Doing compression tests can be time consuming.
I recommend you create a new sequence that will be 1 minute long. Place your final sequence in it (nest it) and clip it down, selecting portions with high motion, transitions, cuts, titles, etc – stuff that doesn’t compress well.
Now you can run a bunch of tests, and not have to wait 12 hours between attempts. Keep notes on all of the settings you are using, even for the failures. Include the compression settings, frame size, frame rate, etc.
Enabling 2-Pass & VBR will give you the best result. However, note that using VBR will prevent you from being able to do exact calculations regarding program length and final file size.
What compression to use depends on what you want to do with the video. Archive, web, kiosk, broadcast, etc.
Just a few things to think about.
Vince
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