iMovie Export Settings: Good Enough For YouTube?

Do the videos you export out of iMovie actually meet KZbin's video quality standards? I find out, and show you how to use iMovie's export settings to output the best-quality video for KZbin.
KZbin Recommended Upload Encoding Settings:
support.google.com/youtube/an...
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Chapters:
00:00 "Best" iMovie export settings
01:18 KZbin's recommended upload settings
02:07 Video bitrate
02:27 KZbin's upload settings vs iMovie export settings
03:31 1080p export test
04:05 iMovie's export settings explained
05:45 Checking bitrate with QuickTime
06:55 1080p results
07:21 4K export test
08:11 iMovie export tips
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#imovie #imovietutorial #imovieexportsettings
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[@acousticguitarcanada]

Thank you, Mike! The World Wide Web has just declared you the internet's top teacher.

[@theenglishfactory]

I agree.

[@jaygreer7430]

Very helpful!! This video answered many questions I've had for a while. Thank you so much!

[@marksmodellingmadness]

This was really helpful, thanks. It never occurred to me to check the custom option with regards to quality. Thanks again :)

[@CodingChannel1]

Sending warm regards from Singapore.Thank you for your hard work and dedication.🙏

[@inndaddies]

This video was extremely helpful. Thank you!

[@turtle1691]

Great quality content Mike Thank you for sharing.

[@Gwrod.s]

Thank you so much. This was informative and straight to the point.

[@8bitbeardco]

My dude.....this was soooooo helpful. As a fairly new Mac user this was amazing!

[@dancehallketchup]

Great content !! Thanks so much 🎉

[@jonmaz8080]

Thank you! So helpful!!!

[@SaulSGonzalez]

You're a talented instructor and what a voice!

[@Paulie44]

UK subscriber here; such an underrated channel with loads of helpful information, thank you Mike!

[@MacVideoMagic]

Awesome, thank you!

[@Heesjesopwielen]

Intresting tnx Michael 👊

[@invictaland1983]

Thanks for the tips and going slow enough for those of us first learning to keep up!

[@StephanBechert]

Great iMovie Content. Thanks!

[@BriansModelTrains]

Thanks Mike. Another brilliant video!

[@MacVideoMagic]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@PokeShelter]

Thank you Mike! I just successfully uploaded a great quality video under the guide of this video

[@anandgupte]

Excellent!❤

[@1MollyJ]

So I integrated these suggestions into my upload and while the upload took longer, the finished project is well worth it. Awesome stuff. While I don't, for my purposes, feel the need to make everything look shiny and awesome, I like what I put up to look well put together and pleasing to watch and to listen to.

[@_Per_Aspera_Ad_Astra_]

❤ thank you 🙏

[@DNF_finder]

Thanks again for your video. It was very helpful again.

[@MacVideoMagic]

Glad to hear that!

[@skrillagoonin05]

Thank bro u the goat

[@paullaviolette2610]

Thanks Mike - I’m going to make this the first thing I do in my editing. So far I’ve been tripping right over this and wondering why some of my videos were so dam poor quality when knowing it wasn’t the camera.

[@Motoeuro]

Hey, thanks for this, I had the same issue for years! My problem was GoPro footage, no matter what export setting the footage never looked good, almost pixelated even at 20Mbps+. I checked the original files, they were over 60Mbps, so I now shoot in 2.7k or 4k and export using ‘custom’ at the max Bit rate of 65+ Mbps. Thats only available as a 4k export. Big files, but way better quality on KZbin - If you’ve got fast moving footage, highest Bit rate iMovie can export seems to be key :D DSLR tripod work, is happy at almost any bit rate above 10.

[@jadenataylor]

Mike the man. I'm just here to comment so this video gets more views.

[@IKnowThatMyRedeemerLiveth]

That was excellent! I'm thrilled to find your channel. Do you have any guidance on what to do if the bitrate of your video is too low? I was watching and following along so I don't think I missed it. God bless you!

[@MacVideoMagic]

Not much you can do in that case. Difficult to add data back after the fact. Re-exporting at a higher bitrate is the best solution.

[@TooRandomForYou]

Thank you for pointing out the fact about pro-resolution😅😊

[@DevKriti]

Thank you for all these information. I am using iMovie for my editing my videos. If you can please suggest which application is best for editing videos for youtube.

[@theenglishfactory]

Thank you.

[@DrKamikaze-jg1rg]

Espectaculares explicaciones, enhorabuena.

