Best format from Final Cut Express to YouTube?

[DerekLearning]

Hi all
I am relatively new do Final Cut Express.
I created video with FCE using a CANON VIXIA HF S100 (AVCHD)
The trouble is this. I exported a great MP4 file for a project but now forgot which were the optimum settings I used. File info indicates, "1280x720, AAC, H.264" and a Total Bit Rate of 1,311. Quality on YouTube is great. Problem is I made some very minor changes to video and now cannot remember those best export settings no matter how many variations I try. Even though I am saving as MPEG, using AAC, H.264, 1280x720 etc - the quality is not nearly as good as was. And the MPEG of updated file is even larger - but quality is worse!

I think the answer lies with some wrong way of process of exporting. As even if I create a new file with the 1,311 Total bit rate, is still a quality not nearly as good as original.

Can anyone help?
Greatly appreciated.
Derek

 

[ncdasa]

sorry i cant really help but i am wondering what the answer is too because a similar thing happened to me. The first time i tried to compress a video it came out very very good. For the time size and quality it was very impressive, but seeing as how i didnt have any idea what i was really doing i never figured out how to do it again. Then some of friends with more experience tried to see what happened and we all ended up scratching our heads.

Anyway another thing happened recently like this also. My friend who has been compressing video for year with the same settings recently saw that they werent producing the same quality outcome as they used too ???? i know its weird but we tried numerous times and that is deffinatly the case.


The only thing i can think of is that there is some conspiracy i know it sounds stupid but if you think back, the day Leapord was released apple sent emails to everyone using boot camp and told them boot camp wouldnt work anymore with tiger and if they wanted to use it they had to buy Leapord.
So what iam getting at is maybe this is the start of some skam so that people will have to spend money on some upgraded compression technology to do what they used to be able to already do.

I know it sounds crazy, but stupid money grubbing ppl arent exactly furnished with good sense so iam not ruling it out as a possibilty until i hear a better explination or videos start compressing like they used too.