# Exporting

> Getting footage out: drag a clip or a highlight anywhere, export to a folder, share, and the audio choices.

Every export copies or remuxes. Nothing is re-encoded, so a copy is lossless and any codec your Mac plays works.

## Drag

Drag from the grid, the table, the inspector, Quick Look or the clip window onto Finder, a Final Cut event or timeline, the BetterEdits timeline, or any app that accepts files.

| What you drag | What lands                                                     |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A clip        | Its original file                                              |
| A highlight   | A file cut to the highlight's range, named after the highlight |

A highlight's file is made on its first drag and kept in `renders/`. It is made again when the highlight moves, the clip's file changes or the export audio setting flips. Cuts land on keyframes, so a highlight can start a fraction before its in-point.

> **BetterEdits**
>
> BetterEdits accepts files dropped on its timeline. Drag a highlight straight onto it. There is no other link between the two apps.

## Copy

⌘C puts the selected clips' files on the clipboard. Paste in Finder for real copies.

## Export to Folder

Export to Folder… is in the context menu and in the inspector's menu. Pick a folder. Every selected clip's original is copied there under its display name; a name already taken gets "name 2".

For clips with two or more audio channels the panel has an Audio menu:

| Choice                  | Result                                                  |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Original tracks         | The file as it is                                       |
| Both mics merged (mono) | One mono track from every enabled audio track, averaged |
| Left mic only (mono)    | The left channel alone                                  |
| Right mic only (mono)   | The right channel alone                                 |

The default follows Export › Consolidate to mono in Settings. A rendered file gets one AAC mono track; the video is copied sample for sample.

A progress bar at the bottom of the window shows the count. When it finishes the folder opens in Finder.

## Share

Share… in the context menu or the inspector's menu opens the macOS share sheet for the selected files: AirDrop, Messages, Mail and the rest.

## Highlights to a folder

From the terminal, `betterlibrary highlights export <id>… --to <folder> --numbered` cuts highlights out in the order given, prefixed 01, 02, and so on, so a folder lands in an edit in order. See [The command line](https://docs.usebetterapps.com/betterlibrary/cli).

## Audio while previewing

Play › Consolidate to mono, in Settings, sends every channel to both speakers while playing, so a lav on the left and a shotgun on the right are heard together. The file is not changed. See [Settings](https://docs.usebetterapps.com/betterlibrary/settings).