How to Export Video to MP4 from Blender

Exporting an edited video sequence to MP4 format in Blender requires configuring your project settings in the Output Properties panel to use the FFmpeg video container. This guide covers how to set the correct frame range, apply the H.264 video codec, enable audio output, and render your final MP4 video directly from the Blender Video Sequence Editor (VSE).

Step 1: Set Frame Range and Resolution

  1. Navigate to the Output Properties tab (the printer icon) in the Properties panel on the right.
  2. Under the Format section, verify the Resolution X and Y (e.g., 1920x1080) and set the Frame Rate to match your source footage (e.g., 24, 30, or 60 fps).
  3. Under Frame Range, set the Frame Start and Frame End to encompass your entire timeline sequence.

Step 2: Configure the File Format and Container

  1. Scroll down to the Output section in the Output Properties tab.
  2. Click the folder icon to select the destination folder and name your output file.
  3. Open the File Format dropdown menu and select FFmpeg Video instead of PNG.

Step 3: Configure Video Encoding to MP4

  1. Expand the Encoding dropdown panel directly beneath the File Format setting.
  2. Set the Container to MPEG-4.
  3. Under the Video sub-panel:
    • Set Video Codec to H.264.
    • Set Output Quality to High Quality or Perceptually Lossless.
    • Set Encoding Speed to Good (or Slow for better compression efficiency).

Step 4: Enable Audio Output

By default, Blender exports video without sound. To include audio:

  1. In the same Encoding section, expand the Audio sub-panel.
  2. Change the Audio Codec from No Audio to AAC (recommended) or MP3.
  3. Set the Bitrate to 192 kbps or 320 kbps for clear sound quality.

Step 5: Render the Video

  1. Go to the top menu bar and click Render.
  2. Select Render Animation, or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F12 (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + F12 (macOS).
  3. A render window will appear showing the progress frame by frame. Once the final frame is rendered, the completed .mp4 file will be saved in your specified destination folder.