FCP video output Directions for Youtube—H.264

[Shawn Fox]

I use quicktime conversion, and h.264, and then play around with the setting depending on the quality and size you need.

[Greg Ondera]

YouTube publishes a criteria for best codecs, so refer to that. I don’t know where it is offhand, but it is in there. Also if it is interlaced video make sure you deinterlace, but don’t deinterlace if it is progressive. Always do 2 pass, even though it takes longer. Go ahead and choose a high bit rate, because YouTube will lower it anyway.I always crush the blacks at about 20 but leave whites at 255.

So here is one of my menus for H.264:
VBR using Peak Rate with peak at 1200 and average at 600 kbit/s
Reference frames at 5 and keyframe distance at 300 frames
B-frames at 3
I encode highest quality at CABAC using 2-pass
4:2:2 color space or 4:2:0 if you use CAVLC or go with the scheme of your source
90 for encoding speed
1 slice and every keyframe is an IDR frame with initial buffer fullness at 100%
Black and White Restoration with Black 20, White 255
Always keep the same frame rate as the original and this is for a 480 x 360 4×3 aspect ratio. Widescreen is pretty much the same with a bitrate of 1440 for peak and average at 1200. I know that most pundits say keep the average rate half the peak rate, but YouTube will alter it anyway.

Greg Ondera
http://www.Plexus.tv
http://www.SurgeonToday.org

[Tony Young]

Some very good info at kenstone.net–needs updating a bit, but is helpful.

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/you_tube_redux_gary.html

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/youtube_compressor_gary.html

[Brad Kopp]

why do you de interlace please? my hockey stuff looks sharper if I send it interlaced when exported.
here is example of the interlaced upload;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0SAn6-XcWA

this one was de interlaced when I compressed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFEzOA_WtrE

Moto Guzzi rider
dog lover w/wife, Ex & 3 kids

Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!

This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.

[Daniel Monskey]

Thanks for the detailed directions. Much of it I don’t recognize or understand, but I figure I will when I get in and start exploring the settings. What am I going in through—Quicktime or Quicktime Conversion?
Dan

[Joel Peregrine]

Hi Daniel,

Everything uploaded to youtube is re-encoded, so its best not to limit the bitrate or size. Sending them the best quality file possible with result in the best looking results in the end. I encode all my movies for youtube with H.264 multi-pass at 10000 kbits/sec and at the original resolution – 1920×1080. Audio is 256k 44.1 AAC. Giving them an hd file originally triggers an hd file to also be encoded and offered.

Because you have a G4 these settings are going to bog down your computer. There are two options – just deal with it and batch encode them overnight, or buy a device like the Elgato H.264 Turbo:

https://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Turbo264HD/product1.en.html

The quality isn’t as good as a QT multipass but its definitely watchable and encodes very fast regardless of your machine.

And just a note: Don’t judge the final youtube movie quality by what you see right after you upload. If you uploaded the movie and looked right away at it you most often see the lowest resolution version only. If you wait a bit they complete encoding the higher resolution versions and if you have a broadband connection it looks much better. Occasionally you’ll see a notice pop up that the quality will improve if what you’re seeing is full of artifacts.

My youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/weddingfilmsdotcom

[Kevin Monahan]

If only you could upgrade your machine and get to FCP 7. Through Share, this is all an automated process that happens in the background.

A G4 with FCS 1 is operating about 5 years behind us, we did it back then so anything is possible.

Kevin Monahan
60 Blu-ray Templates for Final Cut Studio 2009
http://www.fcpworld.com
Author – Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro

[Joel Peregrine]

Hi Kevin,

OT – what happened to the title of my post??? Something whacky going on. That is from a different, unrelated thread…