Exporting a video
When your design looks right, click Export Video and choose where to save. StitchMotion renders the animation to a video file. You can also export a still image (a PNG snapshot of the current frame).
Format (aspect ratio)
Pick the shape that fits where you'll post it:
| Format | Ratio | Size | Good for | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 | YouTube, product pages | Free |
| Square | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Etsy, feed posts | Pro |
| Vertical | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Reels, TikTok, Shorts | Pro |
| Portrait | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | Instagram feed | Pro |
File format & codec
- Container: MP4 or MOV.
- Codec: H.264 or HEVC for normal videos (both play everywhere; HEVC is a bit more efficient). For transparency (Pro, MOV only): ProRes 4444 on both platforms, and HEVC + Alpha additionally on macOS.
- Videos export at up to Full HD and 30 frames per second.
If you're unsure, the defaults are a good choice — on Windows, pick H.264 unless you have the HEVC extension installed.
H.264 and HEVC are encoded by Windows itself. ProRes 4444 (used for transparent export) goes through a copy of ffmpeg bundled inside the app — so there is still nothing to install or set up. (On macOS, all encoding uses the system's built-in video frameworks.)
One thing to know about HEVC on Windows: playing and writing it needs Microsoft's HEVC Video Extensions, a paid add-on (about €1) in the Microsoft Store. That fee goes to Microsoft for the HEVC patent licenses, not to StitchMotion. H.264 needs nothing extra and plays everywhere — if in doubt, use it.
Transparent background
With a transparent background (Pro), StitchMotion exports an alpha channel so you can composite the animation over anything in Final Cut, Premiere, After Effects or Resolve. This forces a MOV file and an alpha-capable codec: ProRes 4444 (both platforms, and the only option on Windows) or HEVC + Alpha (macOS). ProRes 4444 gives the highest quality but much larger files.
Content language
The content language (Auto / Deutsch / English) sets the language of any text StitchMotion generates itself — the labels in the Info overlay and the end card, and how numbers are formatted. It's independent of the app's own language, so you can make English clips from a German app.
Audio & overlays
Any music, captions, logo and data overlays you added are baked into the exported file.
A note on file size
Normal H.264/HEVC videos are modest in size. ProRes 4444 files are very large (hundreds of megabytes). On macOS, StitchMotion warns you before it writes a file larger than about 500 MB — on Windows there is no such warning yet, so keep an eye on long transparent exports.
While exporting
If you try to quit the app during an export, StitchMotion asks first so you don't lose the render — choose Continue Exporting to let it finish.
Free vs. Pro exports
On the free tier, exports use the Lines style and 16:9 format, carry a small StitchMotion watermark, and end with the one-second end card. Pro removes the watermark, makes the end card optional, and unlocks every style, format, background and overlay. See Free vs. Pro.