So, you've finished cutting together and coloring your most recent project, and you're ready to export it for the web or whatever form of distribution that you've chosen. You go to the export settings in your NLE, then you nearly have a panic attack because of the sheer volume of options. There are codecs and bitrates and field options and key frames, and equally as many audio options, and before you know it, you're curled up in the fetal position next to your desk. Luckily, one of my fellow Denver filmmakers put together a tutorial that shows you everything that you need to know when it comes to exporting for the web and beyond. Check it out.
First and foremost, this tutorial uses an older version of Adobe Premiere Pro. In spite of the older software, all of the settings that are covered in this tutorial are equally relevant to Premiere Pro CC (and most other NLE's). So sit back, relax, and let Eyal "Fill" Fillovsky put your exporting woes to rest.
While there are numerous things that can go wrong during the export process, many of them can be traced back to improperly set-up exports. One of the easiest things that you can do in order to avoid the some of the nasty effects of a botched export is to make sure that the basics of your output settings match your sequence settings, and then double-check. If you're working with high-resolution progressive footage at 23.976, you want to make sure that your output settings mirror those properties, otherwise encoding will do some funky things to your video.
Codec-wise, h.264 is usually the best choice for web export in that most streaming sites are optimized for that codec. However, it's important to check the technical limitations of the site that you plan to upload your video to, because if you export at higher or lower bitrates, the video either won't look or perform optimally.
What do you guys think? What are your tips for exporting for the web? Let us know down in the comments!
