ChatCut chooses among three export paths. The web app and Agent Plugin render compatible video and audio in the open browser and fall back to cloud rendering when needed. ChatCut Desktop renders video on your computer. The destination and Free-account quota depend on the path ChatCut selects.
| Where you work | Where rendering runs | How the file arrives | Free-account limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatCut web app or Agent Plugin, compatible timeline and browser | In the open browser | Downloaded or saved by that browser | Does not count toward the 60-minute cloud quota |
| ChatCut web app or Agent Plugin, cloud fallback | In ChatCut’s cloud | Download after rendering | 60 minutes total across all projects |
| ChatCut Desktop local video export | On your computer | Saved directly to the selected folder | Does not count toward the 60-minute quota |
Export from the web app or Agent Plugin
- Select Export in the editor header, then choose the output type and settings.
- ChatCut checks the current browser, output settings, timeline media, motion graphics, and audio requirements. There is no renderer switch to choose manually.
- After starting the job, follow progress under the header Export button. Keep the tab open while a browser export is running.
- Use Download again or View afterward when that action appears.
Compatible video and audio exports run in the open browser. Depending on projected size and browser support, ChatCut either uses browser storage or asks where to save a large output. A compatible device can also offer 4K browser video export.
ChatCut falls back to cloud rendering when the browser cannot encode the requested output, a timeline includes unsupported motion graphics, or the browser cannot safely process the required audio. Cloud export must upload the required media and finish on the server before the file downloads. Actual duration depends on upload, network, queue time, output length, and format; do not estimate it only from timeline duration.
Free accounts have a cumulative 60-minute web/cloud export quota across all projects. It is not 60 minutes per file or project and does not reset each month. An active paid plan removes this quota.
To check live usage, open Export in the web editor. The quota panel appears when the current output needs cloud rendering and shows Web free export quota and Used … / 60:00. If the next cloud-rendered job would exceed the total, ChatCut blocks it and shows Upgrade and continue export. Browser-rendered video or audio does not increase that total.
Export video locally in ChatCut Desktop
- In ChatCut Desktop, select Export → Video.
- Choose dynamic range, resolution, frame rate, and export range.
- Choose a destination folder and start the export. Keep Desktop open while it renders.
- When it finishes, select Show in Finder or Open.
Desktop local video export saves directly to the selected folder, does not require a separate cloud download, and does not count toward the Free 60-minute web-export quota. It also offers 4K and, on supported hardware, HDR. Actual speed depends on computer performance, codec support, timeline complexity, and output settings.
This distinction applies to Desktop’s local video renderer. Audio, transparent graphics, and some bundled exports started from Desktop can still use cloud rendering and remain subject to the corresponding limits.
What counts
- Video and audio only when ChatCut routes them to cloud rendering.
- Graphics export.
- Motion graphics rendered as part of an XML bundle.
Subtitle and XML files themselves do not add rendered duration. Video or audio rendered in the browser and video rendered locally in ChatCut Desktop do not count, but a cloud-rendered job started from either surface can count.
This duration quota is separate from credits: export does not spend credits. Buying a one-time credit pack does not remove the Free web-export quota; an active paid plan does. Individual outputs can still require Pro—for example transparent ProRes 4444 motion graphics.
See Free and Pro, Desktop Local Export and 4K, and Export Queue, Downloads, and Retries.