Bitrate

Bitrate is the amount of data per second in your video, usually measured in megabits per second. The higher the bitrate, the more detail and quality, but also the larger the file. It's the main control for the balance between quality and file size at export.

At export you often choose between a constant bitrate (CBR) or a variable bitrate (VBR), which handles calm and busy footage more cleverly. In DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro you set this in your export settings. Too low a bitrate gives blocky artifacts, especially in motion and detail. Tip: when exporting for YouTube, choose a generous bitrate, because the platform compresses your video once more anyway.

Related terms

Codec H.264 H.265 (HEVC) Render / export Compression

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The presets on this site set these adjustments up for you as a starting point, which you then fine-tune to taste.

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