Video Export Settings Cheat Sheet for Every Platform

Q: Should I export in H.264 or H.265?

Use H.264 for maximum compatibility — it plays everywhere. H.265 (HEVC) makes smaller files at the same quality but can cause playback issues on older devices and slower uploads. For client delivery or archiving, H.265 is fine; for sharing, stick with H.264.

Q: Why does my video look blurry after uploading?

Usually one of three causes: you exported at a bitrate too low for the resolution, you uploaded in a low resolution and the platform downscaled it further, or the platform is still processing the HD version. Export at the recommended bitrate and wait for processing to finish before judging quality.

October 24, 2026 · 6 min read · By the DollarWise team

Video Export Settings Cheat Sheet for Every Platform

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Every platform recompresses your video, but the quality you get out depends on the quality you put in. Export too low and your video looks soft and blocky forever; export too high and you waste hours uploading a file the platform will crush anyway. The sweet spot is different for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and the rest — and guessing it fresh on every project is how creators end up with blurry uploads.

This free cheat sheet gives you the export settings for every major platform: resolution, codec, bitrate, frame rate, and audio, in one scannable reference. It is written for YouTubers, short-form creators, freelancers delivering client work, and anyone tired of re-exporting. Each setting is one clear line with a copy button.

What’s inside this cheat sheet

The cheat sheet covers eleven destinations: YouTube in 1080p and 4K, vertical short-form (Reels, TikTok, Shorts), Instagram feed posts, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Discord, web embeds, and an archival master copy. Each platform section lists the container and codec, resolution and aspect ratio, recommended video bitrate, frame rate guidance, and audio settings. Use it as a quick reference at export time — no more digging through forum threads mid-render.

The full video export settings cheat sheet

Match your export to where the video will be watched. When in doubt, export one quality level above the minimum — platforms only ever take quality away.

YouTube — 1080p

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio for universal compatibility.
Resolution: 1920x1080, 16:9 aspect ratio; export at your timeline's native resolution.
Video bitrate: 8-12 Mbps for standard content, up to 16 Mbps for fast motion or gaming.
Frame rate: match your source (24, 30, or 60 fps); never convert frame rates at export.
Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz sample rate, stereo.

YouTube — 4K

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 (or VP9 if your encoder supports it cleanly).
Resolution: 3840x2160, 16:9; upload true 4K to unlock YouTube's higher-quality VP9 processing.
Video bitrate: 35-45 Mbps for SDR, 50-68 Mbps for HDR content.
Frame rate: match your source; 24/30/60 fps are all fine at 4K.
Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo.

Vertical short-form — Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio.
Resolution: 1080x1920, 9:16 vertical; keep key text inside the central safe zone.
Video bitrate: 10-16 Mbps; short-form compression is aggressive, so feed it quality.
Frame rate: 30 fps is the safe default; 60 fps only if the motion needs it.
Audio: AAC, 256-320 kbps, 48 kHz; loudness-normalize dialogue before export.

Instagram feed video

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio.
Resolution: 1080x1350 (4:5 portrait) for maximum feed space, or 1080x1080 square.
Video bitrate: 8-12 Mbps; Instagram caps uploads around 250 MB.
Frame rate: 30 fps; keep clips under the format's length limit.
Audio: AAC, 256 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo.

Facebook

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio.
Resolution: 1280x720 minimum; 1920x1080 recommended for feed videos.
Video bitrate: 6-10 Mbps; Facebook compresses heavily, so stay near the top of the range.
Frame rate: 30 fps or below for the smoothest processing.
Audio: AAC, 256 kbps, 48 kHz; add burned-in captions since most views start muted.

X (Twitter)

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio.
Resolution: 1280x720 minimum; 1920x1080 for landscape, 1080x1920 for vertical.
Video bitrate: 8-12 Mbps; keep the file under 512 MB.
Frame rate: 30 fps recommended; 60 fps is supported but processed harder.
Audio: AAC, 256 kbps, 48 kHz.

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio.
Resolution: 1920x1080 landscape, or 1080x1350 portrait for feed presence.
Video bitrate: 8-10 Mbps; keep files under 5 GB and 15 minutes for organic posts.
Frame rate: 30 fps; LinkedIn accepts up to 60 but gains nothing from it.
Audio: AAC, 256 kbps, 48 kHz; captions strongly recommended for feed viewing.

Vimeo

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264; ProRes 422 accepted for the highest quality tier.
Resolution: export at native resolution up to 4K; Vimeo preserves quality better than social platforms.
Video bitrate: 10-20 Mbps for 1080p, 40-60 Mbps for 4K H.264 uploads.
Frame rate: match your source frame rate exactly.
Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo.

Discord and messaging apps

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264 for guaranteed inline playback.
Resolution: 1280x720 is the sweet spot for fast uploads and smooth playback.
Video bitrate: 5-8 Mbps; keep free-tier uploads under the 25 MB file limit.
Frame rate: 30 fps; trim length before lowering quality to fit size limits.
Audio: AAC, 192-256 kbps, 48 kHz.

Website embeds

Container and codec: MP4 with H.264; consider a WebM fallback for modern browsers.
Resolution: 1920x1080 maximum; most embeds display far smaller.
Video bitrate: 5-8 Mbps to balance quality with page load speed.
Enable fast-start (moov atom at the front) so playback begins before the full download.
Audio: AAC, 192-256 kbps, 48 kHz.

Archival master copy

Container and codec: ProRes 422 or DNxHR HQ in MOV for an edit-friendly master.
Resolution: your timeline's full native resolution — never downscale the master.
Video bitrate: use the codec's high-quality preset; file size is not a concern for masters.
Frame rate: match the source exactly, including any high-frame-rate footage.
Audio: uncompressed PCM or AAC 320 kbps minimum, 48 kHz.

How to use this cheat sheet

Identify where the video will be watched first — export for the primary platform, not all of them at once.
Set resolution and aspect ratio before anything else; everything downstream depends on it.
Dial in the recommended bitrate for that platform, leaning toward the top of the range for fast-moving content.
Match the frame rate to your source footage — converting frame rates at export creates judder you cannot undo.
Keep an archival master of every finished project so you can re-export for new platforms without re-editing.

One habit saves more quality than any single setting: always export from the master, never from a previously compressed upload. Each generation of compression throws away detail permanently. The master-first workflow in step 5 means every platform gets a first-generation encode, which is the single biggest quality win on this entire sheet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best export format for YouTube? MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. Export at your timeline’s native resolution — 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 — with 8-12 Mbps for 1080p or 35-45 Mbps for 4K SDR. YouTube re-encodes every upload, so your job is to hand it a clean, high-quality source; uploading true 4K even unlocks YouTube’s better VP9 processing for your video.

Should I export in H.264 or H.265? Use H.264 when the file needs to play anywhere — it is universally supported. H.265 (HEVC) produces smaller files at equal quality, but older devices and some platforms handle it poorly, and uploads take longer to process. Rule of thumb: H.264 for sharing and client delivery, H.265 for archiving and personal storage.

Why does my video look blurry after uploading? The three usual causes: your export bitrate was too low for the resolution, you uploaded a low-resolution file that the platform scaled down further, or the platform is still processing the HD version — which can take hours on YouTube. Export at the recommended bitrate, upload the highest resolution you have, and wait for processing to finish before judging the result.

Download the Video Export Settings Cheat Sheet for Every Platform

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Written by the DollarWise team

We turn confusing money topics into plain-English guides for beginners. Every article is written to be actionable on day one — no jargon, no hype, no sales pitch.