How to compress a video file how to#

There are three main factors that go into determining the size of a video вЂ“ resolution, bitrate, and encoding вЂ“ and they can all play a role in helping reduce video file size: WeвЂ™ll also answer the question of whether you really need to compress large video files in the first place.Д®specially when thereвЂ™s a large file transfer service available such as MASV, with no data limits and automatic lossless compression.Д«ut first, letвЂ™s take a step back and outline the nuts and bolts of video compression in general.

How to compress a video file how to#

While this may not be a huge issue for weekend warriors transferring clips of their latest snowboarding session, itвЂ™s an existential threat for filmmakers and post-production houses who live and die by their quality.Д«elow weвЂ™ll outline the pros and cons of video compression, explain how to compress video, and list some of the most popular techniques and codecs used by video professionals. This is especially noticeable if your viewers use a large screen that pixelated or grainy look is the result of a compression artifact ). Compressed video takes data from your video file which downgrades video quality.Compressing video files takes time and can add hours to your turnaround time.ItвЂ™s an extra step in a workflow when there are already a dozen other things to do.Compressed videos also reduce bandwidth usage, upload and download times, and the amount of buffering required when streaming video.Д«ut for all its positives, the unfortunate reality is that compression has a lot of downsides. It helps get around the often-frustrating file size limitations of many file transfer and email platforms. Compressing video files can be incredibly useful when sending raw footage or particularily large video files to collaborators, partners, and clients (special shout-out to film festival print traffic coordinators too).