Render formats

When you click New Render in the Renders tab, you choose three things: the Format, the Resolution and the Frames per second. This page explains each option. The steps are in Render the credits.

Formats

Format (as in the app)	Codec	Chroma and bit depth	File	Use it for
MP4	H.264	4:2:0, 8-bit	.mp4	Online screeners, review copies, festival submission previews, anything that has to play everywhere. Smallest files.
MOV ProRes 422	Apple ProRes 422 HQ	4:2:2, 10-bit	.mov	The master for your edit: drop it on the timeline in Premiere, Resolve, Avid or Final Cut, or hand it to the post house.
MOV ProRes 4444	Apple ProRes 4444	4:4:4, 10-bit	.mov	When a delivery spec asks for ProRes 4444.

ProRes 4444 is not transparent

A ProRes 4444 render is not transparent. The file has an alpha channel, but it is fully opaque: the credits are rendered over the background of your design, exactly as in the preview. If you need to lay the credits over picture, ProRes 4444 won’t do it on its own. Keep the Background color black (the default) and use a blend mode such as Screen or Add in your editing software, or build the credits there from an export.

Resolutions

Resolution (as in the app)	Pixels	Use it for
Full HD (1920×1080)	1920 × 1080	HD deliveries, online, broadcast HD. The default.
2K (2560×1440)	2560 × 1440	A sharper online or monitor version (QHD).
2K DCI (2048×1080)	2048 × 1080	A 2K cinema (DCI) container.
4K (3840×2160)	3840 × 2160	UHD deliveries, streaming platforms that ask for UHD.
4K DCI (4096×2160)	4096 × 2160	A 4K cinema (DCI) container.

You design the credits on a 16:9 frame, and sizes are set relative to the frame width, so the same design renders at any resolution without re-laying it out. Pick the resolution and frame rate of the timeline the credits will go into.

Frame rates

Frames per second	Usual use
23.976	Most film and drama deliveries in North America, and film shot for streaming.
24	Cinema and DCP. The default.
25	PAL territories (Europe and others) for broadcast.
29.97	NTSC broadcast.
30	Online video.
60	High frame rate online video. A scroll looks smoother, and the file is larger.

All renders are constant frame rate. Match the frame rate of your edit: a crawl rendered at one rate and conformed to another will stutter.

What every render has in common

• No audio. The file is picture only; add the music in your edit.
• The name is the file name. Give a render a Name (optional) and the downloaded file is called that.
• A render is a snapshot. It uses the credits as they were when you clicked Create Render. After you change something, create a new render. Retry on a failed render re-renders that same snapshot.
• Only admins and editors can open the Renders tab, create renders and download them. See Roles and permissions.