# How to export designs as images, PDFs and looping videos

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/export-images-and-loops)

One Export button, six formats. Here is which one to choose for each job, and how to make a looping video that nobody can see the seam in.

## The short version

- To export a design from the Gradiently Studio, choose Export and pick PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG, video or GIF.
- PNG and JPEG exports can be made at one, two or three times the design's size, and PNG can have a transparent background without the Mark.
- The Print PDF option exports at 300 dpi with 3 mm of bleed, crop marks, and trim and bleed boxes set.
- Video exports are 5 to 30 second loops of the Mark moving under still words, with a chosen movement, pace, colour and particles, up to 1080p.
- Exporting a design needs the Mark it wears to be yours, and claiming a Mark is free while Gradiently launches.

To export designs from Gradiently, open one in the Studio and choose **Export**. Pick a format from one row: **PNG**, **JPEG**, **PDF**, **SVG**, **video** or **GIF**. The dialog plays the result live beside the options, so what you see is what you download. Exporting needs the Mark the design wears to be yours; if it isn't yet, Export offers to claim it, which is free while Gradiently launches.

This guide goes through each format, the settings that matter, and how to make a looping video. For how a design is built in the first place, see [getting started in the Studio](https://gradiently.design/guide/studio-guide).

## Which export format to choose

| Format | Best for | Worth knowing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PNG | Posting and sharing, anything with sharp type | Lossless. 1×, 2× or 3× the design's size. Optional transparent background |
| JPEG | Smaller files where size matters | Smaller than PNG at the same size; fine for photos |
| PDF | Documents, decks and print | Standard or Print quality; words stay selectable and links clickable |
| SVG | Web and editing in other tools | One page; words stay words with their fonts packed in |
| Video | Stories, Reels, posts and screens | A 5 to 30 second loop, MP4 or WebM depending on your browser, up to 1080p |
| GIF | Small loops where video isn't accepted | The same loop, kept under 15 MB |

The six formats in the Studio's Export dialog.

For everyday social posts, PNG at 1× is the right choice: platforms recompress what you upload, and starting from a lossless file keeps type crisp. Use 2× or 3× when a design will be shown large or zoomed, such as a slide on a big screen. The multiplier is limited so the long side stays within 8,192 px.

> **Transparent PNG** Turn on **Transparent background** to export only your elements, with the Mark left out. Useful for a logo lockup or a sticker you want to place somewhere else.

## Exporting several pages at once

A design with several pages, such as a carousel or a deck, can export one page or all of them. What you get depends on the format:

- **PNG or JPEG:** one file per page, delivered together in a ZIP.
- **PDF:** every page in one PDF, each at its own size.
- **Video:** the pages play one after another with their transitions, each for the length set in the page bar.
- **SVG:** one page per file, so pick the page you want.

The first page of a portrait carousel titled Five ways to brew on a living gradient

Two pages of one carousel. As PNG they arrive together in a ZIP…

The second page of the same carousel with a single brewing tip on the same Mark

…and as a PDF they arrive as one file, each page at its own size.

Two more options sit at the foot of the dialog. **Copy** puts the image on your clipboard, ready to paste into a message or another app. **Email me this** makes the file in the background and emails you a link that works for seven days, so you can close the dialog while a long video renders.

## Print PDF: bleed, crop marks and 300 dpi

PDF has two qualities. Choose **Print** when the file is going to a printer, and **Standard** when it is going to a screen or an inbox.

### Standard PDF

- Sharp on screen, small file
- Words selectable and searchable
- Links you added are clickable
- Good for decks, menus sent by email and documents

### Print PDF

- 300 dpi
- 3 mm of bleed, with the Mark running past the trim
- Crop marks, and trim and bleed boxes set
- Good for posters, flyers, cards and invitations

Bleed matters because printers cut slightly off the trim line. With the Mark running 3 mm past the edge, a small cutting error shows more Mark instead of a white sliver. Design at a print size from the Studio's list, such as an A4 poster at 2480 × 3508 px or a business card at 1050 × 600 px. [Printing gradients](https://gradiently.design/guide/print-gradients) covers colour shifts between screen and paper.

## How to export a looping video

A video export keeps your words still and lets the Mark move beneath them. It loops seamlessly, so it can play on repeat in a story or on a screen without a visible jump. You choose four things, and the choices are remembered on the design.

| Setting | Options | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Movement | Drift, Flow, Breathe, Swirl, Still | Drift glides slowly; Flow runs a steady current; Breathe swells light with little movement; Swirl folds and turns the material; Still holds the field and moves only particles |
| Pace | Slow, Even, Brisk | How fast the movement runs |
| Colour | Original, Glow, Shift, Cycle | Original keeps colours as designed; Glow breathes brightness; Shift leans hues one way and back; Cycle takes hues all the way round |
| Particles | The design's own, none, or Dust, Stars, Mist, Swarm, Silk, Embers | An optional dust of light in the Mark's colours |

The four choices for a video or GIF export. Length runs from 5 to 30 seconds.

1. **Pick Video and a length** Between 5 and 30 seconds. Short loops of 5 to 10 seconds suit stories and posts; longer ones suit screens. If the design has text entrances, the dialog tells you the minimum length they need.
2. **Choose movement, pace, colour and particles** Watch the preview: it plays exactly as the video will. Calm pairings, such as Drift with a Slow pace and Original colour, suit most brands.
3. **Record** The video records in real time, so a 20 second loop takes about 20 seconds. Keep the tab open, or use Email me this.
4. **Post it** Upload the MP4 or WebM where you would post a video. [Seamless loops](https://gradiently.design/guide/seamless-loop-video) explains why a loop that joins cleanly holds attention.

A vertical story announcement on a living gradient, designed to be exported as a looping video

Vertical stories and reels are where a looping Mark earns its keep: the words hold still while the field moves.

## Why exports ask you to claim the Mark

Anyone can design with any Mark for free, but a Mark has exactly one owner, and only that owner can export designs made with it. That is what keeps a claimed Mark from turning up in someone else's feed. If you have been designing on a Mark you don't hold, Export shows a claim card: claim it there and carry on. If someone else holds it, find a different Mark and swap it in; [how to find and claim a Mark](https://gradiently.design/guide/how-to-claim-a-mark) helps. Marks you have made yourself and not yet published can be used on your own designs as drafts.

To export a Mark on its own, without a design, use Export in the Forge instead: it downloads the Mark at any size up to 16K as PNG, JPEG or WebP, or as a short loop. And if you work through an AI assistant, the `render_design` MCP tool renders a saved design as PNG or PDF under the same rules; see [connecting an AI assistant](https://gradiently.design/guide/connect-ai-assistant).

## FAQ

### How do I export a design from Gradiently?

Open the design in the Studio, choose Export and pick PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG, video or GIF. Exporting needs the Mark the design wears to be yours.

### Can I export a design at a higher resolution?

Yes. PNG and JPEG can be exported at 1×, 2× or 3× the design's size, with the long side kept within 8,192 px.

### How long can a video export be?

From 5 to 30 seconds. The video loops seamlessly and is saved as MP4 or WebM, depending on your browser, at up to 1080p.

### Is the PDF export ready for print?

Choose Print quality for 300 dpi, 3 mm of bleed, crop marks, and trim and bleed boxes. Standard quality is for screens.

### Why do I need to claim a Mark to export?

A Mark has one owner at a time, and only the owner can export designs made with it. Claiming is free while Gradiently launches.