The only web-delivery export recipe spelled out in Shotcut's official User Guide is three lines long: MP4 container, H.264 codec, and frame rate matched to the source. That combination appears under "Example preset scenarios" as "Online platform delivery," and the guide states its purpose as "YouTube, Vimeo, general web delivery."
That is as close as the official pages get to platform-specific guidance. This walkthrough shows how to set that up in the Export panel for a vertical social clip, which decisions the documentation actually covers, and which numbers you will have to get from the platform itself rather than from Shotcut.
Before you start
Two things are worth knowing before you open the Export panel.
First, on presets. The preset names that appear in Shotcut's official FAQ, User Guide and release notes include H.264 High Profile, YouTube, WebM, Default, DNxHR HQ, ProRes 422, Slide Deck presets, and a handful of intermediate and lossless entries. None of the official pages we could check names an Instagram or TikTok preset, and none of them publishes a complete list of the bundled presets — so open the dropdown in your own copy to see what your version has.
Second, on how much the docs are promising you. The guide prefaces its example scenarios with a flat statement: "Using presets assumes you understand the implications of the selected settings." It is even blunter about the Advanced section: "There are simply too many combinations of settings and options that Shotcut's advanced export mode lets you create invalid combinations and does not protect you from yourself."
Read that as permission to stay out of Advanced unless you have a specific reason to go in.
Step 1: Set the Video Mode first, not the export resolution
Vertical output is a project decision in Shotcut, not an export decision. Settings > Video Mode is where the frame shape and frame rate of your project get fixed, and the User Guide ties the export back to it directly: "You should leave the export resolution set to the project resolution unless your preset or video codec dictates a resolution." That line sits in the section on preview scaling, where the temptation to shrink the export is strongest.
The guide repeats the instruction as step one of its variable-frame-rate fix, with a qualifier worth keeping: "Set the desired Settings > Video Mode in Shotcut (do not use Automatic). In particular, choose a frame rate for your project that meets your needs."
Shotcut's documentation does not state a recommended pixel size for any social platform. Take that number from the platform's own current specs.
Step 2: Choose what you are exporting
Open the Export panel (File > Export Video is the same thing). The From dropdown at the top decides the source, and it is not always the whole timeline:
- Timeline — "This is the default if you have added anything to the Timeline."
- Source — "You can export a single clip that has been trimmed and filtered in the Source player."
- Marker — "Exports a range Marker, which is a marker with a duration."
That last one is the useful one for social cuts. The guide is specific about which markers qualify: "Export > From lists all range markers (duration longer than 1 frame). Selecting a marker here allows the exporting of just that section of the timeline." A plain single-frame marker will not show up in the list.
Step 3: Apply the guide's web-delivery combination
The "Online platform delivery" example in the User Guide is a short list, and it is worth reading literally:
| Setting | Official value |
|---|---|
| Container | "MP4" |
| Codec | "H.264" |
| Frame rate | "Match source" |
| Used for | "YouTube, Vimeo, general web delivery" |
The FAQ's preset-picking list points the same direction: "Upload to a video-sharing web site: H.264 High Profile or YouTube." The same list also notes what Default is for — "Put onto my own web site: WebM and/or Default (moderate quality H.264)."
You can also skip the preset entirely. The guide says so explicitly: "NOTE: It is not necessary to choose a preset! Shotcut comes with default values that creates a high quality H.264 MP4 file at a reasonable size and speed that automatically adapts to the resolution, frame rate, and visual complexity of your project."
Note the wording mismatch: the User Guide calls the Default output "high quality," while the FAQ calls the same preset "moderate quality H.264." Both are official. Neither page attaches a CRF or bitrate number to it, so there is no way to reconcile them from the docs. For context, the release notes record that as of Release 25.01.25, "Export preset H.264 High Profile now defaults to a higher quality 65% than YouTube or the defaults."
Step 4: Quality percentage
If you open Advanced, you will find a Quality percentage rather than a bitrate field. The official guide suggests a mid-range quality percentage for draft exports and a somewhat higher one for web delivery — see the guide for the exact numbers. Shotcut's documentation gives no conversion between that percentage and CRF or bitrate, so the "55% equals CRF 23" style tables that circulate are not coming from Shotcut.
Step 5: Export and leave it alone
"The most important thing to know is to click Export File to export your project as a new video file. It opens the standard save file dialog for your operating system where you must choose a folder and give it a name." Name it, save, and let the job run — the Quick Start Guide adds a one-line rule: "Do not close Shotcut until the export finishes."
If the file that comes out is still heavier than the upload you are about to do, or you simply do not want to re-export the whole timeline to shave megabytes, you can shrink the finished MP4 in your browser instead:
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
Nothing is uploaded — the file is read from disk, re-encoded locally, and handed straight back. If you are targeting a specific platform's cap, compress video for TikTok is the same engine with tighter defaults, and all Clapr tools lists the rest.
Common mistakes
Treating a preset as a guarantee. The guide is explicit that export presets are not "Guaranteed-safe configurations" and not "Automatically compatible with all codecs or hardware encoders." It names the usual pitfalls — choosing a codec the container does not support, enabling hardware encoding with unsupported formats, mixing incompatible pixel formats or profiles — and says these "can: Cause export failure Produce unplayable files Result in silent audio or missing video." A silent export is a settings problem, not a bug.
Reaching for HEVC because it is newer. Shotcut's release notes record that "exported HEVC MP4 and MOV files are not playable with macOS QuickTime Player or iOS" was fixed in Release 21.08.29. The web-delivery example in the guide still specifies H.264.
Expecting hardware encoding to produce a smaller file. It is the opposite trade. The guide lists "File sizes may be larger at the same quality target" among its quality considerations, and adds the nuance directly: "Hardware encoding is usually less compression-efficient, not lower quality." Which encoders your machine even offers is a separate question — see which codecs Shotcut's hardware encoder supports.
Adding the Subtitle Burn-In filter to a clip. For open captions, the guide is unambiguous: "The filter can only be added to the Timeline Output." Applied anywhere else, it does nothing. If burning captions in Shotcut fights you, burn subtitles to video does it from an SRT file in the browser.
FAQ
Does Shotcut have an Instagram or TikTok export preset? No preset with either name appears in Shotcut's official FAQ, User Guide or release notes. Those pages also do not publish a full list of bundled presets, so check the dropdown in your installed version. The closest official guidance is the User Guide's "Online platform delivery" example: MP4, H.264, frame rate matched to source.
What resolution and bitrate should I export for TikTok? Shotcut's documentation does not state a figure for any social platform — check the platform's current specs. On the Shotcut side, set Settings > Video Mode to the frame shape and frame rate you want, then leave the export resolution at the project resolution as the guide advises.
Should I use H.264 or HEVC for social uploads? The guide's web-delivery example names H.264. HEVC has a documented playback history worth knowing about: the release notes record HEVC MP4 and MOV files not playing in macOS QuickTime Player or iOS being fixed in Release 21.08.29.
Why is my export bigger than I expected? If hardware encoding is on, that is documented behaviour rather than a fault — the guide says file sizes may be larger at the same quality target because hardware encoders are less compression-efficient. Turning it off and re-exporting, or compressing the finished file, both work.
My export fails partway through. What does Shotcut say to do? The FAQ gives one procedure: stop the stuck job from the Jobs panel, retry with Parallel processing disabled, and if it still fails, note the percentage it reached and apply that percentage to your project duration to find roughly where in the timeline the trouble is. Then look at what is unusual at that point.
All settings and quotes above come from Shotcut's official FAQ, Features page, User Guide PDF and release notes, checked 16 September 2026. More walkthroughs in the how-to hub.
