the selected editing tab: disabled words, removed silence, trims, reordered clips, profanity audio handling, and selected external or normalized audio are applied. It is a rendered result, not an editable project.
Multi-Cam and layers
The render includes Multi-Cam angle changes, picture-in-picture and split-screen composition, framing, and the selected audio mix. Layers and reusable assets are rendered with their placement, timing, volume, and mute decisions, including linked variants used in the timeline.
These elements are baked into the finished file. Choose an editor timeline or a Sequence Package when the recipient needs editable structure.
Video settings
Use Include Video and Include Audio to create a movie, a silent video, or an audio-only file. At least one stream must remain enabled.
Leave resolution and frame rate on Source to use the project's resolved output format, including framing, or choose a lower supported size or frame rate. Size presets are 8K (4320p), 6K (3160p), 4K (2160p), 1440p, 1080p, 720p, and 480p, measured on the shorter image axis. Frame-rate presets are 60, 59.94, 50, 30, 29.97, 25, 24, and 23.976 fps. Sequence does not upscale or increase the source frame rate.
Video codecs include Auto, H.264, and H.265. For ProRes sources, the codec menu also offers Apple ProRes 422, 422 HQ, 4444, and 4444 XQ.
H.264 and H.265 support automatic, preset, or custom video bitrate; ProRes does not use that bitrate control. When the source bitrate is known, requested bitrates are limited to it.
Auto selects H.265 for a primary H.265 source and H.264 otherwise. If the project's output preserves HDR, H.264 cannot preserve that output and export fails; select H.265 or an available ProRes codec instead.
Audio settings
Choose Source, Mono, or Stereo for output channels. Source retains the resolved audio-bus layout; it does not mean every isolated source track becomes a separate deliverable.
Audio codecs include Auto, AAC, ALAC, and Linear PCM. Auto resolves to AAC. AAC supports bitrate controls; ALAC and PCM do not. Known source audio bitrate can limit the requested AAC bitrate. When analysis finds silent channels, Remove Silent Channels can remove them from an unmixed original audio bus. It does not strip channels from an approved mixed bus; review the completion warning if removal could not be applied.
Audio-only output uses .m4a for AAC or ALAC and .wav for Linear PCM, whether the project began as audio or you disabled video for export.
Container and compatibility
For video, choose Auto, MP4, or MOV. ProRes and video with Linear PCM audio require MOV, so Sequence resolves incompatible container choices before export.
Captions
Direct Export does not burn transcript captions into the movie or create a subtitle track. The player caption overlay is not part of the render. Use an editor-timeline export with native titles when you need editable on-screen transcript text, or export a separate subtitle file for a player that supports it.
Export progress
The export appears as background work while it runs. Keep required source files, linked assets, and prepared audio available until it finishes.
If media or a selected track is unavailable, reconnect its drive, relink it, or correct the project's source selection before exporting. An entirely removed timeline has no ranges to render. Read any completion warnings before sending the file.
Save a frame
- Open the editing tab and seek to the frame you want in the player.
- In Export, choose Frame Export.
- Select PNG or JPG, then use Save… for a file or Copy for the clipboard.
The app captures the loaded player's video composition. For a repeatable capture at a specified edited-timeline time without relying on the open player, use the CLI delivery action or MCP frame tool.
Automate delivery
The CLI and MCP export tools can start each delivery destination and return a job ID. They use a saved project snapshot, not whichever tab happens to be playing. Pass the exact variant or programme ID, keep Sequence open and unlocked, and poll the job until it completes.
Automated deliveries require a new absolute output path in an existing writable folder accessible to Sequence. They do not overwrite files. Subtitle and transcript delivery uses the visible transcript projected onto the final edited timeline, including timing shifts from inserted assets. It does not transcribe speech in placed media automatically. Use a separate transcript/subtitle export when you need a sidecar beside a finished movie.