[@MacVideoMagic]

Gracias

[@watchyawant]

Thank you for saving me $300 and at least 50 hours of my life! Although I started my watch reviews channel 10 months ago, I have started dedicating it more time over the last couple of months and, although quality has improved dramatically, I (wrongly) believed ditching iMovie and investing money and time in DaVinci would help me step up even further. And then I discovered your channel and in 30 minutes spent on your channel I learned so many new things (especially about the integration with Keynote) I realised I don't need anything else to edit to spectacular results than what already have on my old laptop. Extra, extra POINTS for how comprehensively you address each topic! It goes without saying I subscribed and I will extensively research your channel in my quest to deliver better content. Thank you!

[@MacVideoMagic]

Thank you for the kind words and being a part of Mac Video Magic! Glad you found value in my content. I’m printing your comment and putting it above my workstation!

[@watchyawant]

❤

[@lasyaarvind8330]

would you reccomend exporting as a file rather than the export via youtube and facebook option?

[@mustysmokes]

How would this work for iPhone ? I uploaded my guide that was filmed on my iPhone 13 edited the video on iMovie for iPhone and uploaded to KZbin and was only able to go up to 360p. Help !😃

[@brushcountrybowhunter]

Love your channel. Question please. Will my old Mac (2014) iMovie support 4K video? TIA

[@MacVideoMagic]

Best way to find out is to import a 4K clip and see if you get the 4K export option.

[@brushcountrybowhunter]

@@MacVideoMagic I’m good. Thank you

[@BobMcGowan-NotTheChairCircle]

Dear Mike, I do a lot of pre-rendering work (mainly to do with 'cloning' using green screens) and I am finding that my audio is becoming out of synch more often than not. I film in 4K. Is there an optimal setting for when I am pre-rendering and reintroducing clips in and out of iMovie? I am using a MacBook Pro currently running the new Sonoma OS. I am very new to all things computer. I would welcome your advice on this matter. Regards, Bob McGowan (Not the Chair Circle!).

[@raindrops7528]

Is there any way to edit/ export 4k 60 fps video from imovie??

[@bookhooplawithmrsa]

I use the "you tube and facebook" icon when exporting. How is that different from "export file"? Thanks for all of your expertise! You have helped me many times!

[@MacVideoMagic]

“KZbin and Facebook” is an export preset, so you don’t have to fiddle with all the different settings in “Export File”. I tested it and it does meet KZbin’s recommended encoding settings.

[@bookhooplawithmrsa]

Thanks, Mike, for taking the time to respond!@@MacVideoMagic

[@SherrisWorld]

I was going to ask the same thing. I've been using the KZbin Facebook icon rather than the export file!

[@trotterdog1]

@@MacVideoMagic I have used this for uploading but the quality on KZbin was poor compared to iMovie so I am going to try this instead

[@BobMcGowan-NotTheChairCircle]

The first 'clip' on my KZbin videos is a caption card and music! Will this be affecting the outcome, or does it take a reading from the first bit of actual video?

[@MacVideoMagic]

It may read the resolution of your caption card. That's why I highly recommend using Dummy Clips to set the resolution and frame rate you want to use in iMovie. Here's a tutorial on the subject: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYXOc6GIfZyNfqc

[@Lesa-i5q]

But what do i do if my video on yt still has a bad quality when i upload it?

[@clementrodrigue]

🎇 ✨ 👍🏾 I'm looking for a way to make a short video of a simple animation in 500x500p. I saw your excellent video on Keynotes showing creating and maintaining transtarency on an image, but it is on an animation that I want to do this. If a video format is not possible, then is it possible that Keynote can do this with a GIF format? 😀

[@MacVideoMagic]

You can create a 500 x 500 pixel slide, then export your video with a transparent background. This video will help: Make An Eye-Catching SUBSCRIBE ANIMATION Using This FREE Mac Software! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXTEY5SfjLaaqNE

[@FrancisLCorro]

So in conclusion, are you telling us (based on your examples) to retain the higher mbps than what KZbin recommended? Or should we make a custom scale down (based on your example, again) to the recommended KZbin mbps?

[@MacVideoMagic]

You can certainly export to KZbin's specs. I export at higher settings to give the KZbin compression algorithm a little more data to work with.

[@ordazmin]

Hi, I was able to se one of my videos to 1080p, but on another video, the 1080p option its fainted! Why is that? Thank you!

[@MacVideoMagic]

One of videos in your project is lower resolution than 1080p.

[@ordazmin]

@@MacVideoMagic thank you!!

[@garymason7]

I don't know how you do it but you often seem to release a video about exactly what I've been wondering about... Perhaps you could let us know about the specific Facebook/KZbin share button and why you didn't use that?

[@MacVideoMagic]

I was going to include that preset, but cut it for time. But you can test it for yourself using the method I showed. It meets KZbin's recommended encoding settings, as well.

[@garymason7]

@@MacVideoMagic Thank you 🙂

[@huddunlap3999]

What about Rumble and Locals?

[@MacVideoMagic]

Their specs are probably along the same lines as KZbin's. But now with this video you know how to check.