Premiere Pro Best Video Export Settings – Preset, Frame Size, Frame Rate, Time Interpolation, Encoding
When you click the Quick Export button on top right corner or the Export button in the top header bar, Adobe Premiere Pro offers the best export settings according to the properties in your source video. For example, H.264 codec is automatically selected as the best option for video export and recommended also by YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo. For audio export, you can select MP3, and for image export you select GIF or PNG format - there are many more options of export format.
Most of export attributes are basic which you already know. For example, it is easy to rename the file and chnage its location. Therefore, in this tutorial, I will explain only the key points about the video and audio sections in Premiere Pro export settings.
→ Watch Video Tutorial Below.
Best Preset in Adobe Premiere Pro Export Settings
So, what is the best preset in Premiere Pro export settings?
In my opinion, the best Preset is Match Source – Adaptive Medium Bitrate. Because it offers a great balance between video quality and its file size and provides smoother playback. The three Match Source presets differ with each other only by bitrate value. Therefore, any preset directly correlates with bitrate settings.
Please focus on the Target Bitrate number. Now if you select a different preset on top, the target bitrate automatically changes to align with the preset defaults.
In fact, both lower and higher bitrate values have their own benefits. High bitrate value produces best quality video but with large file size whereas low bitrate value makes playback of video faster and is a better choice even if most of your audience has slow internet connection.
In my opinion, the best target bitrate for 1080p video (of 24, 25 or 30fps) should be between 8 to 12 Mbps, which will create a perfect balance between video quality and file size. Similarly, for 2K video export, you should apply 16 to 19 Mbps video bitrate value.
What is Match Source?
So, what is meaning of Match Source?
It means that Premiere Pro will automatically set the optimized best export settings which are matching with the properties of source or camera recorded original video.
For example, if your original or source video is recorded in Frame Size of 1920x1080 pixels and Frame Rate of 30 fps then Premiere Pro will automatically apply the same values of frame size and frame rate in export window. To verify this, you can open File Explorer, right-click on the source video, select Properties, then select Details tab. Here you can confirm that source video also has the same frame size and frame rate. Similarly, Premiere Pro matches the audio export settings with the attributes of source audio.
Best Frame Size in Premiere Pro
So, what should be the best frame size of a video?
Widescreen videos can be in any of frame size with aspect ratio of 16:9 ( for example, 1600x900, 2560x1440, 3840x2160, 7680x4320 pixels) but why 1920x1080 px is the best resolution frame size. Because according to Statcounter, it is the most common resolution size of desktop screens. It means a video having 1920x1080 resolution will display well on most computer screens - and of course it can easily scale down to display on smaller screen. Therefore, I suggest that before recording a video, tweak your camera settings for Full HD (1920x1080) resolution.
Another important pro tip for you is that if your original source video is Full HD then do not forcefully export it in upscale frame sizes of UHD or 4K. However, if your source video is Full HD then you can downscale it, to apply for example HD (1600x900 px) frame size. For example, if the frame size of your original or camera recorded video is 1920x1080 pixels, you should export it with same values for best results. If you want, you can export it in lower frame size, for example, 1600x900. But do not export it in higher frame size.
In short, 1920x1080 is the best video resolution or frame size and you should not forcefully export in upscale frame size.
Method to Apply Custom Frame Size in Export Settings
So, how to customize frame size in Premiere Pro?
You can customize the values according to requirement. For example, If your source video is widescreen (1920x1080 px) but you want to create vertical video out of it to be uploaded for Reels, TikTok or YouTube Shorts, then you should untick the box next to Frame Size, select Custom, unlock the aspect ratio lock, and then enter the values of 1080 as width and 1920 pixels as height. Preview window will change accordingly.
This action will create black bars on top and bottom of video. How to remove these black bars? To remove them, you can select any appropriate Scaling option on lower left corner of screen. In other words, these scaling options are used only when there is difference of frame size between source video and export settings. In this case, when scaling up a video, you should also select More under Video and tick the box of Use Maximum Render Quality.
You can also select the option of Render at Maximum Depth for better color preservation from the source video but keep in mind that it may increase encoding times and file size. However, if you have enabled the GPU acceleration, then your computer will always use the highest bit depth, whether you have selected this option or not.
Best Frame Rate
So, what should be the best Frame Rate value in Premiere Pro?
Frame Rate determines the number of frames shown in each second of a video during playback. To avoid unwanted motion artifacts, the frame rate in export settings should not be different from the frame rate value in source video. I generally prefer 24 or 25 fps frame rate because it provides a good video quality but also provides faster playback to most users, especially having slow internet connections. Adobe also recommends a lower frame rate to reduce file size of exported video.
Progressive field order and Aspect Settings
Progressive field order is considered best setting for video to be played on TV and web including YouTube and other social media channels.
The Aspect attribute does not describe the video aspect ratio, but it tells the pixel aspect ratio. All digital video formats such as HD, Full HD or 4K have square aspect ratio whereas analog video formats (NTSC, PAL) have rectangular pixels. Therefore choose Square option.
Time Interpolation in Premiere Pro
So, what is meant by the Time Interpolation option in Premiere Pro export settings?
This export setting has these three options.
Frame Sampling repeats or removes frames if required.
Frame Blending not only replicates the frames, but also also blends video frames if required, to create a smooth exported video.
Optical Flow option makes analysis of video and through estimation of pixel motions, creates new frames.
In fact, Time Interpolation is only useful when there is difference between frame rate of exported video and source video. For example, if the frame rate of your source video and export frame rate are both 30 fps, therefore, the system will not use time interpolation. But for example, if your source video has 30fps frame rate but you want to export this video in some other value of frame rate, say 24 fps, then the system uses any of your preferred choice for smoother video output. In my opinion, optical flow is the best option and frame blending is the second-best option for smooth pixels.
Encoding Settings in Premiere Pro
The next important attribute is the Encoding Settings.
If your computer has a graphics card, fast processor, and better RAM, then you should always prefer Hardware Encoding option to speed up rendering and export. Premiere Pro automatically reads your PC configuration and if your system does not support hardware acceleration it automatically switches to Software only. For example, if your PC has the support of NVIDIA GPU, Adobe Premiere Pro will automatically select the option of Hardware encoding.
I highly recommend that if your PC has NVIDIA graphics card, then you should follow the relevant link from this Adobe webpage and install the latest Studio Driver for your NVIDIA GPU for best performance.
More Video Export Settings
Premiere Pro will select the best export settings for Profile, Level and Export Color Space.
HDR is only useful if your system display supports it. Follow this navigation to check HDR capability of your PC, in either Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Windows 11: Settings → System → Display → Windows HD Color Settings.
Windows 10: Settings → System → Display → HDR.
Bitrate encoding
Next to Bitrate encoding, VBR, 1 Pass is the best setting because Hardware acceleration only works with CBR and VBR, 1 Pass. According to Adobe, Variable Bitrate provides much higher video quality with lower file size, and it is best for YouTube and Vimeo.
More Resources
Following resources might be helpful for you.
Check Review, Ratings, Features as well as Pros and Cons of the Top 5 Video Editing Software.
Adobe Premiere Pro Export Range Explanation – Entire Source, Source In/Out, Work Area.
Adobe Premiere Pro Best Audio Export Settings – Sample Rate, Channel, Bitrate.
Workaround if Premiere Pro Fails to Export a video properly.
Adobe Premiere Pro 3 Methods to Export Transparent Background Video and GIF.
Adobe Premiere Pro Best Export Settings – a Quick Guide.
Dozro article about Best Video Resolution and Export Settings for Uploading on YouTube.
Learn video editing in Filmora video editor on Dozro website.
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