YouTube Export Settings: What to Use and Why

For most YouTube uploads, export an MP4 file using H.264 video (High profile, progressive, 4:2:0 colour), AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz stereo, the same frame rate you shot or edited at, and a bitrate at or above YouTube's recommendation for your resolution. YouTube re-encodes every upload, so the goal is not a small file but a clean, high-quality source that survives that second encode well.

The figures below are based on YouTube Help's page "Recommended upload encoding settings". YouTube updates that page from time to time, so treat the numbers as correct at the time of writing and check the official page before settling on a preset.

Why export settings matter when YouTube re-encodes anyway

Whatever you upload, YouTube creates its own versions at several resolutions and bitrates for different devices and connections. That leads some creators to assume their export settings do not matter. They do, for three reasons:

1. Quality compounds. Every lossy encode throws away detail. A starved upload loses detail twice: once in your export and again on YouTube's side.
2. Compatibility. Unusual containers, interlaced video or odd frame rates can slow processing, cause audio drift or produce odd playback.
3. Consistency. A saved preset means every video on the channel looks and sounds the same, which is easier to troubleshoot.

Upload file size is rarely the limiting factor for creators on a reasonable connection, so erring on the side of a higher bitrate is usually the right call.

Recommended settings at a glance

At the time of writing, YouTube's recommendations for standard uploads are as follows.

Most editing software exposes these as a "YouTube" or "H.264 High quality" preset. You rarely need to set every item by hand, but it is worth checking the preset against this list once.

Video bitrate by resolution

YouTube publishes a recommended video bitrate for each resolution, with higher figures for high frame rates (48, 50 and 60 fps). At the time of writing, the SDR recommendations are:

HDR uploads have their own, higher table on the same help page.

Treat these as minimums rather than targets. Many editors upload 1080p at well above 8 Mbps, particularly for content with fine detail, grain, fast motion or lots of on-screen text, which tend to show compression artefacts first.

A note on uploading at a higher resolution

A widely shared tip is to export 1080p footage upscaled to 1440p or 4K so that YouTube allocates a higher-quality encode. Whether this is worthwhile depends on the content and on how YouTube processes video at the time, which is not publicly documented in detail. If you try it, compare the results on the devices your audience actually uses and decide based on what you see, not on the file size.

Frame rate and scan type

Export at the frame rate you shot and edited at. Converting 25 fps footage to 30 fps adds duplicated frames and visible judder; converting 50 fps to 25 fps is cleaner but throws away motion smoothness you may want. UK creators often shoot at 25 or 50 fps because of the country's 50 Hz mains electricity, which reduces flicker under artificial lights; our guide to frame rates explains the background.

Interlaced footage, from older cameras or broadcast sources, should be deinterlaced before upload. YouTube's recommendation is progressive scan.

For AI-generated clips, check the frame rate of each clip before editing. Generated video is often 24 fps, and mixing it into a 25 or 30 fps timeline without thought produces uneven motion.

Resolution and aspect ratio

Export at the resolution of your timeline. For standard videos, 16:9 is the normal aspect ratio; YouTube's player adapts to vertical and square videos, and Shorts are vertical. Our guide to video aspect ratios lists the common sizes for each platform.

Avoid adding black bars yourself. If your content is 4:3 or 9:16, export it at that shape and let the player handle the rest; hard-coded letterboxing wastes pixels and looks wrong on some devices.

Colour

For standard dynamic range (SDR) uploads, YouTube recommends BT.709 colour primaries, transfer characteristics and matrix coefficients, which is what virtually all SDR editing timelines use. Problems usually come from missing or mismatched colour tags, which can make exports look washed out or over-contrasty after upload.

Practical steps:

• Keep your timeline in a Rec. 709 working space unless you are deliberately making HDR.
• Make sure your export tags the file as BT.709.
• If a video looks different after upload, compare the exported file in a player that respects colour tags before blaming YouTube.

HDR has separate requirements (including specific transfer functions and metadata) that are covered on YouTube's HDR help pages; do not attempt it without a proper HDR monitoring setup.

Audio

At the time of writing, YouTube recommends AAC-LC (or Opus) audio at 48 kHz, with recommended bitrates of 128 kbps for mono, 384 kbps for stereo and 512 kbps for 5.1. For most spoken-word and music-bed content, 48 kHz stereo AAC at 320–384 kbps is more than enough.

Two audio problems cause more complaints than codec choice:

• Inconsistent loudness. Keep dialogue clear and consistent across the video. YouTube adjusts playback volume, but a mix that jumps between quiet speech and loud music will still sound poor.
• Sample rate mismatches. Recording at 44.1 kHz and editing in a 48 kHz project can cause drift or artefacts in some workflows. Pick 48 kHz for video projects and convert any odd sources when you import them.

Music choice matters too, for copyright rather than quality reasons; see our guide to copyright-safe music for YouTube.

An FFmpeg example

If you render from a script or need to re-wrap a master file, this FFmpeg command produces an upload file close to YouTube's recommendations for 1080p at 25 fps:

ffmpeg -i master.mov \
  -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 -profile:v high -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -g 12 -bf 2 -maxrate 16M -bufsize 32M \
  -vf "setparams=color_primaries=bt709:color_trc=bt709:colorspace=bt709" \
  -c:a aac -b:a 384k -ar 48000 -ac 2 \
  -movflags +faststart \
  upload.mp4

What each part does:

• -crf 18 targets visual quality with a variable bitrate; lower numbers mean higher quality and bigger files.
• -profile:v high and -pix_fmt yuv420p match the recommended profile and chroma subsampling.
• -g 12 sets the keyframe interval to about half the frame rate (use -g 15 for 30 fps, -g 30 for 60 fps). libx264 uses closed GOPs and CABAC by default.
• -bf 2 sets two consecutive B-frames.
• -maxrate and -bufsize cap peaks so the bitrate stays sensible on very busy scenes.
• setparams tags the frames as BT.709. On recent FFmpeg versions the older -color_primaries/-color_trc output options can be ignored when the source is untagged, so the filter is the more reliable way to set them; check with ffprobe that the tags are present.
• -movflags +faststart moves the moov atom to the front of the file.

Check the result with ffprobe upload.mp4 before uploading. For more everyday commands, see our list of FFmpeg commands for creators, and the encoder options are documented at >ffmpeg.org.

Quick checklist

• MP4 container with fast start.
• H.264, High profile, progressive, 4:2:0.
• Frame rate matches the source; no unnecessary conversion.
• Bitrate at or above YouTube's figure for your resolution and frame rate.
• BT.709 colour tags for SDR.
• AAC-LC, 48 kHz, stereo, 384 kbps.
• Watch the exported file once before uploading.
• Check YouTube Help: "Recommended upload encoding settings" for any changes.

FAQ

Should I upload in H.265 (HEVC) or ProRes instead?

YouTube accepts many formats, and some creators upload high-bitrate masters to reduce generation loss. However, YouTube's published recommendation is H.264 in MP4, and those files are smaller and more predictable to process. Use a different format only if you have a reason and have tested it.

Why does my video look blurry straight after uploading?

YouTube usually processes a lower resolution first and higher resolutions afterwards. HD and 4K versions can take longer to appear, especially for long videos. Wait for processing to finish before judging quality.

Does a higher bitrate always mean better quality on YouTube?

Up to a point. Once your upload is clean, extra bitrate adds file size but little visible benefit, because viewers see YouTube's encode, not yours.

What settings should I use for Shorts?

The same codec and audio settings apply. Export vertically, typically 1080×1920, at your source frame rate.