How to render a Blender animation for Reels and TikTok
Last updated 2026-10-20
To render an animation in Blender for Reels and TikTok, set the resolution to a 9:16 frame such as 1080 x 1920 in the Output tab, set the frame rate and frame range, then choose Render, then Render Animation. Render PNG frames first, so a crash does not ruin the render, and encode them to an MP4 with H.264. Add music, text and captions in an editor afterwards.
Set the size, frame rate and range
These settings sit in the Output tab of the Properties editor. This page follows the Blender 5.2 manual, so labels in older versions can differ.
Under Format, set Resolution X to 1080 and Resolution Y to 1920. For a landscape scene, right-click the resolution fields and choose Swap Dimensions. Then check the camera view: a portrait frame crops the sides of a landscape shot.
Frames divided by frame rate gives the length, so 450 frames at 30 fps is 15 seconds. Time Stretching remaps the length without changing Start or End, so check the ending is not cut off.
| Setting | Panel | What to set |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution X, Y | Format | 1080 and 1920. Both are even, as H.264 requires. |
| Percentage | Format | 100 for the final. Lower for test renders. |
| Frame Rate | Format | A menu preset, or Custom for FPS and Base. |
| Frame Start, End | Frame Range | First and last frame to render. |
| Step | Frame Range | 1 for the final. Higher skips frames. |
Render frames first, or render a video file
The manual recommends rendering still images first. A crash during a direct video render can leave a file that will not play, and you start over. With frames on disk you can restart where you stopped, and try new video settings in seconds, because encoding is usually much faster than rendering.
Its rule of thumb: time one typical frame, multiply by the frame count, and use a frame sequence if the total passes an hour. 450 frames at 30 seconds each is 3 hours 45 minutes, so render frames.
For frames, set File Path to a folder and name. Blender adds a four-digit frame number, such as image0001.png. If a render stops, turn Overwrite off and render again to start where you left off. The same trick previews fast: render with Step at 5, then turn Overwrite off and render with Step at 1 to fill the gaps.
| Approach | Output panel setting | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Frame sequence | Media Type: Image, with a lossless format such as PNG | Uses more drive space and adds an encoding step, but finished frames survive a crash |
| Direct video | Media Type: Video, then the Encoding panel | Fine for short renders on steady power, but a crash can leave an unplayable file |
Encode the frames or render straight to MP4
In the Output panel set Media Type to Video. In the Encoding panel set Container to MPEG-4, which writes .mp4, and Video Codec to H.264, which the manual calls common for streaming and general delivery.
To encode earlier frames, open the Video Sequencer, use the Add menu to add an Image strip, and select every frame. Set the container and codec as above, then choose Render, then Render Animation. The sequencer cannot read multi-layer EXR, so use PNG.
A smaller CRF, or constant rate factor, gives better quality and a larger file. For H.264 it runs 0 to 51, and 0 is lossless. Your editor compresses again on export, so keep this encode on the high-quality side.
If you will add music later, set Audio Codec to No Audio. If the render fails, check that the container and codec are compatible. H.264 needs even width and height, and 1080 and 1920 are both even.
Test before the full render
Set Percentage lower, such as 25, and choose Render, then Render Image (F12) to check framing and text at the same proportions. Watch the top and bottom, where app buttons and captions sit. Then restore 100 and start the full render.
Finish the animation in Woven
Woven imports MP4, MOV, M4V and WebM video, and PNG, JPG, WebP and GIF stills, but does not list image sequences. So encode to MP4 first. A new empty reel adopts the dimensions of the first video, so a 1080 x 1920 render gives a vertical canvas. Woven's project frame rates are 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 or 120, and any other value snaps to the nearest, so choose one of those in Blender.
Ask in chat
- Put my Blender render on the timeline, lay my song under it quietly and fade it out at the end.
- Add the title 'Made in Blender' for the first two seconds with a Pop entrance.
- Caption the voiceover in the Word by word look and keep the captions above the bottom edge.
Or do it by hand
- 1Import the render. Bring the MP4 in through Add, then Video. Check that the Format button shows 9:16.
- 2Add music. Choose Add, then Audio. A hand-added file arrives at 100% volume with no fades, so lower it with Volume in the toolbar.
- 3Add text. Choose Add, then Text, double-click to edit, and pick an In animation on the Animation tab.
- 4Caption a voice. If the render has a voiceover, open Add and pick Generate captions.
- 5Export. Open Export and pick 1080p, which matches the render's 1080-pixel short side.
Common questions
Set the size, frame rate and frame range in the Output tab, choose where to save, then choose Render, then Render Animation, or press Ctrl-F12. By default, animation renders save to the output path automatically.
In the Output panel set Media Type to Video, then choose a container such as MPEG-4 and a codec such as H.264 in the Encoding panel. Or render PNG frames and encode them in the Video Sequencer.
Set Resolution X to 1080 and Resolution Y to 1920 for a 9:16 frame. Right-click the fields and choose Swap Dimensions to flip a landscape setup.
Some containers and codecs are not compatible, and some limit dimensions. Use MPEG-4 with H.264, keep width and height even, and read the System Console for encoder output.
Not as one clip. Woven treats each image as a separate still, so encode the frames to an MP4 first and import that.
Sources
- Format - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Frame Range - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Output - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Rendering Animations - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Render Output introduction - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Supported Video & Audio Formats - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Top Bar, Render Menu - Blender 5.2 Manual, checked October 20, 2026
- Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram - Instagram Help Center, checked October 20, 2026
- TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads - TikTok Business Help Center, checked October 20, 2026
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