Keynote Will Not Export Quicktime at 4k

Hello, I have an issue where I can not get keynote to export my project with my native iMac resolution of 4096 x 2304. I have my slide size set to 4096 x 2304 and I am able to export images at this size, but no matter what custom resolution I set in the quicktime export format settings, the highest it will export at is 3840 x 2160.

Can anyone else confirm? I am using the latest update 6.6.1 (2560)

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Feb 18, 2016 12:46 PM

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7 replies

Feb 19, 2016 2:10 PM in response to polyterm

Keynote Will Not Export Quicktime at 4k

QuickTime X does export 4K video, the 4K setting is 3840 x 2160


the highest it will export at is 3840 x 2160.

Correct, the international standard for 4K Ultra High Definition Video is 3840 x 2160 pixels and that is what the Quicktime export module produces.


I can not get keynote to export my project with my native iMac resolution of 4096 x 2304

Why do you need Ultra High Definition Video?


An export resolution of 4096 x 2304, is not available in Quicktime export from Keynote. As Keynote produces an excellent 4K file, you would use that.

This CODEC produces very large Quicktime files, takes much longer to render than lower resolution CODECs and requires a great deal of processing power to play back, many computers can not cope with playing this resolution, if you have the necessary spec and have the need for this filetype, then all well and good.


I have my slide size set to 4096 x 2304

Setting the slide size in Keynote defines the resolution of the Keynote file, it does not set the export resolution for Quicktime export, this is done in QuickTime export dialogue box. As already stated this resolution is not available using Keynote.

Feb 19, 2016 2:39 PM in response to Gary Scotland

Why do you need Ultra High Definition Video?

I need it because my playback device is the iMac I am making the keynote on, and it's resolution is 4096 x 2304.

What if I was displaying the keynote on a 5k iMac screen? 3840 would look a bit blurry.

Why offer custom export settings if they are locked?

What does the software care what resolution I export at. If i have the HD space and the CPU why am I locked out of that setting?

All of the other video tools and software I use have no problem exporting at larger resolutions using quicktime.

What if I wanted to export from my 5k iMac? I would be stuck with a keynote exported at almost half the resolution my display supports.

Feb 19, 2016 3:13 PM in response to polyterm

I thought the 4k in 4k stood for 4000. I thought 3840 was 3k as it was in the 3k range.

That would be too simple wouldn't it?


There are a range of international standards for high definition video: 720, 1080, 2K, 4K and 8K.

To make it simple, the manufacturers adopted the acronym; 4K to describe the Ultra High Definition Video format which uses a 3840 x 2160 pixel count.


I thought 3840 was 3k as it was in the 3k range.

There is no 3K international standard for video as the maths did not work out for UHD TV's.

Feb 20, 2016 3:23 PM in response to polyterm

my playback device is the iMac I am making the keynote on, and it's resolution is 4096 x 2304.

As your playback device is the iMac, create a Keynote presentation with a slide size of 4096 x 2304 matching the iMacs Retina display resolution:

Inspector > Document > Document: select Custom from the Slide Size drop down menu and enter 4096 in width and 2304 in height.


You will then have a spectacularly impressive high def resolution presentation.

There is no need to create a Quicktime export at all.

What if I was displaying the keynote on a 5k iMac screen? 3840 would look a bit blurry.

Again, you would not need Quicktime files to play the presentation, you would playback the presentation in Keynote, with a slide size set at 5120 x 2880 pixels to match the 5K display resolution.


Why offer custom export settings if they are locked?

Quicktime export from Keynote can create video files to many international video standards, it also provides custom sizes, for example 425 x 425 pixels for inclusion in a web page. However, Quicktime export from Keynote, does not encode greater than 3840 x 21604K UHD video.


What does the software care what resolution I export at. If i have the HD space and the CPU why am I locked out of that setting?

To export ultra high def video from Quicktime, ultra high def export CODECs must be available to the QuickTime export module.

At this time, Keynote only has 3840 x 2160 UHD CODECS available. Keynote is primarily a tool to create presentations using the Apple Keynote filetype. Keynote is not a specialist Quicktime video creation tool.


All of the other video tools and software I use have no problem exporting at larger resolutions using quicktime.

The export module in Keynote is set up differently to other applications, ultra high def CODECs above 3840 x 2160are not available to Keynote.

If creating ultra high def Quicktime video files is important to you, then you should be using dedicated video creation tools such as Apple Motion or Adobe After Effects.


What if I wanted to export from my 5k iMac? I would be stuck with a keynote exported at almost half the resolution my display supports.

For the average Keynote user, exporting to UHD 4K video is more than acceptable.

Why do you want to encode 5K video?


Its not practical for the average Keynote user to encode video files at: 5120 x 2880 pixels resulting in 3 GB per minute file sizes.

A 30 minute presentation has a minimum file size of 90 GB, how many of those file sizes do you have storage capacity for?

Extra resources would be required to take care of that data rate;

16 GB RAM minimum required

external high performance RAID Array drives to store rendered files

external back up drives

external archive storage drives


If there was a genuine need to do this, you would be using more appropriate applications anyway; Apple Motion or Adobe After Effects not Keynote, using Apple Compressor not Quicktime Export, for all the reasons previously given above.

Dec 3, 2016 10:43 PM in response to Gary Scotland

Sorry to tack onto an old thread, but all these answers are incorrect, or at best simplistic or dated, and shouldn't be allowed to fester on the interwebz. That includes the answer marked Apple's recommended response, since it is misleading and is illogical given the current Apple ecosystem.


SMPTE cinema space 4K is 4096 x 2048, and has been for a lot longer than UHD. Keynote slides are (and have long been) used for titles in both iMovie and Final Cut Pro X. Now that Apple has made these programs work in 4K, Keynote should export in this size to be easily usable in standard workflow. FCPX allows this dimension natively, and iMovie will import (and use) this dimension as well. Therefore, that Keynote doesn't export to that size is an oversight that needs correcting.


Given that, it should be a small leap that the original posters need for 2304 should be accomodated as well, since it would fit an Apple piece of equipment without forcing bars top and bottom. The justification that Keynote is not a professional tool is circular illogic and insulting – it is part of the OSX toolkit used by professionals.


One workaround is to create slides made in Keynote at 4096 x 2048, then export them to PDF, then run the PDF through Terminal with the command:

convert -density 144 /path/to/PDF_file.pdf -format TIFF -depth 12 +adjoin page-%d.tif

(You might want to (have to) install GraphicsMagick with Brew <http://brewformulas.org/Graphicsmagick>)

Then import those files (which end up being 8K actually) to iMovie (yes, they will import!) or FCP and output to QuickTime 4:4:4 to maintain the bit depth (another failure of Keynote to not allow 12 bit TIFF export after all the work they went through to get to P3 and 2020 color spaces.)


A bit of a pain, but it works.

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Keynote Will Not Export Quicktime at 4k

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