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To MP4

Export video compositions as MP4 files on the server with H.264 encoding, progress tracking, and configurable quality settings using the native Node.js bindings.

The native Node.js bindings (@cesdk/node-native) export video entirely in-process — no browser and no separate rendering service required. Video encoding is hardware-accelerated through Apple VideoToolbox on macOS; on Linux and Windows, H.264 is encoded in software.

Export to MP4#

Use engine.block.exportVideo() to export a page of a video scene. The method returns a Blob with the encoded MP4 data. The engine drives its update loop automatically during the export.

import fs from 'fs/promises';
import CreativeEngine from '@cesdk/node-native';


const engine = await CreativeEngine.init({ license: 'YOUR_CESDK_LICENSE_KEY' });


try {
  // Create a small video scene programmatically
  const scene = engine.scene.createVideo();
  const page = engine.block.create('page');
  engine.block.appendChild(scene, page);
  engine.block.setWidth(page, 1280);
  engine.block.setHeight(page, 720);
  engine.block.setDuration(page, 5);


  const block = engine.block.create('graphic');
  engine.block.setShape(block, engine.block.createShape('rect'));
  const fill = engine.block.createFill('color');
  engine.block.setColor(fill, 'fill/color/value', { r: 0.9, g: 0.3, b: 0.1, a: 1 });
  engine.block.setFill(block, fill);
  engine.block.setPosition(block, 240, 160);
  engine.block.setWidth(block, 800);
  engine.block.setHeight(block, 400);
  engine.block.appendChild(page, block);


  // Export the page as an MP4 video
  const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
    mimeType: 'video/mp4',
    onProgress: (renderedFrames, encodedFrames, totalFrames) => {
      console.log(`Rendered ${renderedFrames}/${totalFrames} frames`);
    },
  });


  await fs.writeFile('./output.mp4', Buffer.from(await blob.arrayBuffer()));
  console.log('Export completed: output.mp4');
} finally {
  engine.dispose();
}

Loading an existing video scene works the same way — load it with engine.scene.load() or engine.scene.loadFromURL(), find the page, and export it.

Export Options#

Resolution and Framerate#

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

const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
  mimeType: 'video/mp4',
  targetWidth: 1920,
  targetHeight: 1080,
  framerate: 30,
});

H.264 Profile and Quality#

The h264Profile option controls encoding quality and device compatibility, and videoBitrate controls file size:

const blob = await engine.block.exportVideo(page, {
  mimeType: 'video/mp4',
  h264Profile: 100, // High profile
  videoBitrate: 8_000_000, // 8 Mbit/s
});

Choose the video codec#

The engine encodes H.264 by default. Set videoCodec to choose another codec. HEVC gives a smaller file at the same quality, but it needs a platform encoder.

Ask the engine before you set the option. Where the platform has no HEVC encoder, the export fails with an error. It does not fall back to H.264 without a word.

import { VideoCodec } from '@cesdk/node-native';


const options = { mimeType: 'video/mp4' as const, framerate: 30 };


const blob = engine.editor.isCapabilitySupported('hevcEncode')
  ? await engine.block.exportVideo(page, { ...options, videoCodec: VideoCodec.HEVC })
  : await engine.block.exportVideo(page, options);

h264Profile and h264Level apply to H.264 only.

All MP4 Export Options#

Option Description
mimeType Output container. 'video/mp4' is the supported video export format.
targetWidth Target output width. If only one dimension is set, the other keeps the aspect ratio.
targetHeight Target output height.
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. Defaults to 52.
videoCodec VideoCodec.H264 (default) or VideoCodec.HEVC.
enableHEVC Deprecated. Use videoCodec. true selects HEVC.
videoBitrate Video bitrate in bits/second, or a named automatic mode ('System', 'Auto').
audioBitrate Audio bitrate in bits/second. 0 lets the encoder choose.
timeOffset Start time in seconds for partial export. Defaults to 0.
duration Export duration in seconds. Defaults to the exported block’s duration.
onProgress Callback receiving (renderedFrames, encodedFrames, totalFrames).

API Reference#

Method Purpose
engine.block.exportVideo() Export a page as MP4 video (returns Blob)
engine.block.exportAudio() Export the audio of a scene (WAV by default)
engine.scene.createVideo() Create a new scene in video mode
engine.block.setDuration() Set how long a block is visible on the video timeline

Next Steps#