Solved Saying Hello for the first time (bit rate question).

Hello all,

I am a novice. I just purchased Movie Studio 13 Suite and have only been using it a week. I have looked at about 4 of Derek's video tutorials and they are great!

I wanted to ask a question about rendering an internet ready 1080p video. Can someone point me to an already existing thread on this topic, or should I start a new one?

My file sizes are huge (i.e., >100mB for 2 minutes). I have seen Derek's rendering 1080p video instruction and am changing my settings to match some of his suggestions. However I notice that the bit rate has a large effect and am wondering what the "right" or suggested settings are?
For now, I have started at the lowest bit rates, I get very small files but final video is pixelated 0f course. I can just increase the bit rate until I am happy, but looking for advice on the best settings.

Please help a novice or point me to a thread that deals with this. Much appreciated.

Hi downeym,

Welcome to the forums. Here are some of my thoughts which may be helpful.

I think the render template defaults is a good place to start. I usually use 'MainConcept AVC/AAC' as the format and 'Internet HD 1080p' as the template. The default is:

Variable Bit Rate
Maximum (bps): 24,000,000
Average (bps): 12,000,000

This is usually what I use, and the only change I make is checking 'Two-pass'. Two-pass takes longer to render, but may provide a small boast in quality, for the same size file.

As a comparison, a recent project I completed was about 14 minutes.....
720p render is 1.28 GiB
1080p render is 2.05 GiB

Another project was about 7 minutes.....
720p render is 780 MiB

When I have set the variable bit rate max to 50,000,000 and average to 25,000,000 (double the default), the improvement in quality is marginal. When I set the max down to 4,000,000 and average to 2,000,000 the quality is terrible. In the past I have experimented with changing the bit rate, but do not have the specific results. I did settle on using the defaults (or close to it). I think a development team at Sony tried a bunch of bit rates and come away with the all around best to be the defaults! That which provides the best quality at a reasonable file size.

Of course there are other render formats/template (and sometimes custom settings) you can try. From what I understand, YouTube will accept almost any format file. They will also process the file you upload and change it to their standards (which I also understand changes from time to time). This usually means your video as rendered will always look better on your computer, as opposed to watching it from your YouTube channel. I personally don't see much difference, but a little bit.

When we attempt to find the fine line between file size and acceptable quality, we are usually on our own. What is acceptable to me is going to probably be different from what you feel is acceptable. So, we can go with a standard default, or run spend some time running test to find the sweet spot for our personal taste.

Another thought, I have found very little viewing difference between the same project viewed on YouTube, between 1080p and 720p. Of course the same project rendered with the same settings, the 720p version is going to be about 40% smaller than the 1080p version. If file size is a concern, this is an option available.

Eagle six,
Well, that was very detailed and unexpected! THANK YOU !!! for taking the time to answer me with such detail and for sharing your knowledge and thoughts.

I understand what you are saying. I started with the default templates. I will just increase the bit rates until I am happy with the results. Did quite appreciate it, but hear you clearly about being "on our own" regarding this topic.

Much, much appreciated.

Hi downeym,

Just to clarify, you are never "on your own" with any topic at MovieStudioZen, because there are other members who have opinions and of course the Good Doctor Zen. I just meant that you are the only one who has the final say as to whether any particular bit rate you use, is providing you with acceptable results.

I struggled with the file size when about six years ago, the wife and I decided to get out of town, bought some property in the country off grid and went on a monthly limited data allotment with a wireless connection. It was a workflow shock going from unlimited data and high speed cable to a monthly allotment and a slow wireless 4G connection. I'm used to it now, and don't upload that much to YouTube, but file size is still a concern for those few times I post to my channel.

I understood your original intent, no problem. Thanks for the clarity anyway.
And thank you for making a newcomer feel welcome and "not alone"

I shoot in 1080-30p (60p is a much larger file, but true HD and requires a good computer to render.* ). I render in Sony AVC and set the bit rate to around 10-16 mil bits for DVD's depending on the length of the film (30-60 minutes). 10M is perfect for a 1 hour DVD without overloading the DVD. Blu-Rays can hold 25GB so you can use a higher bit rate. For Youtube use 16m or slightly above, but your saved file size on your computer will be bigger the higher you go. Youtube will not show any improvement if you use over 16M bit rate. The site is behind the times in quality.

Set all audio bit rates to 192K.

* Tip: You can close the preview window when rendering.