How to Compress Video

Expert guide with 2 ways to compress a video file

Co-authored by Cinebody and Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: August 25, 2022 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to lower a video file's size without sacrificing too much quality. Compression is necessary if you want to share your videos on the Internet because it reduces the amount of data that is needed to stream or send the video to the viewer. You can use a program called Handbrake to compress your video, or you can use QuickTime on a Mac if you just need to lower the video's file size.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using QuickTime

1
Open a video in QuickTime. To do so:
- Select the video.
- Click File
- Select Open With
- Click QuickTime Player
2
Click File. It's a menu item in the upper-left corner of the Mac's screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

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3
Select Export. This option is near the bottom of the File drop-down menu. Selecting it prompts a pop-out menu.
4
Select a quality. Click a video quality equal to or lower than your video's current quality. This will open the Save window.
5
Enter a new name for the video. You'll do this in the text box near the top of the window.
6
Select a save location. Click the "Where" drop-down box, then click a location (e.g., Desktop) in which you want to save your video.
7
Click Save. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Your video will begin compressing.
8
Wait for your video to finish compressing. Once the video finishes compressing, the "Export" window will close. At this point, you'll be able to go to the video's save location and watch it from there.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Handbrake

1
Download and install Handbrake. Go to https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php in your web browser and click the Download link below your computer's operating system, then install Handbrake by doing the following:
- Windows - Double-click the Handbrake setup file, then follow the on-screen installation instructions.
- Mac - Double-click the Handbrake DMG file, verify the download if necessary, drag the Handbrake icon onto the Applications folder shortcut, and follow any on-screen instructions.
2
Open Handbrake. Its app icon resembles a pineapple next to a drink. The Handbrake window will open.
3
Click Open Source. It's in the upper-left corner of the Handbrake window.
- If this is your first time opening Handbrake, you may not need to click Open Source in order for the sources window to open.
4
Click File. It's the folder-shaped icon in the Sources window.
5
Select a video. Go to the location of the video that you want to compress, click the video, and click Open. This will open the video in Handbrake.
6
Select a quality preset. On the far-right side of the Handbrake window, click one of the quality and framerate presets (e.g., Very Fast 720p30) that matches your video.
- Make sure that you select a preset that falls at or below your video's current quality. For example, if your video's current quality is 1080p, you'd click a 1080p option or lower; if the video is 720p, you'd click a 720p option or lower.
- The Fast and Very Fast options are best for compression.
7
Enter a file name. Replace the file name in the middle of the Handbrake page with a new file name (e.g., [video name] compressed).
- You can also select a new save location by clicking Browse, selecting a folder, entering a new file name if necessary, and clicking Save.
8
Check the "Web Optimized" box. This box is in the middle of the Handbrake page. Doing so ensures that the video will be compressed using web standards.
9
Click the Video tab. It's near the bottom of the Handbrake window.
10
Make sure that the settings here are correct. You should see the following settings below the Video tab; if the settings do not match, you can change them by clicking a setting's value and then selecting the correct option in the drop-down menu:
- Video Codec - This should be "H.264 (x264)".
- Framerate (FPS) - This should be "30".
- Peak Framerate or Peak - This box should be checked.
- Encoder Level or Level - This should be "4.0".
11
Click Start Encoding. It's a green "Play" button at the top of the Handbrake window. Your video will begin compressing.
- On a Mac, you'll click Start here instead.
12
Wait for your video to finish compressing. This can take a long time, especially if your video is over 200 megabytes in size. Once your video finishes compressing, you'll be able to play it from its save location.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do I compress a video file without losing quality?

Cinebody
Video Production Gurus
Cinebody is a Denver-based computer software that helps companies create professional video content using the combined power of user smartphones. Their user-directed content software empowers brands to create instant, authentic, and engaging video content with anyone on earth.

Cinebody

Video Production Gurus

Expert Answer

Try to go with the lowest resolution possible that won't make the video unviewable, which will depend on the original video's resolution. For example, if you start with a 4K or 1080p video, go with 720p but not any lower.
Question

How do I compress video on a phone?

Community Answer

You can use programs like Kinemaster or FilmoraGO to export video in the size and quality you want it to be.
Question

I have video files from my iPhone (saved on computer) that I need to submit for evaluation and they must be 20 MB or smaller. Right now my files are 50 MB and larger. How do I do this?

TuLuz

Community Answer

Use any of the mentioned converters (or find any other program) and choose a format that takes up less space, e.g., mp4. Choosing a lower resolution will work, too. Freemake, Movavi, and online-convert.com are some other options not mentioned in the article to compress the file.

Warnings

Do not over-compress your video. Your video file will lose too much data from the compression and could become unrecognizable.

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