To MP4 - Electron | IMG.LY Docs

Export your video compositions as MP4 files with H.264 encoding, progress tracking, and configurable quality settings.

Export to MP4 hero image

5 mins

estimated time

MP4 is the most widely supported video format, using H.264 encoding for efficient compression. CE.SDK handles frame rendering, encoding, and audio muxing entirely client-side, giving you control over quality and file size.

import type CreativeEditorSDK from '@cesdk/cesdk-js';
import type { EditorPlugin, EditorPluginContext } from '@cesdk/cesdk-js';
import packageJson from './package.json';

class Example implements EditorPlugin {
  name = packageJson.name;

  version = packageJson.version;

  async initialize({ cesdk }: EditorPluginContext): Promise<void> {
    if (!cesdk) {
      throw new Error('CE.SDK instance is required for this plugin');
    }

    const engine = cesdk.engine;

    cesdk.feature.enable('ly.img.video');
    await engine.scene.loadFromURL(
      'https://cdn.img.ly/assets/demo/v2/ly.img.video.template/templates/milli-surf-school.scene'
    );
    const page = engine.scene.getCurrentPage();
    if (!page) throw new Error('No page found');

    await cesdk.actions.run('zoom.toPage', { autoFit: true });

    // Setup export functionality
    await this.setupExportActions(cesdk, page);
  }

  private async setupExportActions(
    cesdk: CreativeEditorSDK,
    page: number
  ): Promise<void> {
    const engine = cesdk.engine;

    // Add export buttons to navigation bar
    cesdk.ui.insertNavigationBarOrderComponent('last', {
      id: 'ly.img.actions.navigationBar',
      children: [
        {
          id: 'ly.img.action.navigationBar',
          key: 'export-builtin',
          label: 'Export Video',
          icon: '@imgly/Save',
          onClick: () => {
            cesdk.actions.run('exportDesign', { mimeType: 'video/mp4' });
          }
        },
        {
          id: 'ly.img.action.navigationBar',
          key: 'export-video',
          label: 'Export MP4',
          icon: '@imgly/Save',
          onClick: async () => {
            const dialog = cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog({
              title: 'Exporting Video',
              message: 'Encoding MP4...',
              progress: 0
            });

            try {
              const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
                mimeType: 'video/mp4',
                onProgress: (_, encoded, total) => {
                  dialog.updateProgress({ value: encoded, max: total });
                }
              });

              dialog.close();
              await cesdk.utils.downloadFile(blob, 'video/mp4');
            } catch (error) {
              dialog.showError({ message: 'Export failed' });
              throw error;
            }
          }
        },
        {
          id: 'ly.img.action.navigationBar',
          key: 'export-video-progress',
          label: 'Export (dialog)',
          icon: '@imgly/Save',
          onClick: async () => {
            const dialog = cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog({
              title: 'Exporting Video',
              message: 'Encoding MP4...',
              progress: 0
            });

            try {
              const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
                onProgress: (_, encoded, total) => {
                  dialog.updateProgress({ value: encoded, max: total });
                }
              });

              dialog.showSuccess({ message: 'Export complete!' });
              await cesdk.utils.downloadFile(blob, 'video/mp4');
            } catch (error) {
              dialog.showError({ message: 'Export failed' });
              throw error;
            }
          }
        },
        {
          id: 'ly.img.action.navigationBar',
          key: 'export-video-hd',
          label: 'Export HD',
          icon: '@imgly/Save',
          onClick: async () => {
            const dialog = cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog({
              title: 'Exporting HD Video',
              message: 'Encoding 1080p...',
              progress: 0
            });

            try {
              const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
                targetWidth: 1920,
                targetHeight: 1080,
                framerate: 30,
                onProgress: (_, encoded, total) => {
                  dialog.updateProgress({ value: encoded, max: total });
                }
              });

              dialog.close();
              await cesdk.utils.downloadFile(blob, 'video/mp4');
            } catch (error) {
              dialog.showError({ message: 'Export failed' });
              throw error;
            }
          }
        },
        {
          id: 'ly.img.action.navigationBar',
          key: 'export-video-quality',
          label: 'Export HQ',
          icon: '@imgly/Save',
          onClick: async () => {
            const dialog = cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog({
              title: 'Exporting HQ Video',
              message: 'Encoding high quality...',
              progress: 0
            });

            try {
              const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
                h264Profile: 100,
                videoBitrate: 8_000_000,
                onProgress: (_, encoded, total) => {
                  dialog.updateProgress({ value: encoded, max: total });
                }
              });

              dialog.close();
              await cesdk.utils.downloadFile(blob, 'video/mp4');
            } catch (error) {
              dialog.showError({ message: 'Export failed' });
              throw error;
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    });
  }
}

export default Example;

This guide covers exporting videos to MP4, tracking progress, configuring resolution and quality, and using built-in export actions.

