Option
Last updated on
Apr 2, 2026
Learn about the references for all export settings in Adobe Premiere.
Video
Video settings vary based on the export format you have chosen. Each supported format has unique requirements that determine what settings are available.
Basic Video Settings
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|
Function |
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Match Source |
Automatically match export settings to the source’s settings. |
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Frame Size |
Contains a list of common video frame sizes to choose from. |
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Frame Rate |
Dictates how many frames of video are shown per second during playback. |
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Field Order |
Specifies whether the exported file has progressive frames or frames made up of interlaced fields. |
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Aspect |
The pixel aspect ratio of the video. Pixel aspect ratio (PAR) describes the ratio of width to height of a single video pixel. |
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Render at Maximum Depth |
Renders effects using the highest bit depth supported by the current format (in most cases, 32-bit float processing). |
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Transparency |
Enables you to export GIFs with transparency. |
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Use Maximum Render Quality |
Helps preserve details and avoid aliasing when scaling to a frame size different from your source media. |
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Render Alpha Channel Only |
Used for sources that contain an alpha channel. |
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Time Interpolation |
Time Interpolation comes into play when the frame rate of your exported media is different from your source media. |
Encoding Settings
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Option |
Function |
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Performance |
(H.264 and HEVC only) – Hardware Accelerated is the default choice where Premiere uses the available hardware on your system to speed up encoding times. |
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Profile |
Common profiles for H.264 file formats. |
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Level |
Limits the range of choices available for Frame Size, Frame Rate, Field Order, Aspect, bit rate, chroma, and other compression settings. |
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Export Color Space |
The color space used for the exported file. Defaults to Rec. 709 for most presets. |
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HDR Graphics White (Nits) |
Describes the target luminance for the appearance of a solid white color in an HDR scene. |
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Include HDR10 Metadata |
Provides the HDR playback device with details about your content so that it can be displayed properly and look its best. |
Mastering Display Color Volume
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Option |
Function |
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Color Primaries |
Color gamut of the HDR monitor used while grading your content |
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Luminance Min (cd/m^2) |
Minimum capable luminance of the HDR monitor used while grading your content. |
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Luminance Max (cd/m^2) |
Maximum capable luminance of the HDR monitor used while grading your content. |
Content Light Levels
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Option |
Function |
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Maximum (cd/m^2) |
The maximum luminance of the content in your program. |
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Average (cd/m^2) |
The maximum average level of light per frame. |
Bitrate Settings
Bitrate is the amount of data in a video or audio signal measured in bits per second. Generally speaking, higher bitrates produce better quality video and audio, while lower bitrates create media that is easier to play back over slow Internet connections.
Specifies the encoding method used to compress the video/audio signal.
|
Option |
Function |
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CBR (Constant Bit Rate) |
Sets a constant value for the data rate. This option can shorten export times but may impact the quality for more complex frames. |
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VBR (Variable Bit Rate) |
Dynamically adjusts the data rate based on the complexity of the video/audio signal. This option produces higher overall quality at smaller file sizes but may increase export times.
Note
When comparing CBR and VBR encoding for a given media file, you can make the following generalizations: A CBR file can play back more reliably over a wider range of systems because a fixed data rate is less demanding on media players and computer processors. However, a VBR file tends to have a higher image quality because VBR tailors the amount of compression to the image content. |
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Target Bitrate [Mbps] |
Sets the overall bitrate for the encoded file. Video is measured in megabits per second [Mbps] while audio is measured in kilobits per second [kbps]. Sets the minimum and maximum values allowed during VBR encoding. |
Note
When comparing CBR and VBR encoding for a given media file, you can make the following generalizations: A CBR file can play back more reliably over a wider range of systems because a fixed data rate is less demanding on media players and computer processors. However, a VBR file tends to have a higher image quality because VBR tailors the amount of compression to the image content.
Advanced Settings
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Option |
Function |
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Key Frame Distance |
Enable this option to specify how often keyframes (aka I-frames) are inserted in your exported video. In general, a lower keyframe value results in a higher-quality video but may increase file size. When disabled, Premiere chooses the appropriate keyframe distance based on the export format and frame rate. |
VR Video
You can export 360-degree footage the same way as regular footage. VR 360 allows you to edit in equirectangular and dual spherical formats. The footage is monoscopic and stereoscopic. Exporting equirectangular video is like exporting any other type of video, with a few caveats.
Check the Video Is VR check box and configure the Frame Layout and Horizontal and Vertical Fields of View. The Frame Layout options enable you to convert the Frame Layout between monoscopic, stereoscopic (over/under), and stereoscopic (side by side).
Audio
Audio Format Settings
Formats like H.264, HEVC (H.265), and MPEG2-DVD support multiple audio formats. For these formats, a menu appears, allowing you to export to different audio formats.
Basic Audio Settings
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Option |
Function |
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Audio Codec |
Specifies the audio compression codec. Some audio formats support only uncompressed audio, which has the highest quality but uses more disk space. Some formats provide only one codec while others allow you to choose from a list of multiple codecs. |
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Sample Rate |
The frequency at which audio is converted into discrete digital values, is measured in Hertz (Hz). Audio recorded at higher sample rates produces better quality but requires larger file sizes. For best results, you should export audio at the same sample rate it was recorded with. Exporting at a higher sample rate does not improve quality and requires resampling which can increase export times. |
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Channels |
Specifies the number of audio channels included in the exported file. If you choose fewer channels than are in the Mix track of your sequence or media file, Premiere down-mixes the audio. Common channel settings include Mono (one channel), Stereo (two channels), and 5.1 (six-channel surround sound).
