Video Export Settings: Formats, Codecs, Resolution and Bitrate

Video export settings are the last point where weeks of work can lose their quality: blocky images, washed-out color, audio drifting out of sync, or a file so large the client can't open it. The general rule is simple: match your source settings, choose the codec that suits where the file is going, and give it enough bitrate. This guide explains containers versus codecs, how to choose resolution, frame rate, bitrate and audio settings, and what to export for the web, for your archive and for broadcast.

Containers and codecs: the key difference

When someone says "export it as an MP4", they are giving you half the information. A video file has two layers:

• The container is the wrapper that holds the video stream, audio streams, subtitles and metadata in one file: MP4, MOV, MXF and MKV are all containers.
• The codec is the method used to compress the picture and sound inside that wrapper: H.264, H.265 and ProRes are codecs.

Two MP4 files can therefore hold completely different codecs, and a MOV file can hold high-quality ProRes or a lightweight H.264 stream. Quality, file size and compatibility are decided first by the codec and its settings.

Delivery codecs and working codecs

Delivery codecs such as H.264 and H.265 compress across frames (long-GOP): they store a complete frame every so often and only the differences in between. That gives small files for viewing, but they are hard work for editing software and lose some quality with every re-encode.

Working (intermediate) codecs such as ProRes and DNxHR compress each frame on its own (intra-frame). Files are large, but they edit smoothly and hold their quality through several generations of export. ProRes comes in tiers from lightest to highest quality: Proxy, LT, 422, 422 HQ, 4444 and 4444 XQ. The two 4444 tiers support an alpha (transparency) channel, which is useful when delivering motion graphics to be layered over video.

The practical rule: deliver to audiences in H.264, keep your master in a working codec, and send material to a colourist or motion designer in a working codec, never as a compressed H.264 file.

Resolution and frame rate: match the source

Resolution

Export at your timeline resolution, and set up the timeline to match the final destination from the start. The most common sizes:

• 1920×1080 (Full HD) for standard horizontal video.
• 3840×2160 (UHD 4K) for high-resolution content and archives.
• 1080×1920 for vertical 9:16 video.
• 1080×1080 for square, and 1080×1350 for 4:5 portrait posts.

Upscaling can't add detail that isn't there, while downscaling from 4K to 1080p often looks cleaner. Also make sure the pixel aspect ratio is square (1.0) and that web exports are progressive, not interlaced.

Frame rate

Export at the frame rate the footage was shot at and the timeline was built on: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 or 60. Converting between incompatible rates, such as 25 to 30, causes stutter or duplicated frames that viewers notice in movement. In much of the Middle East, television broadcasting is tied to 25 frames per second, while phones commonly shoot at 30 or 60, so ask the recipient which rate they need before the shoot, not just before the export.

Bitrate: quality versus file size

Bitrate is the amount of data given to each second of video, usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Higher bitrate means better quality and a bigger file. You can estimate size easily: a 60-second file at 10 Mbps is 600 megabits, or about 75 megabytes, plus the audio.

Constant and variable bitrate

• Constant bitrate (CBR) gives every second the same amount of data, whether it is a static interview or a busy celebration. File size is predictable, and some live-streaming and broadcast specs require it.
• Variable bitrate (VBR) gives complex shots (water, smoke, confetti, fast motion) more data and saves on calm ones. It usually delivers better quality at the same file size.
• Two-pass VBR analyses the whole video in a first pass and encodes it in a second, distributing data more efficiently in exchange for a longer export.

Some encoders also offer a constant-quality mode instead of a fixed bitrate: the encoder raises or lowers the data rate to hold a chosen quality level.

How much do you really need?

The right bitrate depends on resolution, frame rate, amount of motion and codec. Video at 60 fps needs more data than video at 25 fps, and H.265 needs less than H.264 for similar quality. As a common starting point, many editors use roughly 10 to 20 Mbps for a 1080p H.264 file meant for uploading to platforms, and around 35 to 60 Mbps for 4K. Treat these as rough figures: platforms publish and update their own recommendations, so check each platform's current help pages.

Remember that platforms re-compress everything you upload. A heavily compressed file gets compressed a second time and its flaws multiply, so upload at a higher quality than viewers will actually see.

Gradients and banding

Skies and dark backgrounds sometimes show visible steps instead of smooth gradients, known as banding. You can reduce it by raising the bitrate, adding a very light layer of grain, or exporting at 10-bit where the destination supports it. H.264 files for general publishing usually stay 8-bit for the widest compatibility.

Audio settings

• Codec: AAC for MP4 files meant for publishing; uncompressed PCM for masters in MOV or MXF.
• Sample rate: 48 kHz, the usual standard for video. Keep the timeline and the export at the same rate.
• Audio bitrate: 192 to 320 kbps is a common range for stereo AAC on the web.
• Channels: stereo in most cases, though broadcasters may ask for a specific track layout, such as the full mix on two tracks and music and effects on two others.
• Loudness: platforms and channels measure loudness in LUFS, and each has its own target. Audio in Video: Dialogue, Music and Effects explains how to mix for your destination.

Exporting for each destination

Web and social media

Export an MP4 with H.264, or H.265 where the platform accepts it, with AAC audio at 48 kHz, the original frame rate and 1080p or higher. Choose the aspect ratio each platform expects, use the Rec.709 color space for standard (SDR) content, and watch the file on a phone before publishing, because color can look different between players. Length limits, file-size caps and recommended sizes change often, so confirm them in the platform's current help pages. Vertical video has its own considerations, covered in Editing Short-Form Video.

Archive and master files

The master is the source for every future version. Export it in a high-quality working codec, such as ProRes 422 HQ in a MOV or DNxHR HQX in an MXF, with PCM audio. Keep a textless version alongside it, plus separate stems for dialogue, music and effects, and your subtitle files. Organizing a Video Editing Project and Its Files explains how to archive them.

Broadcast television

Every channel has a technical delivery document that specifies codec and container, frame rate, progressive or interlaced scanning, loudness target, safe areas for text, the slate and countdown, and how much black and silence to put at the head and tail of the file. Don't guess any of these values: ask for the document and follow it to the letter, because channels run technical checks on files before accepting them.

Screens at events and malls

Large LED screens often have unusual resolutions. Ask for the exact pixel dimensions, the file format the playback system accepts and whether audio is needed at all, and design the ending to flow back into the beginning if the clip will play on a loop.

Review and approval copies

Export a light copy at 720p or 1080p with a visible timecode burned into the picture and a watermark marking it as a review copy. If you send it over WhatsApp, sending it as a document usually keeps its quality instead of letting the app compress it.

Common export mistakes

• Exporting from low-quality proxies instead of the originals without noticing.
• Converting the frame rate by accident because the default export preset differs from the timeline.
• Double compression: exporting H.264 and then running it through a conversion site or app that compresses it again.
• Forgetting in and out points, leaving black at the end of the file or cutting part of it off.
• Watching only the first few seconds of the export, when the fault appears in the middle or at the end.

Pre-delivery checklist

• Have you watched the whole file at normal speed, with headphones?
• Are the first and last frames clean, with no black flash or stray frame?
• Is the audio in sync right up to the last second?
• Are text and subtitles correct, with Arabic letters joined and running in the right direction?
• Have you played the file on both a phone and a computer?
• Do resolution, frame rate and aspect ratio match what was requested?
• Does the file name follow the agreed naming convention?
• Have you saved the master before deleting anything?

For the full workflow from import to export, see Video Editing: The Complete Beginner's Guide.