Best iMovie HD export settings for YouTube

[akeibler]

Alright, so I record online matches from my favorite videogame using a Dazzle and a program called VideoGlide. It records them to normal .mov files which, when uploaded directly to YouTube, look perfectly fine. An example can be found here.

However, I've recently taken to importing the movies to iMovie HD, adding music, and exporting them back out. THEN I upload them to YouTube. Unfortunately, a lot of quality is lost when exporting them from iMovie, and they end up looking like this. Basically, I'm left between choosing whether I want music on my videos, or quality.

So, what export settings should I use on iMovie for optimal YouTube upload quality?

 

[Dave Braine]

What are you exporting at at the moment? I generally use the CD-ROM setting with iMovieHD. A lot will depend on the resulting file size. I think the current size limit is 2 gig, so you'll have to pick the setting that falls below this.

 

[akeibler]

What are you exporting at at the moment? I generally use the CD-ROM setting with iMovieHD. A lot will depend on the resulting file size. I think the current size limit is 2 gig, so you'll have to pick the setting that falls below this.

To be totally honest, I don't know what that means. When I export, I heard I'm supposed to go to custom export settings and put in my own numbers. Heretofore, though, everything I've been told to enter has left the video in poor quality for YouTube.

All I want is to know what to click/enter so that when I upload the video to YouTube, it's the same quality as the original clips I uploaded to iMovie (which isn't exceptional, as you can see in the first link in the OP).

 

[cocky jeremy]

Depends on the size, like someone said above. If you upload often enough, the 2 GB file size limit is lifted. Almost all of my videos are 2-3 GB. I don't upload via YouTube. I export via Quicktime. I seem to get much better results, quality-wise.

 

[Dave Braine]

To be totally honest, I don't know what that means.

Click on iMovie's Share menu, and choose Quicktime. You will then see this:

The Full Quality setting works out at about 3GB per 15 minutes of video, so if it's a short video use that setting. Otherwise use the CD-ROM setting.

Videos get converted and compressed when uploaded to YouTube, so there will be a loss of quality.

Here's one of mine shot on MiniDV and uploaded using the CD-ROM setting. It's not that much off the original quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKdocy-pxGs