Video Compression Guide
Learn the fundamentals of video compression and how to optimize your videos for different use cases.
Table of Contents
📦 What is Video Compression?
Video compression is the process of reducing the file size of a video by encoding it more efficiently. Raw, uncompressed video files are massive (often hundreds of gigabytes per minute), making them impractical for storage or sharing.
Compression algorithms analyze your video and remove redundant information while trying to preserve visual quality. Modern codecs like H.264 and H.265 can reduce file sizes by 95% or more with minimal quality loss.
💡 Example:
A 1-minute 1080p video shot on a modern phone can be 100-200MB. After compression, that same video can be 5-10MB while still looking great on most screens.
🎬 Video Codecs Explained
A codec (coder-decoder) is the algorithm that compresses and decompresses video. Different codecs offer different trade-offs between file size, quality, and compatibility.
H.264 (AVC)
The most widely supported codec. Works everywhere: browsers, phones, TVs, Discord.
✅ Best for: Maximum compatibility
H.265 (HEVC)
50% smaller files than H.264 at the same quality. Less compatible with older devices.
✅ Best for: Modern devices, storage savings
VP9
Open-source codec by Google. Great compression, good browser support.
✅ Best for: Web streaming, YouTube
AV1
Next-gen codec with excellent compression. Limited compatibility (2020+ devices).
✅ Best for: Future-proofing, cutting-edge
📊 Understanding Bitrate
Bitrate is the amount of data used per second of video, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Higher bitrate = better quality but larger file size.
Typical Bitrates for H.264:
SqueezeVideos automatically calculates optimal bitrates based on your chosen preset and video resolution.
⚖️ Quality vs. File Size
Video compression is always a balance between quality and file size. The sweet spot depends on your use case:
✅ When to prioritize file size:
- Sharing on platforms with file size limits (Discord, email)
- Mobile data/slow internet connections
- Limited storage space
- Screen recordings with mostly static content
✅ When to prioritize quality:
- Fast-action footage (sports, gaming)
- Important archival footage
- Videos that will be edited further
- Professional or portfolio work
⚠️ Compression Artifacts to Watch For:
- Blockiness: Square patterns visible in detailed areas
- Blurriness: Loss of fine details and sharpness
- Color banding: Gradients showing visible steps instead of smooth transitions
- Motion blur: Smearing during fast movement
🎯 Choosing the Right Preset
SqueezeVideos offers two categories of presets:
Discord Presets
These target specific Discord file size limits:
- Discord 8MB: Free tier limit - aggressive compression
- Discord 50MB: Nitro Classic - balanced quality/size
- Discord 500MB: Nitro - high quality, minimal compression
General Quality Presets
- High Quality: Minimal quality loss (~70-80% size reduction)
- Medium Quality: Balanced for most uses (~85% size reduction)
- Low Quality: Maximum compression (~90%+ size reduction)
🎮 Common Use Cases
Sharing on Discord (Free)
Use "Discord 8MB" preset. Trim unnecessary parts first to maximize quality of the important content.
Screen Recordings
Use "Medium Quality" preset. Screen recordings compress very well since there's less motion than camera footage.
Phone Videos for Social Media
Use "High Quality" preset. Most platforms will re-compress anyway, so start with better quality.
Email Attachments
Most email providers limit to 25MB. Use "Discord 8MB" or "Discord 50MB" depending on length.
💎 Pro Tips & Best Practices
1. Trim before compressing
Remove intros, outros, and dead air first. Every second removed is file size saved.
2. Don't compress twice
Compressing an already-compressed video causes quality degradation without much size reduction. Always work from the original.
3. Test on your target device
Quality that looks good on a computer might be noticeably worse on a large TV. Test where your audience will watch.
4. Resolution matters more for file size than quality settings
Downsizing from 4K to 1080p often saves more space than compression quality adjustments.
5. Keep your originals
Always keep the original, uncompressed files as a backup. You can always compress more, but you can't un-compress.
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