YouTube/Vimeo ruining the quality of my video

[Craig Seeman]

That video content would certainly challenge an encoder. It’s got just about everything encoder can struggle with.

Not sure if the greyed out defaults are what they portray in AME but try the following.
Set bitrate to 50,000kbps (50mbps) although it does look like you’re at 300mbps. Use High Profile. Entropy CABAC if that’s an option. Set KeyFrame rate to 1/2 the frame rate (this is extreme) which for 24fps would be a keyframe every 12 frames.

[Tommy Dimmel]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the reply! You’ve opened my eyes to a few things, and I will continue to tweak. I did exactly what you said, and it indeed produced a great looking render on my computer! However, once I uploaded it to YouTube, the video again came out looking terrible. I’m intuitively thinking that something about the black & white ‘TV static’ strobing that’s going on in this video is what’s throwing YouTube’s compressor a curveball. Here’s what it came out looking like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAwS2xkBI60

Terrible.

I then adjusted the render settings, and went with a 300mbps bitrate and set the KeyFrame rate to 1. The video came out on my computer looking EVEN BETTER, but still when I uploaded this video to YouTube, it comes out looking terrible. See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8gNV2pR10Q

One of the most notable things is the fact that there are HUGE blurs and strange artifacts that YouTube’s compressor is creating out of my background. See here for a comparison of the two:

https://www.tommydimmel.com/images/my_photos/comparison%20youtube%20to%20original.jpg

It seems like YouTube’s compressor is getting totally bamboozled by this video. I’ve been working for months on this project, and I don’t know what the heck I’m going to do if this won’t upload right…ugh…. Any ideas?

[Craig Seeman]

[Tommy Dimmel] “It seems like YouTube’s compressor is getting totally bamboozled by this video. I’ve been working for months on this project, and I don’t know what the heck I’m going to do if this won’t upload right…ugh…. Any ideas?”

Alas they have pretty much a one size fits all (or limited encoder workflows based on sources). Others have run into this as well. That’s way some use higher end paid hosts over YouTube but obviously you don’t get the viral potential.

I believe some have uploaded ProRes or Uncompressed files with the belief that helps. I’m not sure that really works though.

I believe others have said uploading at 4K frame size and having YouTube downscale looks better than uploading 1080.

[Tommy Dimmel]

…and I just saw your post about how to properly ask for compression help. Here’s that information:

Computer – I’m using a MacBook Pro Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013

Operating System – I’m using OS X Yosemite, Version 10.10.1

Software used including version number – I’m using Adobe After Effects CC 2014, 2014.2 release, Version 13.2.0.49 to create the video, and using Adobe Media Encoder CC 2014, 2014.2 Release, Build 8.2.0.54 to render the video.

Source codec – https://www.tommydimmel.com/images/my_photos/Composition%20Settings.png

Destination codec – https://www.tommydimmel.com/images/my_photos/Adobe%20Media%20Encoder%20Render%20Settings.png

Type of destination use – I want people to be able to view this video as close to its original quality as possible, streaming on YouTube and Vimeo

Thanks