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

Codecs

A codec is the format in which your video is encoded. We accept most major codecs, but for best results we recommend H.264 or Apple ProRes 422.

H.264

H.264 is a standard codec that balances high visual quality with efficient file size. It's a great starting point for encoding your videos as it ensures you'll get the most of our your upload quota while minimizing upload and conversion times. Be sure to choose the "High Profile" H.264 setting instead of "Main Profile."

Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)

This professional-quality codec ensures a high quality for your encoded video but typically results in a much larger file size than H.264. If you notice quality issues with your H.264 videos and have ample storage space on your Vimeo account, using ProRes may produce a better result.

Frame rate

When preparing your video for upload, it’s best to maintain the video’s native frame rate when compressing your video. If your footage exceeds 60 FPS, we will automatically reduce the frame rate. Important: We recommend a constant frame rate throughout your entire video. Always choose “constant” frame rate instead of “variable” frame rate.

While we accept many frame rates, these are the most commonly used:

FPS
23.98
24
25
29.97
30
50
59.94
60

Bit rate

Bit rate (also known as data rate) controls the visual quality of the video and its file size. If your video editing software gives you the option, choose a “variable” bit rate and select a value from the ranges below. You can experiment with different rates if your file is too large or you’re not happy with the quality of your source file.

Quality Bit rate (Mbps)*
SD 2 – 5
720p 5 – 10
1080p 10 – 20
2K 20 – 30
4K 30 – 60

*If you have the ability to set the CRF (constant rate factor), we recommend setting it to 18 or below. For ProRes, follow the standard presets in your video editor to export your file. For example, ProRes HQ for 1080p at 29.97 fps has a target bit rate of 220 Mbps in Final Cut.

Resolution

Videos come in all shapes and sizes but these are some of the most common formats.

Format Resolution (px)
Standard Definition (SD)
4:3 aspect ratio 		640 × 480
Standard Definition (SD)
16:9 aspect ratio 		640 × 360
720p HD
16:9 aspect ratio 		1280 × 720
1080p HD
16:9 aspect ratio 		1920 × 1080
2K
16:9 aspect ratio 		2560 × 1440
4K UHD
16:9 aspect ratio 		3840 × 2160
DCI 4K UHD
17:9 aspect ratio 		4096 × 2160
4K Monoscopic 360
2:1 aspect ratio 		4096 × 2048
4K Stereoscopic 360
2:1 aspect ratio 		4096 × 2048*

*Stereoscopic video should be uploaded with the left and right view stacked on top of each other as 4096 x 1024 (4:1 aspect ratio) for each eye.

Audio

Channels: Stereo

For best results, we recommend 2-channel Stereo audio. For any number of channels above 2, we will downmix your audio to 2 channels.

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. For any audio uploaded with a sampling rate over 48kHz, we will resample your audio to 48 kHz or below.