Ads are disabled. Enable advertising cookies to support our site.

Understanding Video Compression

What is Video Compression?

Video compression is the process of reducing the file size of video content while maintaining acceptable quality. It works by removing redundant data and using algorithms to represent the same visual information more efficiently.

Lossy Compression

Removes some data permanently to achieve smaller file sizes. Most common for streaming and social media.

• Smaller file sizes
• Some quality loss
• H.264, H.265, VP9

Lossless Compression

Reduces file size without any quality loss. Used for archival and professional editing.

• Perfect quality preservation
• Larger file sizes
• ProRes, DNxHD, FFV1

Video Codecs Explained

Codec	Quality	File Size	Compatibility	Best Use
H.264 (AVC)	Very Good	Medium	Excellent	General purpose, social media
H.265 (HEVC)	Excellent	Small	Good	4K content, streaming
VP9	Excellent	Small	Good	YouTube, web streaming
AV1	Excellent	Very Small	Limited	Future streaming, Netflix

💡 Recommendation

For maximum compatibility across all devices and platforms, use H.264. For newer devices and better compression, consider H.265 but always provide H.264 fallback.

Bitrate and Resolution Guide

Recommended Bitrates by Resolution

480p (SD)

Resolution: 854x480

Bitrate: 500-1000 kbps

Use: Basic mobile, low bandwidth

720p (HD)

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 1000-2500 kbps

Use: Social media, mobile viewing

1080p (FHD)

Resolution: 1920x1080

Bitrate: 2500-5000 kbps

Use: Standard streaming, desktop

1440p (QHD)

Resolution: 2560x1440

Bitrate: 5000-8000 kbps

Use: High-quality streaming

4K (UHD)

Resolution: 3840x2160

Bitrate: 8000-15000 kbps

Use: Premium content, cinema

8K

Resolution: 7680x4320

Bitrate: 25000+ kbps

Use: Future-proofing, archival

Bitrate Calculation Formula

Target Bitrate = (Target File Size ÷ Duration) × 8
Example: 25MB ÷ 60 seconds × 8 = 3.33 Mbps

Advanced Compression Techniques

Two-Pass Encoding

Analyzes the entire video in the first pass to optimize bitrate allocation in the second pass.

Benefits:

• Better quality at same file size
• More consistent quality across scenes
• Optimal for final delivery

Constant Rate Factor (CRF)

Maintains consistent visual quality throughout the video by varying bitrate as needed.

CRF Values:

• 18-23: High quality
• 23-28: Standard quality
• 28+: Lower quality, smaller files

📊 Quality vs File Size Trade-offs

High Compression

Smaller files, lower quality

Good for: Quick sharing, mobile data

Balanced

Good quality, reasonable size

Good for: Most use cases

High Quality

Best quality, larger files

Good for: Professional work

Platform-Specific Optimization

Social Media Platforms

Instagram

• Feed: 1080x1080 (1:1) or 1080x1350 (4:5)

• Stories: 1080x1920 (9:16)

• Reels: 1080x1920 (9:16), 30fps

• Max: 100MB, H.264 codec

Facebook

• Recommended: 1280x720 minimum

• Aspect ratio: 16:9 or 9:16

• Max: 4GB, 240 minutes

• Frame rate: 30fps or less

YouTube

• Recommended: 1920x1080, 16:9

• Shorts: 1080x1920, 9:16

• Frame rate: 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60fps

• Bitrate: Variable, H.264 or H.265

Messaging & Email

• Max size: 16MB

• Recommended: 720p for longer videos

• Duration: Up to 15 minutes

• Format: MP4, H.264

• Max size: 2GB (Premium: 4GB)

• Any resolution supported

• Fast encoding recommended

• Multiple formats supported

Email

• Max size: 25MB (most providers)

• Recommended: 720p, 1-2 Mbps

• Format: MP4 for compatibility

• Consider cloud links for larger files

Advanced Optimization Tips

🎛️ Encoder Settings

Preset: Use 'slower' for better compression efficiency
Profile: High profile for best compression
Level: 4.1 for 1080p, 5.1 for 4K
B-frames: Enable for better compression
Keyframe interval: 2-4 seconds

🎵 Audio Optimization

Codec: AAC for best compatibility
Sample Rate: 48kHz for video, 44.1kHz for music
Bitrate: 128kbps (speech), 192kbps (music)
Channels: Stereo for most content
Normalization: -23 LUFS for broadcast

🔧 FFmpeg Command Examples

High-quality compression:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset slower -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

Target file size:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 2M -maxrate 2M -bufsize 1M -c:a aac output.mp4

Mobile optimization:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=720:-2 -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -preset fast -c:a aac output.mp4

💡 Pro Tips

• Always keep original files for re-encoding if needed
• Test compression settings on short clips first
• Consider content type: animation compresses differently than live action
• Use hardware encoding (NVENC, Quick Sync) for faster processing
• Monitor quality using objective metrics (PSNR, SSIM, VMAF)

Complete Video Compression Guide

Table of Contents