Rendering a video

Turn an edit into a finished file.

Rendering runs on Prism's servers, so you can leave the page while it happens.

Each output produces one video. Core concepts explains how outputs sit inside a project.

The Distribution page is where a finished render is watched and downloaded. It is not a publishing destination.

What is decided before you render

Rendering asks you nothing. There is no settings dialog and no confirmation step.

The shape of the video is set earlier, in the brief. Aspect ratio is the one control you get: 16:9 for landscape, 9:16 for vertical.

Everything else is the edit you built in the Editing Suite — the cut, the captions, the branding.

Start a render

1. Open the Editing Suite for the output
2. Click RENDER VIDEO at the foot of any open right-hand panel
3. Prism saves your edit, starts the job and returns you to the outputs list

The same button appears as a compact square in the right rail and at the foot of the Version History panel. All of them do the same thing.

Rendering spends no credits. An account with no spendable credits has rendering paused until credits are added. Credits has the detail.

Follow the progress

The output card in Project Outputs shows a spinner, a progress bar and a live line from the render service, in capitals — RENDERING VIDEO... for a render, PROCESSING VIDEO... while the video is being prepared. When the service sends its own message, the card shows that instead, also in capitals.

The line does not count frames.

The card cannot be opened while it renders. Its ⋯ menu stays available.

When the job finishes, the card moves to the completed tab and gains a check icon. Click it to open Distribution.

When the render lands

The page shows a green check and Render Complete, followed by the output name, its duration, its aspect ratio and the file size.

Below that sit a player and a Download Video button.

The Distribution tab in the left rail stays locked until the output is completed, and stays locked for any output that failed.

Rendering again

An output keeps one render at a time. Rendering again replaces the file, and there is no way back to the previous one.

Download anything you want to keep before you start another render. Re-rendering has the detail.

FAQ