Exporting Sequences

The Export feature allows you to export completed frames from your sequence in various formats and resolutions.

Overview

The Export feature provides three export modes:

1. Export Sequence (Original Format) - Copy rendered files as-is
2. Export Sequence As... - Convert to PNG/JPG with optional resizing
3. Export to Video - Create MP4/MOV videos using FFmpeg

Export Modes

Export Sequence (Copy Original)

Copies your rendered frames to a destination folder without any modifications.

Use Cases: - Quick backup of rendered frames - Preparing frames for external video editing - Archiving completed sequences

Options: - Destination Folder: Where to save the frames - Preserve Numbering: Keep original frame numbers or renumber sequentially

Example: - Original: frame_0001.png, frame_0005.png, frame_0010.png - Preserved: Same filenames - Sequential: frame_0001.png, frame_0002.png, frame_0003.png

Export Sequence As (Convert)

Re-encodes frames to a different format with optional quality and resolution settings.

Use Cases: - Convert PNG to JPG to reduce file size - Resize frames for web delivery - Create proxy/preview sequences at lower resolution

Options: - Output Format: PNG or JPG - Quality: For JPG (1-100), default 95 - PNG Compression: For PNG (0-9), default 6 - Resolution: - Original - 4K (3840 × 2160) - 1080p (1920 × 1080) - 720p (1280 × 720) - 50% Scale - 25% Scale - Custom (specify width/height) - Preserve Numbering: Keep original frame numbers or renumber sequentially

Notes: - High-quality Lanczos resampling used for resizing - RGBA images are converted to RGB for JPG (white background) - Original files are never modified

Export to Video

Encodes your image sequence into a video file using FFmpeg with your choice of codec and settings.

Use Cases: - Create playable videos from sequences - Deliver final output for video platforms - Preview sequences in media players - Share completed work

Requirements: - FFmpeg must be installed (or bundled version will be used) - At least 2 completed frames required - Uses native file dialogs

Options: - Video Encoder: Choose from all available encoders in your FFmpeg installation - CPU Encoders: libx264 (H.264), libx265 (HEVC), prores_ks (ProRes) - GPU Encoders: h264_nvenc (NVIDIA), hevc_nvenc (NVIDIA), h264_qsv (Intel), h264_amf (AMD) - And many more (dynamically detected) - Frame Rate (FPS): 1-120 fps, default 30 - Bitrate: Quality preset from 10 Mbps to 200 Mbps - 10M: Web streaming - 25M: HD quality - 50M: High quality (default) - 100M: Master quality - 200M: Archive quality - Output File: Choose location and format (.mp4, .mov, .mkv, .webm, etc.)

FFmpeg Detection: The system automatically detects FFmpeg in this order: 1. Custom path (if configured in Settings) 2. System installation (from PATH) 3. Bundled FFmpeg (imageio-ffmpeg package)

Notes: - GPU encoders (NVENC, QSV, AMF) are much faster than CPU encoders - Progress is displayed in real-time during encoding - Can be cancelled at any time - Supports sequences with frame gaps (missing frames are skipped)

Using the Export Feature

Step 1: Open Export Dialog

1. Navigate to your sequence detail page
2. Click the 📦 Export button
3. The Export modal will open

Step 2: Choose Export Type

Select from the dropdown: - "Export Sequence (Original Format)" - for copying - "Export Sequence As..." - for converting - "Export to Video" - for video encoding (requires FFmpeg)

Step 3: Configure Settings

For Copy Export: 1. Click Browse to select destination folder 2. Choose whether to preserve numbering 3. Click Export

For Convert Export: 1. Click Browse to select destination folder 2. Choose output format (PNG or JPG) 3. Adjust quality settings 4. Select resolution preset or enter custom dimensions 5. Choose whether to preserve numbering 6. Click Export

For Video Export: 1. Select video encoder from dropdown (shows all detected encoders) 2. Set frame rate (FPS) 3. Choose bitrate preset 4. Click Browse to select output file location and name 5. Click Export

Note: Video export is only available if FFmpeg is detected. The modal will show FFmpeg status and version.

