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MPEG Streamclip export settings for YouTube

Tilpots

Tilpots

macrumors 601
Original poster
Hello,

I direct a half-hour show and I would like to put it on YouTube. The show is divided into 3 segments so the YT 10 minute max rule is covered. I hold all the copyrights needed and the commercials will be removed. The show is recorded to a DVCPro Tape and digitized via Adobe Premiere Pro v7.0 Columbo (from 2003ish) into .avi files using a Canopus CDVC(?) codec. On average an 8 min segment ends up being about 1.7 GB.

Quality, file size, and time are my main issues and where I need the most help. I'd like to use MPEG Streamclip to convert the .avi's into something much smaller in a codec/container which YT can accept. YT has a 1 GB limit but I'm looking to come in +/-100MB after conversion. My main reason for this is the uploading time factor. I've been experimenting and can get the file down to about 150MB using a 320x240 aspect and .mp4/h.264 compression at 75% quailty. This looks good to me in QT. Will it look this good once I upload it to YT? Is there a better compression method? This seems to take hours to upload using YT's Gear. Is there a faster way to do it?

I'm really trying to figure it out on my own, but it's just taking too much time, so I wanted to see if you experts could help. I've never tried to do anything on this scale before. All your thoughts are appreciated. Let me know if you need more info. Thanks.
 
Sounds like you are doing everything ok. The videos should look fine on the normal setting, but if you want to use the youtube in high quality mode then you should just wait the extra time to upload higher quality files.
 
NeoMayhem said:
Sounds like you are doing everything ok. The videos should look fine on the normal setting, but if you want to use the youtube in high quality mode then you should just wait the extra time to upload higher quality files.
Click to expand...

OK, thanks.

I"d love to keep the quality near broadcast quality, but when I tried to upload a file that was near the 1 GB limit, it looked like it would take about 7 or so hours to finish. I'd have to do this three times for each segment. Is that a normal upload time for YT?
 
compression for youtube

First thought (others chime in if you have more info on this) but I've noticed that MPEGStreamclip seems to do a very poor job with its h264 encodes compared to something like Compressor (comes with Final Cut) and even Quicktime Pro. So if I was you I might try a couple different apps to see if you can get improved quality that way. Not all h264 is created equal. Best way to test this is try to find the most challenging one minute snippet in terms of video compression (lots of movement, changes, etc...) and use that 1 minute clip as a test clip for each of the different apps.

As far as settings go I would try setting the dimensions at 640x480 and limit the data rate to around 2,000kbps. That should give you around a 150ish meg file for your ten minute video. But if you really want the best quality I'd set it more around 5,000kbps and just upload overnight or something. Experiment a bit and see what works best for you.
 
timseley said:
First thought (others chime in if you have more info on this) but I've noticed that MPEGStreamclip seems to do a very poor job with its h264 encodes compared to something like Compressor (comes with Final Cut) and even Quicktime Pro. So if I was you I might try a couple different apps to see if you can get improved quality that way. Not all h264 is created equal. Best way to test this is try to find the most challenging one minute snippet in terms of video compression (lots of movement, changes, etc...) and use that 1 minute clip as a test clip for each of the different apps.

As far as settings go I would try setting the dimensions at 640x480 and limit the data rate to around 2,000kbps. That should give you around a 150ish meg file for your ten minute video. But if you really want the best quality I'd set it more around 5,000kbps and just upload overnight or something. Experiment a bit and see what works best for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll give your settings a try on Monday.

It's a talk show so none of the video has much motion, which really works in my favor. I'm editing on an old Windows machine, so Final Cut is out. I also try to stay away from QT becasue I can't upgrade it past 6.? or it won't work with Premeire and the ancient version of After Effects I'm using. Any other free apps that do h264 better than MPEG Streamclip?

On Friday, I ended up using MPEG Streamclip, 320x240, 75% to achieve a file size of about 150MB. It's not perfect but usable until I find a better solution. Again, thanks for the responses.
 
try ffmpeg

You might try out FFmpeg... not quite as easy as mpeg streamclip but also a very helpful encoding tool.
http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/ There's another program called SUPER that does a lot but its a really ugly piece of software. Feels like you're using malware.
 
timseley said:
You might try out FFmpeg... not quite as easy as mpeg streamclip but also a very helpful encoding tool.
http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/ There's another program called SUPER that does a lot but its a really ugly piece of software. Feels like you're using malware.
Click to expand...

Took a look at ffmpeg, but it looks way out of my league. Seeing all the projects that use it, makes me believe this is the way to go. Going to start searching for a tutorial that will help me take baby steps thru it...

Thanks for the recommendation.
 
timseley said:
FFmpeg can appear pretty confusing because there's so many different "versions" of it. To keep it simple you really basically need a good GUI (graphical user interface) for it. Found this link...
http://www.nerdlogger.com/2008/08/quick-media-converter-brings-windows.html
I haven't used the pc side much for encoding, so I don't have any specific recommendations on apps, but if you need more help with specific settings I'd be glad to help.
Click to expand...

So I downloaded QMC and am converting now. GUI isn't the greatest, but it's better than commnad line... I'll let you know how it goes.


****DOWNLOADED

I used the QT h.264 preset and the file size was good, the quality OK, but it stuttered and lost lip sync throughout, especially when skipping around the video. I might try another setting or two, but so far, MPEG Streamclip has given more reliable files.
 
Don't forget that HandBrake now accepts any type of file that ffmpeg can. They just overhauled the GUI too, and included the latest x264 encoder updates... might be worth checking out.
 
dolphin842 said:
Don't forget that HandBrake now accepts any type of file that ffmpeg can. They just overhauled the GUI too, and included the latest x264 encoder updates... might be worth checking out.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize that. I know that wasnt the case with .9.2(?) I've used this quite a lot but only for DVD's. I'll give it a try. Working on a new show today.
 
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