Video Compression and Editing Tips

Compressing your video for web can be a cumbersome and frustrating process to figure out. So to help you out we have posted some recommended settings below. Now, there is no way for us to write a tutorial for every video editing program out there, but you can enter these settings into your favourite program and be on your merry way.

These video settings were provided by Vimeo.com which is an excellent high quality online video host.  Alternatively you can also check out this post from XLNTads.com. They use very similar settings, but different none the less.

What do you use to compress your video? got any tips? Reply in a comment!

Note: Sometimes these settings are in ‘Advanced’ or ‘Options’ when exporting.

• Codec

  Choose H.264 for the video codec. Choose AAC for the audio codec.

• Frame rate

  This is usually 30, in Europe it's usually 25. If there is an option that says “current” just go with that. Please note that Vimeo converts all HD videos up to 24 frames per second for optimum playback performance.

• Keyframes

  Every 30 frames. This is basically how often the compressor references your uncompressed video.

• Data rate

  1800 kbits/sec (for regular video) or 5000 kbits/sec (for high definition). Making this number higher will increase both quality and size.

• Size

  640x480 (for regular video) or 1280x720 (for high definition). Please note, 1440x1080 videos will not be widescreen on Vimeo, you must compress them as 1280x720.

• Deinterlace

  Yes. If you do not deinterlace, you will often get weird-looking horizontal lines in your video.

• Sound sample rate

  44.100 kHz

• Audio quality

  You want audio with a bit rate of 128 kbps. You can set your audio to really good quality without increasing file size too much.