How to Export Video in PowerDirector
Pick the right settings, export part of a project, or upload straight to YouTube.
Updated Aug. 29, 2026 · 4 min read
In a hurry? Use the export quick guide instead.
Export is where a project becomes a file, and the settings decide whether that file plays everywhere or nowhere. The window also does more than one job: a video, a single still, a GIF or image sequence, audio on its own, or a direct upload.
- Click Export beside the toolbar.
- Set the Name and Folder, and leave the recommended video settings unless you have a reason not to.
- Click Export at the bottom of the window. For part of a project, press X on the timeline first and use Export Range.
Steps to Export Your Project
Prefer to watch? Here is the whole thing in about four minutes.
Step 1: Open the Export Window
With the edit finished, click Export beside the toolbar.
Name is the file name and Folder is where it lands. The folder icon beside it changes the destination, which is worth checking before a long export rather than hunting for the file afterwards.
Step 2: Choose the Settings
PowerDirector fills in recommended settings for you, and for most exports they are the right answer. The video settings section is where you change format, resolution and frame rate if you need to.
When you do need a reason, the tutorial gives CyberLink's own:
| Setting | What to pick, and why |
|---|---|
| Format | MP4 / H.264. Widely supported and works on most social platforms, which makes it the right choice in most cases. |
| Resolution | 1080p is the common one and balances quality against file size. Export 4K only if the source footage is 4K, and expect a bigger file. |
| Frame rate | 24 or 30 fps for most social media video. 60 fps or higher for gameplay or slow motion, if the source supports it. |
| File size | Higher frame rate means a larger file, lower means a smaller one. The same trade applies to resolution. |
Settings you expect to reuse are worth keeping. Click Save to store them as a custom profile, then switch the video settings to Custom Profile next time and pick it from the dropdown.
Step 3: Export All of It, or Part
Press X on the timeline to bring up the selection range tool and drag it over the section you want.
With the range set, click Export Range above the timeline. The selection tool has more to it than exporting, which the tutorial points at for the same reason.
Export a Still, a GIF, or Just the Audio
For a single frame, park the playhead on it and use Snapshot under the preview window. It saves the frame without going through the export window at all.
The tabs across the top of the Export window are the other outputs. Image exports an animated GIF or an image sequence; Audio exports the project's sound on its own.
Upload Straight to YouTube or TikTok
The YouTube, TikTok and Vimeo tabs upload from inside PowerDirector. Authorize the account once, then fill in the title, description and privacy setting in the export window itself.
You still get a local file. Uploading from the export window does not replace saving: the file is written to the folder and under the name you set at the top, and uploaded, in the same pass.
The Result
With a CyberLink Cloud subscription there is one more destination. Open Advanced and tick Upload the produced file to CyberLink Cloud, and the export goes to your computer and to cloud storage together.
Haven't got PowerDirector yet? Export settings decide whether a file plays everywhere or nowhere, which is worth getting right on your first project.
Download PowerDirector Free →