I have a 2.5 minute video clip, and it is over 2 GB. It is very good quality, but I'm not sure why the file is so big. I need it to be no bigger than 50 MB to upload to a website, and can't seem to figure out a way to do it. I tried exporting and adjusting the bit rate to 300 kb/sec. It came to 48 MB but the quality was abysmal and the aspect ratio had been skewed. How can I make it a much smaller file (doesn't need to be HD) without losing too much quality?
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Compressing video file with FCP 7
- Thread starter DanMacCurious
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Apple's "Compressor" is very good at this. It will likely give you the best results. If you need a free program try "Handbrake"
Look into Compressor if you need a broad selection of output options for things like broadcast but something like Handbrake will do the job too. You need to understand how to encode things properly which you'll have to understand things like bit rate, frame size, etc. to properly encode quality media. Handbrake and Compressor all should have pre-sets for iOS devices and web to make it easier but in the long run understanding encoding choices will allow you to make smaller media at higher qualities. I can't say for sure without looking at your files but generally speaking 50MB's for 2.5minutes is not allot, if your uploading a file for the web you should start with a very good quality version since the website will most likely re-encode the file AGAIN.
For a 720p HD file in H.264 MP4 format I would set the video bit rate to 5000kb/s with AAC audio at 128kb/s
For 1080p HD usually 6000-12000kb/s with AAC audio at least 128kb/s
So for SD you could get away with 1500-4000 but if you ask me better to use a higher bit rate if its only 2.5minutes.
EDIT: Just saw it HAS to be 50mb's or under...thought thats what you wanted not needed. Unfortunetely that doesn't leave allot of room for any type of quality at anything other that abysmal frame sizes. You might get away with 300kb/s at 320x240p though.
For a 720p HD file in H.264 MP4 format I would set the video bit rate to 5000kb/s with AAC audio at 128kb/s
For 1080p HD usually 6000-12000kb/s with AAC audio at least 128kb/s
So for SD you could get away with 1500-4000 but if you ask me better to use a higher bit rate if its only 2.5minutes.
EDIT: Just saw it HAS to be 50mb's or under...thought thats what you wanted not needed. Unfortunetely that doesn't leave allot of room for any type of quality at anything other that abysmal frame sizes. You might get away with 300kb/s at 320x240p though.