Recommended export brief
Export brief — YouTube long-form Canvas: 1920 × 1080 landscape Frame rate: 30 fps; match the recorded source Container: MP4 Codec: H.264 High Profile, progressive Video bitrate: 8 Mbps VBR (YouTube SDR guidance) Audio: AAC-LC stereo, 48 kHz, 384 Kbps Color: Rec. 709 (SDR source assumed) Fast start / web optimized: enabled
Destination-specific starting settings for SDR video; no video is encoded by this planner.
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Formula or method
Recommendations map destination, resolution, and frame rate to a practical codec and bitrate rangeAssumptions
- Delivery presets assume SDR Rec. 709 footage; match your recorded frame rate and avoid upscaling.
- The video podcast preset targets Spotify; its 1440p bitrate is an editorial estimate because Spotify does not publish a target for that resolution.
- The archive preset recommends a ProRes editing master where supported, not a lossless or universal preservation format. Keep original media and project files.
Sources and verification
- YouTube Help: YouTube recommended upload encoding settingsProvides YouTube's published codec, frame-rate, audio, color-space, and upload bitrate recommendations.
- Spotify for Creators: Video specificationsDocuments video podcast containers, codecs, native frame rates, SDR color, and 1080p/4K bitrate guidance. No 1440p bitrate is specified.
- Apple: Apple ProRes white paperDescribes ProRes codec characteristics, chroma and bit-depth support, variable data rates, and editing/mastering uses. The archive preset is our editorial recommendation.
How to use the export settings
Build a practical export brief from destination, resolution, frame rate, and delivery intent. The preset is a reviewable starting point based on maintained rules; the final export must still match the current platform specification and the source media.
Keep the source frame rate and delivery purpose visible
For a standard YouTube upload, preserve the timeline frame rate unless a delivery requirement says otherwise, select the intended resolution, and use the planner's codec and bitrate guidance as a final-check list. A vertical social version should be planned as a separate composition rather than an automatic crop of the master.
Changing frame rate during export can create repeated, blended, or dropped frames. When slow motion was recorded at a high rate, confirm that the editing timeline already interprets it at the intended playback rate before using an export preset.
Review color, audio, and a short test file
Resolution and bitrate are not the whole specification. Confirm color space, transfer function, HDR metadata, audio sample rate, channel layout, loudness requirements, captions, and whether the destination will transcode the upload. Archive masters may need a different codec from distribution files.
Export a representative one-minute segment containing motion, gradients, skin tones, graphics, captions, and loud audio. Inspect it after upload when possible. A small test catches banding, crushed levels, interlacing, caption placement, and excessive file size before the full render finishes.
Questions about this tool
Should I export at a higher frame rate than the source?
Usually no. A higher export rate does not create genuine motion samples and can introduce duplication. Preserve the source or timeline rate unless a documented workflow requires conversion.
Is the highest bitrate always best?
No. Excess bitrate creates larger files and slower uploads with diminishing visual benefit. Choose a defensible range for the codec, resolution, frame rate, and content complexity.
Can one export serve every platform?
A master can feed multiple versions, but aspect ratio, captions, loudness, length, codec, and metadata often require platform-specific delivery files.