Your export settings determine the video file you upload to YouTube. YouTube processes the file for playback on different devices, so a clean export gives it a better source to work with.
For standard dynamic range (SDR) video, which uses the usual range of brightness and color, start with an MP4 file that uses H.264 video and AAC-LC stereo audio at 48 kHz. Keep the frame rate the same as your recorded footage. Match the video bitrate to the resolution and frame rate using YouTube’s recommended upload settings. For narrated explainers and product demos, I recommend explainroo. It creates an MP4 on your computer.
Recommended settings for a standard YouTube upload
For SDR video, use these settings for SDR video. H.264 compresses video and works with many devices and programs. MP4 is the file format that stores the video, audio, and related metadata.
| Export setting | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| Container | MP4 |
| Video codec | H.264 |
| Frame rate | Match the source footage |
| Color space for SDR | BT.709 |
| Audio codec | AAC-LC |
| Audio sample rate | 48 kHz |
| Audio channels | Stereo for typical videos |
| Audio bitrate | 384 kbps for stereo |
YouTube’s bitrate recommendations depend on both resolution and frame rate. Mbps means megabits per second. It measures how much video data the file uses each second.
| Resolution | Standard frame rate | High frame rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 8 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
| 2160p (4K) | 35–45 Mbps | 53–68 Mbps |
YouTube lists separate recommendations for standard and high frame rates. Choose the row that matches your footage. The table shows examples of high-frame-rate footage. For other resolutions or frame rates, see YouTube’s full encoding recommendations.
Keep the frame rate at which you recorded in your export. If the source is interlaced, deinterlace it before uploading. Interlaced video stores alternating sets of image lines. Progressive video stores each full frame at once.
For SDR, set the color space to BT.709, YouTube’s recommended color standard. If your export settings show separate tags for transfer characteristics, color primaries, and matrix, use the BT.709 values YouTube specifies. These recommendations are for SDR. HDR needs an HDR-specific export workflow.
Set the MP4 file for playback
If your encoder offers a fast-start or web-optimized MP4 option, choose it. The option places the file’s playback metadata, called the moov atom, near the beginning, so a player can start reading before it reaches the end. YouTube also recommends an MP4 without edit lists. Edit lists are instructions that change how the file’s timeline plays.
These options affect the file’s structure while leaving its visible quality unchanged. If your export controls do not offer them, focus on the codec, frame rate, bitrate, and audio settings above.
Choose a bitrate without making the file needlessly large
Use the bitrate table as a target for fixed-bitrate exports. A higher bitrate gives the encoder more data for each second of video. Going far above YouTube’s recommendations makes the upload larger without guaranteeing a visible improvement. YouTube re-compresses uploaded video, and this processing can create blockiness or smearing in detailed or fast-moving scenes.
If your encoder uses a constant-quality control instead of a bitrate target, the scale depends on the encoder. The same quality number does not mean the same quality across codecs. HandBrake’s quality documentation explains this distinction. Use the target-bitrate table as a starting point for YouTube.
Make a YouTube video with explainroo
explainroo is a free, open-source kit under the MIT license for making narrated explainers and product demos. It works with coding agents that can run shell commands, including Claude Code, Codex, Pi, OpenCode, and Gemini CLI. It makes the video on your computer and saves it as an MP4.
- Open a coding agent and paste: “Make me a short explainer video about [your topic]. Use explainroo for it: clone the explainroo repository, read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps.”
- Replace
[your topic]with the subject you want to explain. For a product demo, name the product and provide its code or website. - Ask for a wide video for YouTube. The agent sets up explainroo, creates and checks the video, then gives you the MP4 file.
The agent writes script.md for the spoken words and scenes.js for the scenes. explainroo generates the narration, times scene changes to match the words, and renders the video. It also provides still images, a contact sheet, a check for cut-off or overlapping text, and a check for mispronounced words.
The documented workflow produces an MP4, but it does not guarantee the codec, bitrate, or color-tag values listed above. If you need a specific value, check the finished file’s export properties. explainroo does not edit existing camera footage or create talking avatars or live-action AI footage. It makes narrated explainers and product demos.