Step 4: Monitor Progress

The export runs in the background with real-time progress updates: - Progress bar shows completion percentage - Current item being processed is displayed - You can cancel at any time

Step 5: Complete

When export completes: - A success notification appears - The modal closes automatically - Your exported frames are in the destination folder

Partial Sequence Exports

The export feature intelligently handles partial sequences:

• Only completed frames are exported
• A warning shows how many frames will be exported
• Incomplete/failed frames are automatically skipped
• No need to wait for entire sequence to finish

Example: If your sequence has 150 frames but only 45 are completed: - Warning: "⚠ Only 45 of 150 frames will be exported" - Only those 45 completed frames are included in the export

Video Export Requirements: - Minimum 2 completed frames (you can't make a video from 1 frame) - Frame gaps are handled automatically (frames are used in order) - For best results, export after all frames complete

Export Progress & Cancellation

Background Processing

Exports run as background jobs using the same system as rendering: - Can run in parallel with renders (uses different resources) - One export at a time - additional exports are queued - Non-blocking - continue working while export runs - Real-time updates via WebSocket

Cancelling Exports

To cancel a running export: 1. Click the Cancel Export button in the modal 2. For image exports: Stops after the current frame 3. For video exports: Terminates FFmpeg process immediately 4. Partial exports are not cleaned up (keep what's been exported)

Tips & Best Practices

Format Selection

Resolution Presets

• Original: Preserves exact dimensions (recommended for final exports)
• 4K/1080p/720p: Common video resolutions (maintains 2:1 aspect ratio for 360)
• 50%/25%: Quick proxy creation
• Custom: For specific platform requirements

Quality Settings

JPG Quality Guidelines: - 95-100: Archival quality (large files) - 85-95: High quality for delivery (recommended) - 70-85: Good quality for proxies - Below 70: Low quality (visible artifacts)

PNG Compression: - 0: No compression (fastest, largest) - 6: Default (good balance) - 9: Maximum compression (slowest, smallest)

Performance

Export speed depends on: - Number of frames: More frames = longer export - Resolution: Downscaling is fast, upscaling is slower - Format: PNG compression is slower than JPG - Source format: Converting between formats takes time - Video encoder: GPU encoders are 5-10x faster than CPU

Estimated Times (44-tile 8K sequence, 100 frames): - Copy original: ~30 seconds (disk I/O bound) - Convert to JPG 1080p: ~2-3 minutes (CPU bound) - Convert to PNG 4K: ~5-7 minutes (compression bound) - Video export (GPU): ~1-2 minutes (NVENC at 100-300 FPS) - Video export (CPU): ~5-10 minutes (libx264 at 20-50 FPS)

Video Encoder Performance

GPU Encoders (Recommended): - NVENC (NVIDIA): 100-300 FPS encoding speed - QSV (Intel): 80-200 FPS encoding speed
- AMF (AMD): 80-180 FPS encoding speed - Hardware acceleration - no CPU impact - Can run alongside renders (uses different GPU chip)

CPU Encoders: - libx264 (H.264): 20-50 FPS encoding speed - libx265 (HEVC): 10-30 FPS encoding speed - Better quality at same bitrate - Slower but more compatible - Uses CPU resources (may impact other tasks)

Troubleshooting

Export button not visible

Cause: Running in web browser
Solution: Export feature is desktop-only. Use the Tauri app.

"No completed frames to export"

Cause: Sequence has no finished frames
Solution: Wait for at least one frame to complete rendering.

"Video export requires at least 2 frames"

Cause: Only 0-1 frames completed
Solution: Wait for at least 2 frames to finish, then try again.