Export to MP4#

Call engine.block.exportVideo() with a page block to export it as an MP4 video. The method returns a Blob containing the encoded video data.

const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
  mimeType: 'video/mp4',

Pass the page ID from engine.scene.getCurrentPage() to export the current video scene.

Export Options#

Video export supports configuration options for progress tracking, resolution, framerate, and encoding quality.

Progress Dialog#

Use cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog() to display a progress dialog during export. The onProgress callback updates the dialog with rendering progress.

const dialog = cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog({
  title: 'Exporting Video',
  message: 'Encoding MP4...',
  progress: 0
});

try {
  const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
    onProgress: (_, encoded, total) => {
      dialog.updateProgress({ value: encoded, max: total });
    }
  });

  dialog.showSuccess({ message: 'Export complete!' });
  await cesdk.utils.downloadFile(blob, 'video/mp4');
} catch (error) {
  dialog.showError({ message: 'Export failed' });
  throw error;
}

The dialog provides updateProgress() to show a progress bar, showSuccess() for completion feedback, and showError() for failures. The onProgress callback receives rendered frames, encoded frames, and total frames.

Resolution and Framerate#

Use targetWidth, targetHeight, and framerate to control output dimensions and smoothness.

const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
  targetWidth: 1920,
  targetHeight: 1080,
  framerate: 30,

If only one dimension is specified, the other is calculated to maintain aspect ratio. Default framerate is 30 fps.

H.264 Profile and Quality#

The h264Profile option controls encoding quality and device compatibility:

66 (Baseline): Maximum compatibility, lower compression
77 (Main): Balanced quality and compatibility (default)
100 (High): Best compression, modern devices only

Set videoBitrate in bits per second to control file size.

const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
  h264Profile: 100,
  videoBitrate: 8_000_000,

All MP4 Export Options#

Option	Description
`mimeType`	Output format: `'video/mp4'` or `'video/quicktime'`. Defaults to `'video/mp4'`.
`onProgress`	Callback receiving `(renderedFrames, encodedFrames, totalFrames)` for progress tracking.
`targetWidth`	Target output width in pixels.
`targetHeight`	Target output height in pixels.
`framerate`	Target framerate in Hz. Defaults to `30`.
`h264Profile`	H.264 profile: 66 (Baseline), 77 (Main), 100 (High). Defaults to `77`.
`h264Level`	H.264 level multiplied by 10 (e.g., 52 = level 5.2). Defaults to `52`.
`videoBitrate`	Video bitrate in bits/second. `0` enables automatic selection.
`audioBitrate`	Audio bitrate in bits/second. `0` enables automatic selection.
`timeOffset`	Start time in seconds for partial export. Defaults to `0`.
`duration`	Export duration in seconds. Defaults to scene duration.
`abortSignal`	Signal to cancel the export operation.

Built-in Export Action#

CE.SDK provides a built-in exportDesign action that handles export with a progress dialog and automatic download. Trigger it with cesdk.actions.run():

cesdk.actions.run('exportDesign', { mimeType: 'video/mp4' });

The built-in action exports the current page as MP4 and prompts the user to download the result. It displays a progress dialog during encoding.

API Reference#

Method	Description
`engine.block.exportVideo(blockId, options)`	Export a page block as MP4 video with encoding options
`cesdk.actions.run('exportDesign', options)`	Run the built-in export action with progress dialog
`cesdk.utils.showLoadingDialog(options)`	Show a loading dialog with progress tracking
`cesdk.utils.downloadFile(blob, mimeType)`	Download a blob to the user’s device

Next Steps#

Export Overview - Compare all supported export formats
Export Size Limits - Check device limits before exporting large videos
Export Audio - Export audio tracks separately
Partial Export - Export specific blocks or timeline segments