# Export, Save or Share

> The handoff point from editing to delivery — save over an original, make a copy, or send a finished photo or video straight to another app.

Source: https://darkroom.co/help/export/export-view
Section: Export
Updated: 2026-06-10

Every edit you make in Darkroom is non-destructive — rendered live on top of your original rather than baked into it. That's what makes experimenting safe, but it also means your edits live *inside* Darkroom until you export. The Export view is where that happens: the moment a live edit becomes a real file that the rest of the world can see.

It's built to keep your rhythm fast — edit, review, export, move on. Open any photo or video in the editor and tap the **share/export** action to get here. You don't even have to enter a full edit session first: the same export actions live in the library context menus (tap-and-hold on iPhone or iPad, right-click on Mac), which is handy when you just want to push an already-finished shot out the door.

![The Darkroom Export view on iPhone and Mac](https://darkroom.co/assets/images/posts/2021-welcome-export.jpg)

*The Export view gathers your output choice, quick export tools, and a summary of your settings in one place.*

## Choosing how your edit lands

The first decision is what kind of file you want out, and it usually comes down to two options. **Save** (Modify Original) writes your latest edit back to the existing library item without spawning a duplicate — still fully reversible later, and the cleanest choice when you're culling and delivering a lot of images and don't want your library cluttered with copies. **Save Copy** creates a separate exported file instead, which is what you want when the same source needs to exist in more than one form: a watermarked version and a clean one, a full-resolution master and a web-sized share.

From the same screen you can also **share** the result straight into another app or service — Messages, Mail, Files, a social app, or a Shortcuts-based workflow — so the exported file goes exactly where it's headed next without a detour through your library. Need a physical copy? Printing sits alongside those options too — on Mac via **File → Print**, and on iPhone or iPad through the system **share sheet → Print**.

## The export-time extras

Two finishing tools sit right here so you don't have to leave the flow. **Add Frame** applies an export frame in the aspect ratio you've set up, which is the quickest way to get story- and feed-ready layouts; Darkroom reuses your most recent frame inset, so a campaign stays visually consistent across a batch. On iOS, **Copy Hashtags** drops a saved [hashtag set](/help/app/settings) onto your clipboard as you export, so posting is one paste away. And **Export Options** opens [format, metadata, watermark, and quality settings](/help/export/export-settings) for a last check before the file is written.

## Fitting it into a workflow

For day-to-day sharing the path is short: finish the edit, open Export, pick **Save Copy** or **Save**, and tap your destination. If you post often, fold **Add Frame** and **Copy Hashtags** into that same pass so there's nothing left to do once you're in the posting app.

At higher volume, lean on **Save / Modify Original** while culling and delivering many assets — it keeps the library clean — and pair the Export view with [Batch Actions](/help/manage/batch-actions) to process a consistent set in one go. For genuinely repeatable production, [Shortcuts automation](/help/app/shortcuts-automation) can chain editing and export together so the whole handoff runs with a single tap. This export flow extends to video as well, [introduced when video editing came to Darkroom](/blog/2020-04-video) — the same actions, the same options, just longer renders.

One thing worth remembering: if an export feels slow, Darkroom may be pulling the full-resolution original down from iCloud before it can process it. And for anything you're publishing, glance at your [metadata settings](/help/export/export-settings) first so you're not sharing location data you'd rather keep private.

## Related

- [Export Settings](/help/export/export-settings) — format, metadata, copyright, and quality choices
- [Watermark](/help/export/watermark) — add visible attribution on export
- [Batch Actions](/help/manage/batch-actions) — export many photos at once
- [Shortcuts Automation](/help/app/shortcuts-automation) — automate edit-and-export pipelines