27 Mar 2011

What is the best format for YouTube video uploading?

Filmmaking Comments Off

YouTube supports almost any video format for upload, but for most users we have found the following settings give the best uploading results on YouTube. Here’s a summary of the audio and video specifications you will need if you want to learn the best format for YouTube uploading.








  • Best format for YouTube: H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4
  • Aspect Ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)
  • Resolution: 640×360 (16:9) or 480×360 (4:3) recommended
  • Audio format: MP3 or AAC preferred
  • Frames per second: 30
  • Maximum length: 10 minutes (we recommend 2-3 minutes)
  • Maximum file size: 1 GB

For further details about the best YouTube video file format, please read the information listed directly below this summary.

Best YouTube Video Format
Resolution Recommended: 1280 x 720 (16×9 HD) and 640 x 480 (4:3 SD)
There is no required minimum resolution – in general the higher resolution the better and HD resolution is preferred. For older content, lower resolution is unavoidable.
Bit rate Because bit-rate is highly dependent on codec there is no recommended or minimum value. Videos should be optimized for resolution, aspect ratio and frame rate rather than bit rate.
Frame rate The frame rate of the original video should be maintained without re-sampling. In particular pulldown and other frame rate re-sampling techniques are strongly discouraged.
Codec H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 preferred.
Best YouTube Audio Format
Codec MP3 or AAC preferred
Sampling rate 44.1kHz
Channels 2 (stereo)
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