How to Export and Save Videos From Edits

When your edit is finished, Edits gives you three main ways to finish, and choosing the right one matters:

• Download saves a copy to your camera roll. It's described as watermark-free, so it's the one to use if you want to post somewhere else, such as YouTube.
• Share to Instagram (or Facebook, Stories or Messages) posts straight from the app. Reports note it adds a small icon showing the video was created with Edits.
• Save a draft keeps your work so you can come back to it, with your caption and settings.

You can do more than one: download an archive copy and also share. Edits is free with no watermark on downloads; see pricing. Menu names and button positions change between versions, so follow what your own screen shows.

1. Finish the edit. Check the cuts, captions, text and audio. Play it from start to finish once.
2. Choose your resolution. In your project, tap the resolution control in the top right.
3. Check frame rate and colour (next sections) if your version offers them.
4. Tap the export or download option and wait while it renders. Keep the app open during processing.
5. Choose where it goes: download to your camera roll, or share to Instagram or another app.
6. Check the result in your gallery before posting: play the whole video with sound.

New to editing? Start with the first reel guide.

Instagram's help material says you can switch between HD, 2K and 4K. As reported, the sizes are:

Option	Size (vertical)	Best for
HD	1080 × 1920	Quick posts, smaller files, older phones
2K	1440 × 2560	Most Reels: sharp on Instagram and quicker to edit
4K	2160 × 3840	A high-quality archive, or when you'll reuse the footage

A creator who works on Edits suggests that 2K is a good balance for Instagram, while 4K gives a sharper archive that viewers may not notice on the platform. Match your export to how you filmed: if you shot at a lower resolution, exporting higher won't add detail. Not every phone supports 4K, and no official device list is published, so check what your device offers.

• 24 fps gives a filmic look.
• 30 fps is a safe default for most videos.
• 60 fps suits fast action and smooth slow motion, if you filmed at 60.

Colour can be SDR or HDR. HDR can look richer on supported screens; reports say Instagram converts HDR to SDR for viewers who turn it off. Use HDR if you filmed in HDR; use SDR if your project mixes sources, or if you want predictable colour.

Set these before recording where possible, since the camera shows the same resolution, frame rate and colour options. For slow motion and speed changes, see trim and split, and for the look, cinematic filters.

Use Download to save the video to your camera roll. Reviewers describe the download as watermark-free and up to 4K, which makes it the right choice for posting to YouTube or other platforms, sending to a client, or keeping an archive.

• Name your files by date or topic, so they're easy to find later.
• Back up important videos to cloud storage or a computer.
• Check storage. 4K files are large; free up space first.
• One caution: if you used AI Restyle, one guide notes a Meta AI watermark may appear during processing, so check the final file before publishing. See AI effects.

Want to use the video on a computer? See Edits on Mac and Edits on PC.

You can post directly from Edits to Instagram, Facebook, Stories or Messages. Instagram's guidance says to export directly from Edits to Instagram if you want overlays, such as links, to be interactive. A guide also suggests that direct posting may help preserve quality, though it recommends testing for yourself.

1. Tap the Instagram option on the share screen.
2. Write your caption, tags and cover, and choose your audience.
3. Post, or save a draft to finish later.

Expect a small Edits icon on videos shared this way. Add captions for viewers on mute, and check formats for other platforms with multi-platform videos.

Edits keeps your edits and drafts together in Projects. That's where you reopen, rename and duplicate them.

• Save a draft from the share screen to keep your caption, tags and audience settings linked to the Edits project.
• Duplicate a project to test different hooks or versions without losing the original.
• Export versions. Make one for Instagram and one clean copy for other platforms.
• Missing a draft? See missing drafts.

There's no official cause-and-fix list from Instagram, so these are common, sensible steps:

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Export fails or freezes	Low storage, long or heavy project, app closed	Free space, keep the app open, retry at a lower resolution; see export failed
Video looks soft	Low resolution source or setting	Export at 2K or 4K from original files; see blurry export
4K option missing	Device or version limit	Update the app and try 2K
Colours look different	HDR vs SDR conversion	Export in SDR for predictable colour
Audio missing or quiet	Muted layers or low levels	Check levels; see audio problems
Can't log in to share	Account or session issue	See login problems