YouTube export settings: format, resolution and bitrate
A practical starting point for YouTube uploads, with source frame rates, SDR bitrate guidance and settings you can control in the editor.
Understand the trade-off
YouTube recommends MP4, H.264 video and a 48 kHz audio sample rate. Keep the frame rate at which the footage was recorded; converting 24 fps to 60 fps does not recreate motion that was never captured.
The figures below are YouTube’s SDR upload recommendations, not a guarantee of final playback quality or a requirement for every social platform. YouTube processes uploaded videos into its own playback versions.
A useful starting point
- 1080p SDR: 8 Mbps at 24–30 fps; 12 Mbps at 48–60 fps.
- 4K SDR: 35–45 Mbps at 24–30 fps; 53–68 Mbps at 48–60 fps.
- In Advanced export settings, 8 Mbps is entered as 8000 kbps.
- Preserve the recorded frame rate unless you have a specific delivery requirement.
Use the editor
- Drop a video onto the home page; processing happens in your browser.
- Use the thumbnail timeline to set the clip boundaries. Zoom to the clip for precise adjustments.
- Choose an aspect ratio, then move or resize the crop frame.
- Select the output format. Open Advanced export settings only if you need quality, resolution, frame rate or bitrate controls.
- Export, then play the saved file before sharing it.
Test a short sample
Test a short section that includes movement, text and audio before exporting the full video. Trim and crop edits re-encode the selected video; Auto can preserve compatible unedited streams. Keep the source file so you can try again.
Check the result
Inspect the beginning and end, the subject’s framing, audio sync and small text. Check file size and dimensions, then preview the destination platform’s upload: it may resize or recompress the result.