Video export option disabled/grayed out

Cause: FFmpeg not detected
Solution: - Install FFmpeg and add to system PATH, or - Configure custom FFmpeg path in Settings, or - Install imageio-ffmpeg Python package (bundled fallback)

"FFmpeg not found" error

Cause: No FFmpeg installation detected
Solution: 1. Windows: Download from gyan.dev/ffmpeg and extract to C:\Tools\ffmpeg 2. Mac: Install via Homebrew: brew install ffmpeg 3. Linux: Install via package manager: apt install ffmpeg or yum install ffmpeg 4. Add FFmpeg to system PATH or configure custom path in Settings

GPU encoder not available

Cause: GPU hardware acceleration not supported or detected
Solution: - Verify you have NVIDIA/Intel/AMD GPU - Update graphics drivers - Use CPU encoder (libx264/libx265) as fallback

Video export very slow

Cause: Using CPU encoder instead of GPU
Solution: - Select GPU encoder (h264_nvenc, hevc_nvenc, h264_qsv, h264_amf) - If GPU encoder not available, upgrade drivers or use different encoder - Consider lower resolution or bitrate to speed up encoding

Export failed

Causes: - Insufficient disk space - Destination folder no longer exists - Permission denied - FFmpeg error (invalid encoder/settings)

Solution: Check disk space, verify folder permissions, try a different destination or encoder.

Partial frames in export

Cause: Export includes only completed frames (by design)
Solution: This is expected behavior for partial sequences. Wait for more frames to complete, then export again.

Technical Details

File Organization

Image Exports: Exported frames are saved with consistent naming: - Format: frame_XXXX.ext - Padding: 4 digits (supports up to 9999 frames) - Extension: .png or .jpg based on format

Video Exports: Single video file with your chosen name and extension

FFmpeg Integration

Dynamic Codec Detection: - System queries installed FFmpeg for available encoders/containers - All 126+ encoders automatically detected (varies by FFmpeg build) - GPU encoders detected based on hardware (NVENC/QSV/AMF) - No hardcoded codec list - adapts to your FFmpeg installation

FFmpeg Discovery Priority: 1. Custom path - User-configured path in Settings 2. System FFmpeg - Detected from PATH environment variable 3. Bundled FFmpeg - imageio-ffmpeg package (if installed)

Version Detection: - System validates FFmpeg with ffmpeg -version - Shows version in export modal (e.g., "FFmpeg 8.0.1-essentials") - Falls back to next source if version check fails

Parallel Execution

Exports use CPU/disk resources while renders use GPU: - Exports run alongside active renders (no GPU contention) - Video encoding with NVENC uses dedicated encoder chip (separate from CUDA cores) - No performance impact on rendering - Only one export at a time (queued if busy)

Quality Assurance

Image Exports: - High-quality resampling: Lanczos algorithm for resizing - Color space handling: Proper RGBA→RGB conversion for JPG - Lossless operations: Copy mode uses binary copy (no re-encoding)

Video Exports: - Frame concatenation: FFmpeg concat demuxer for seamless stitching - Encoder-specific options: Optimized settings per codec - Progress tracking: Real-time frame counting from FFmpeg stderr - Cancellation support: Graceful FFmpeg process termination

Next Steps

• Sequence Processing Guide - Creating and managing sequences
• Output Naming - Understanding frame naming conventions
• Troubleshooting - Fix common issues

FFmpeg Configuration

Installing FFmpeg

Windows: 1. Download FFmpeg from gyan.dev/ffmpeg 2. Choose "ffmpeg-release-full.7z" 3. Extract to C:\Tools\ffmpeg\ 4. Add C:\Tools\ffmpeg\bin to system PATH 5. Restart 360-HEXTILE

macOS:

brew install ffmpeg

Linux:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo yum install ffmpeg

# Arch
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

Custom FFmpeg Path

If FFmpeg is installed in a non-standard location: 1. Open Settings in 360-HEXTILE 2. Navigate to Export settings 3. Set "FFmpeg Path" to your FFmpeg binary location 4. Save settings 5. FFmpeg will be detected from this path on next export

Bundled Fallback

If no system FFmpeg is found, 360-HEXTILE uses bundled FFmpeg: - Automatically installed with imageio-ffmpeg Python package - Limited codec support compared to full FFmpeg - Sufficient for basic MP4 exports - Recommended to install full FFmpeg for best experience

Last Updated: 2026-01-15 | Export Feature v2.0 (with FFmpeg Video Export)