How to Optimize, Compress & Convert Videos for Social Media

Introduction

With billions of videos shared on social media daily, optimizing your videos for each platform is crucial for maximizing engagement. This guide explores the best practices for compressing your videos while maintaining quality.

Platform-Specific Requirements

Each social media platform has different requirements for optimal video performance:

Instagram

For Instagram feed videos, a resolution of 1080×1080 (square) or 1080×1350 (portrait) with H.264 compression works best. For Stories, 1080×1920 is the optimal resolution.

TikTok

TikTok performs best with vertical 1080×1920 videos with a bitrate of around 5 Mbps. Using the MP4 format with H.264 encoding ensures compatibility.

YouTube

For YouTube, upload at the highest quality possible (ideally 1080p or 4K) with a bitrate between 10-20 Mbps for 1080p content. YouTube does its own compression, so focus on quality first.

General Optimization Tips

• Use variable bitrate (VBR) instead of constant bitrate (CBR) for better quality-to-size ratio
• Consider the 2-pass encoding for important videos, as it results in better quality
• For videos with a lot of motion, increase the bitrate to maintain quality
• Remove audio if it’s not necessary to reduce file size

How TinyVideo Can Help

TinyVideo offers presets and options helpful for social media optimization. When compressing your videos with our tool:

1. Select the desired output format (like MP4, often best for compatibility).
2. Adjust quality settings (CRF) based on your content needs – lower values mean higher quality and larger files.
3. Use the “Optimize for Web” option (Faststart) for potentially better streaming performance on web platforms.
4. Consider reducing resolution if the platform will downscale it anyway.

With these optimization techniques, your videos will not only load faster but also provide a better viewing experience for your audience.