Export Product Demos as MP4 or GIF for Social Media

Direct answer: Use MP4 for social posts, landing pages, and YouTube. Use GIF for tiny looping docs embeds and chat previews. Pixcreen exports both without watermarks so you can match each channel.

MP4 vs GIF in one glance

Factor	MP4	GIF
File size	Smaller for long clips	Explodes with length/color
Audio	Yes	No
Quality	High	Posterized
Best length	15s–3min	2–8s loops
Platforms	Everywhere	Docs, README, Slack

Platform-oriented recipes

X (Twitter)

• 15–45 seconds
• Hook in first 2 seconds
• Captions burned in if possible
• 16:9 or 1:1

LinkedIn

• Slightly longer storytelling OK
• Professional pacing, less whip-zoom
• Strong first frame thumbnail

Documentation / README

• GIF of a single interaction
• Or silent MP4 under 10 seconds
• Crop tightly to the control

Product landing page

• Hero MP4, muted autoplay-friendly
• Poster image for LCP
• Reduce resolution if bandwidth hurts conversions

Export settings that actually matter

1. Aspect ratio — shoot with the end ratio in mind when possible.
2. Resolution — 1080p is enough for most social; 4K rarely helps.
3. Length — cut ruthlessly; speed-ramp dead air.
4. Cursor — scale up for mobile readability.
5. Captions — treat as design, not afterthought.

File naming for SEO and teams

Bad: finalfinal3.mp4
Good: pixcreen-auto-zoom-demo-1080p.mp4

Names help CMS search, CDN caches, and teammate sanity.

Common export failures

• 60-second GIF for a full tour (megabyte disaster)
• No audio on a narrated story MP4
• Letterboxing from mismatched ratios
• Watermarks from freemium tools—avoid by using free Pixcreen

Workflow tip

Keep a master project (.pixcreen) and export channel cuts from the same timeline. One source of truth beats five conflicting edits.

Pick format by job to be done, not habit. MP4 tells; GIF loops the aha.