Note
Down mixing only works for specific channelization combinations, such as 5.1 to stereo, or stereo to mono. It does not work for N-Channel to stereo or mono. |
Bitrate Settings
The Bitrate [kbps] is the output bit rate of the audio. Generally, higher bit rates increase both quality and file size.
Multiplexer
Formats like H.264, HEVC (H.265), and MPEG include a Multiplexer section that controls how video and audio data are merged into a single stream (aka “muxing”). When Multiplexing is set to None, video and audio streams are exported as separate files.
For more information about MPEG options, see the relevant MPEG specifications for MPEG-4 (ISO/IEC 14496) and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818) and the Wikipedia website.
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Option |
Function |
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Multiplexer |
The standard to which video and audio streams are multiplexed. Choices vary according to the format chosen. Some MPEG2 formats let you adjust bitrate, packet size and buffer size as well. |
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Stream Compatibility |
Specifies the type of device the media will be played back on (H.264 format only). Standard is the default setting. |
Captions
Captions are typically used to display the audio portion of a video as text on televisions and other devices that support the display of closed captions.
If your sequence contains caption tracks, the Caption section of Export mode will provide options for handling the caption information. The Captions section is disabled if the source sequence does not contain any caption tracks.
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Option |
Function |
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Export Options |
This determines how Premiere exports the active captions track:
Note: Embedded captions are only available for certain formats such as QuickTime and MXF OP1a. For sidecar caption exports, you can also select the File Format and Frame Rate for the captions text file. |
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File Format |
There are several file formats supported when exporting sidecar captions text files:
Note: The active subtitle track type determines what formats are available in the menu. |
|
Frame Rate |
The Effects section lets you add various effects to your exported media, such as Lumetri color adjustments, HDR to SDR conversion, Image, and text and timeline overlays. Export Tone Mapping: Select among three different tone mapping methods to create SDR deliverables from an HDR working color space. Under the Effects section, enable Tone Mapping and select the Tone Mapping Method according to your working color gamut. You can also preview the effects you apply on the Export screen. To disable all effects, turn off the option on the Effects header. |
Metadata
Metadata is a set of descriptive information about a media file. Metadata can include information like creation date, file format, and timeline markers.
An export template specifies what XMP metadata gets written to the output file. For example, you can create an export template that includes various XMP metadata from the source files and add your contact information and rights-management information to each output file.
The export template filters out any fields that are not explicitly enabled by the current template. The only exceptions are internal properties that are automatically populated with data by the creator application, which are always included and are not editable.
To create your own export template, select New next to the Export Template menu. You can enable individual fields or categories by selecting them in the Export Template Editor dialog box. To find specific fields, use the search field near the top of the Export Template Editor dialog box. Be sure to give your export template a descriptive name.
You can edit an existing custom export template by choosing it from the Export Template menu and selecting Edit.
After you have applied an export template, you can also manually enter values to add specific XMP metadata to the current encoding queue items.
Some fields are not editable and can’t be excluded from output, such as fields that are written automatically by the creator application. For example, the Format field in the Dublin Core schema and the Video Frame Rate field in the Dynamic Media schema are set by Premiere to accurately describe the output file, and these fields are not user-editable. Also, values that are specified by the current export template appear as not editable; to change these values, change the template or apply a different template.
Any field that doesn’t contain data, either from the template or manually entered, gets excluded from the exported XMP metadata. Empty fields are not written to the output file.
To open the Metadata Export dialog box, select the Metadata dialog button in the Metadata section.
Export Options
These options determine how XMP metadata is saved with your exported file.
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Option |
Function |
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Create Sidecar File |
XMP metadata is saved as a separate file in the same directory as the exported file. |
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Embed in Output File |
XMP metadata is saved within the exported file itself. This option only appears for formats such as QuickTime that support embedded metadata. |
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Minimum required |
Only basic metadata about the exported file such as file info and start timecode is exported. |
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Embed in Output File and Create Sidecar File |
XMP metadata is saved as a separate file in the same directory as the exported file as well as within the exported file itself. |
Include markers
Include marker information if it exists in the source. For clips, clip markers will be exported. For sequences, only sequence markers will be exported (clip markers on clips in the sequence will not be included).
Set Start Timecode
When enabled, you can set the starting timecode for the exported clip. This will override the native timecode in the source.
General
|
Option |
Function |
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Import into Project |
Enable this option to automatically import your exported files back into your Premiere project. Note: This setting is global and affects all destinations. It is not included when saving custom presets. |
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Use Previews |
When this option is enabled, Premiere exports using the preview files already generated for your Premiere sequence instead of rendering new media. This option can help speed-up export times but may impact quality depending on the preview format you’ve chosen. |
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Use Proxies |
Proxies are used to increase performance while editing and exporting. When this option is enabled, Premiere exports using the proxy files already generated for your sequence instead of rendering new media. This option can improve export performance. The checkbox will default to unchecked. |
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Export Content Credentials |
Include Content Credentials in metadata in your exported media files. It includes the origin and editing history of the content, especially when it includes AI-generated assets. |
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