Export or share your project in Final Cut Pro for iPad
You can export a Final Cut Pro video to iCloud Drive, your Photos library, an external storage device, or local storage on your iPad. You can also share your video directly to social media. When you export or share, you can save your project as a video file (with or without audio) or as an audio-only file. You can also export a single frame from your project as a still image, or export the project itself (with or without all of its media) so that others can open it and work on it in Final Cut Pro for iPad or Final Cut Pro for Mac.
Export or share your video
In Final Cut Pro for iPad, do one of the following:
From the Projects screen, select a project in the project list on the left, tap above the video preview, then tap Video.
With a project open, tap in the toolbar, then tap Video.
The video’s current timeline settings—including duration, resolution, and color space—appear below the Include row.
Choose whether to include audio in your exported video by tapping to the right of Include, then tapping an option.
Under Preset, tap the option that works best for your export or sharing destination:
Default: Exports your video using the current timeline settings, suitable for web platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.
High Quality: Exports your video using the Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec, for optimal viewing. (Your exported video’s file size will be larger than with other presets.)
Smaller File Size: Exports your video using the HEVC codec, useful for quick uploads and efficient storage.
Social Platforms: Exports your video using the H.264 codec, for smaller file sizes and compatibility with the widest range of devices. This preset is best for social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Important: Each preset uses the appropriate video codec, resolution, file type, and color space. You can modify those advanced settings in the next step, below, but doing so may make your exported file incompatible with your intended destination.
Optionally, customize the selected preset by modifying any of the following advanced settings:
Video Codec: Tap , then tap a codec. If you choose a codec that’s incompatible with the preset you chose in the previous step, a message warns you that changing the codec will also change the file type (from MP4 to MOV, for example).
Resolution: Tap , then tap a resolution for your exported video.
File Type: Tap , then tap a file type, such as MOV (QuickTime) or MP4.
Color Space: Tap , then tap a color space, such as SDR (Rec. 709) or HDR (HLG).
Tap Export, then wait for the video to render.
In the list of export and sharing destinations that appears, do one of the following:
Save the video to your Photos library: Tap Save Video.
Save the video to iCloud Drive or to your iPad: Tap Save to Files, then, in the sidebar, tap iCloud Drive or On My iPad, tap a folder on the right, and tap Save.
See Set up iCloud Drive and Share files and folders in iCloud Drive in the iPad User Guide.
Send the video to a nearby Apple device: Tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to send the video to; when you’re finished, tap Done.
Save the video to a connected computer or storage device: If you’ve already connected your iPad to an external device using the Files app , tap the device name in the sidebar, tap a folder on the right, then tap Save.
Note: If you don’t see the device or server in the sidebar, you may need to connect to it in the Files app. See Connect to external devices or servers with the Files app in the iPad User Guide.
Share the video in an app: Tap an app icon (Messages, TikTok, or Instagram, for example), provide the requested information (such as a recipient address), then send or post the attached video. (If you don’t see the app icon you’re looking for, make sure the app is installed on your iPad.)
Export or share the audio from your video
In Final Cut Pro for iPad, do one of the following:
From the Projects screen, select a project in the list on the left, tap above the video preview, then tap Audio Only.
With a project open, tap in the toolbar, then tap Audio Only.
Tap an audio compression format: AAC, WAV, or AIFF.
Tap Export.
In the list of export and sharing destinations, do one of the following:
Save the audio file to iCloud Drive or to your iPad: Tap Save to Files, then, in the sidebar, tap iCloud Drive or On My iPad, tap a folder on the right, and tap Save.
See Set up iCloud Drive and Share files and folders in iCloud Drive in the iPad User Guide.
Send the audio file to a nearby Apple device: Tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to send the file to; when you’re finished, tap Done.
Save the audio file to a connected computer or storage device: If you’ve already connected your iPad to an external device using the Files app , tap the device name in the sidebar, tap a folder on the right, then tap Save.
Note: If you don’t see the device or server in the sidebar, you may need to connect to it in the Files app. See Connect to external devices or servers with the Files app in the iPad User Guide.
Share the audio file in an app: Tap an app icon (Messages, TikTok, or Instagram, for example), provide the requested information (such as a recipient address), then send or post the attached audio file. (If you don’t see the app icon you’re looking for, make sure the app is installed on your iPad.)
Export or share a still image from your video
In Final Cut Pro for iPad, open a project.
In the timeline, drag the playhead to the frame you want to export as a still image.
Tap in the toolbar, then tap Current Frame.
Choose an image compression format (TIFF, PNG, or JPEG) and a color space, then tap Export.
In the list of export and sharing destinations, do one of the following:
Copy and paste the image: Tap Copy, then open an iPadOS app that supports images (Pages or Messages, for example), tap a text field, and tap Paste.
