Help Center / Video Compression Guidelines

Follow these guidelines to create video files that will upload successfully and look beautiful on Vimeo. Still confused? Check out the Video Compression Basics lesson at Vimeo Video School.

Video

Codec: H.264

A codec is the format in which your video will be encoded. Vimeo accepts most major video codecs, but for best results we recommend using H.264. If you’re uploading High Definition (HD) video, choose the High Profile H.264 setting instead of Main Profile.

Advanced H.264 settings: To make your uploads extra smooth, choose the following advanced settings whenever possible.

  • Closed GOP
  • CABAC (to reduce your file size)

Here are some codecs that will not work on Vimeo: G2M2, G2M3, Canopus HQ.

Frame rate: 24, 25, or 30 FPS (Constant)

Vimeo recommends uploading with frame rates of 24 (or 23.976), 25, and 30 (or 29.97). If you know the frame rate of your footage, it's best to encode your final video at the same frame rate. However, if your footage exceeds 30 FPS (frames per second), you should encode your video at half that frame rate. For example, if you shot at 60 FPS, you should encode your final video at 30 FPS. If you're uncertain what frame rate you shot at, set your frame rate to either "Current" or 30 FPS. If there is an option for keyframes, choose the same value you used for frame rate. Important: Always choose "constant" frame rate instead of "variable" frame rate.

Bit rate

Bit rate (also known as data rate) controls the visual quality of the video and its file size. The rate is most often measured in kilobits per seconds (kbit/s). If your video editing software gives you the option, choose a “variable” bit rate and set the target to at least 2,000 kbit/s for standard definition (SD) video; 5,000 kbit/s for 720p HD video; or 10,000 kbit/s for 1080p HD video.

Quality Bitrate (kbit/s)
SD 2,000 – 5,000
720p 5,000 – 10,000
1080p 10,000 – 20,000

Resolution

Common resolutions for SD video include 640 x 480 px (4:3 aspect ratio) and 640 x 360 px (16:9 aspect ratio). HD video is usually formatted at 720p (1280 x 720 px) or 1080p (1920 x 1080 px).

Format Resolution
Standard Definition (SD)
4:3 aspect ratio 		640 x 480 px
Standard Definition (SD)
16:9 aspect ratio 		640 x 360 px
720p HD Video
16:9 aspect ratio 		1280 x 720 px
1080p HD Video
16:9 aspect ratio 		1920 x 1080 px

Audio

Codec: AAC-LC (Advanced Audio Codec)

For best results, we recommend using AAC-LC (low complexity) for the audio codec.

Data rate: 320 kbit/s

For best results, encode your audio at constant rate of 320 kbit/s.

Sample rate: 48 kHz

For best results, set your audio sample rate to 48 kHz. If your working setting is already less than or equal to 48 kHz, leave it as is.

Tutorials

Get tips for using a wide range of popular video editing programs.