Save the image to your Photos library: Tap Save Image.
Save the image to iCloud Drive or to your iPad: Tap Save to Files, then, in the sidebar, tap iCloud Drive or On My iPad, tap a folder on the right, and tap Save.
See Set up iCloud Drive and Share files and folders in iCloud Drive in the iPad User Guide.
Send the image to a nearby Apple device: Tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to send the image to; when you’re finished, tap Done.
Save the image to a connected computer or storage device: If you’ve already connected your iPad to an external device using the Files app , tap the device name in the sidebar, tap a folder on the right, then tap Save.
Note: If you don’t see the device or server in the sidebar, you may need to connect to it in the Files app. See Connect to external devices or servers with the Files app in the iPad User Guide.
Share the image in an app: Tap an app icon (Messages, TikTok, or Instagram, for example), provide the requested information (such as a recipient address), then send or post the attached image. (If you don’t see the app icon you’re looking for, make sure the app is installed on your iPad.)
Export a Final Cut Pro project
You can export an entire Final Cut Pro project (with or without all of its project media) so that you or a colleague can work on it in Final Cut Pro on another iPad or on your Mac.
In Final Cut Pro for iPad, do one of the following:
From the Projects screen, select a project in the list on the left, tap above the video preview, then tap Final Cut Pro for iPad Project.
With a project open, tap in the toolbar, then tap Final Cut Pro for iPad Project.
Tip: If file size is a concern, it’s a good idea to export the project from the Projects screen. Doing so removes unnecessary cache files and keeps the size of the exported project file to a minimum.
If you want to include all the video clips, audio clips, and still images you imported into your project (even if you haven’t added some of them to the timeline), make sure Include All Media is turned on; to export an offline project with no media, turn off Include All Media.
Note: The Include All Media option is not available for external projects. When you export an external project, its media is always included.
Tap Export.
In the list of export and sharing destinations, do one of the following:
Save the project to iCloud Drive or to your iPad: Tap Save to Files, then, in the sidebar, tap iCloud Drive or On My iPad, tap a folder on the right, and tap Save.
See Set up iCloud Drive and Share files and folders in iCloud Drive in the iPad User Guide.
Send the project to a nearby Apple device: Tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to send the project file to; when you’re finished, tap Done.
Save the project to a storage device or connected computer: If you’ve already connected your iPad to an external device using the Files app , tap Save to Files, tap the device name in the sidebar, tap a folder on the right, then tap Save.
If you don’t see the device or server in the sidebar, you may need to connect to it in the Files app. See Connect to external devices or servers with the Files app in the iPad User Guide.
Note: If you want to be able to open the exported project as an external project in Final Cut Pro for iPad, be sure to save it to the On My iPad folder in Files or to a connected external storage device, such as an SSD.
The project and its media are saved as a project file with the filename extension .fcpproj. You can share the project file with another Final Cut Pro subscriber, who can import it into Final Cut Pro on their iPad or into Final Cut Pro for Mac.
Export a Final Cut Pro project’s media
You can share just the media you imported into your project (or recorded in your project using pro camera mode or Live Multicam), without sharing the edited timeline.
In Final Cut Pro for iPad, select a project in the project list (on the left side of the Projects screen).
Tap above the video preview, then tap All Project Media.
In the list of export and sharing destinations, do one of the following:
Save video to your Photos library: Tap Save [number] Videos.
Note: This method does not export audio-only files in your project.
Save video, audio, and still-image media to iCloud Drive or to your iPad: Tap Save to Files, then, in the sidebar, tap iCloud Drive or On My iPad, tap a folder on the right, and tap Save.
See Set up iCloud Drive and Share files and folders in iCloud Drive in the iPad User Guide.
Send video, audio, and still-image media to a nearby Apple device: Tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to send the media files to; when you’re finished, tap Done.
Save video, audio, and still-image media to a connected computer or storage device: If you’ve already connected your iPad to an external device using the Files app , tap the device name in the sidebar, tap a folder on the right, then tap Save.
Note: If you don’t see the device or server in the sidebar, you may need to connect to it in the Files app. See Connect to external devices or servers with the Files app in the iPad User Guide.
Export 4K HDR video and play it on Apple TV 4K
You can export 4K HDR video from Final Cut Pro for iPad and play it on Apple TV 4K.
Note: An HDR-capable TV is required to see the HDR effect.
Follow the instructions in the Apple TV User Guide to set up Home Sharing on your Apple TV 4K and your Mac.
Export a 4K HDR video from Final Cut Pro for iPad using the Default preset, then use AirDrop to transfer it to your Mac.
On your Mac, open the Apple TV app, open the Library tab at the top, then drag the video into the main app window.
On your Apple TV 4K, open the Computers app , select the Home Videos tab, then select your movie.