Video files can be a pain to send, upload, or download.
You try to upload a video. It takes ages. It fails. You retry. Secretly hoping that maybe it was a glitch, and NOW it will work. Insane, I know! In the end, the email refuses to send!
Surprise, surprise…
So you decide to Google it, and end up in a reddit rabbit hole of half-helpful, half-confusing, way too technical advice.
Nowhere closer to sending that video anywhere.
You can always turn to a video maker and see how different software can help you, but it’s super time-consuming.
The truth is, the modes of sharing files today, simply don’t fully support big files.
That’s why knowing how to compress videos is super important.
It’s basic digital survival!
Upload time. Storage. Workflow. Everything is affected by the video size. Even how people watch your video. If the file is too big it slows the process down, and the video starts to buffer.
Slow internet is the cherry on top. Combine that with a heavy video, and the person just bailed.
Table of Contents
Storage Is Never Really ‘Unlimited’
Most people assume that cloud storage is the answer to everything. Just send it to the cloud from your iPhone or Android.
Well it’s not!
Those extra gigabytes will fill your storage very fast, especially with videos in high resolution.
Add more storage? Yes, thank you! Click “Buy”. But how long can you afford to do so?
A smaller video file is more practical and saves you a headache later on.
The funny thing is, the viewers probably won’t even notice any difference between 4K and a compressed file. Especially if they are watching it on their phones.
If you need more info, do some more research on video codecs.
Uploads Take Too Long
You have quick internet. Amazing! But big files can slow down your whole workflow, as uploads can fail, especially with unstable internet speed.
Sharing large videos with clients or colleagues poses the same issues. But compressed files make the work run much smoother and faster.
And let’s face it, it’s just polite.
Not All Devices Like Big Files
It would be very nice if all devices supported 4K quality, and it may seem that they do today, but they don’t. There are many outdated devices out in the world, used by millions every day. Older phones stutter. Old laptops freeze.
Compressing videos resolves most of these problems. It plays faster and everywhere. Plus, your coworkers will be pleased with your work ethic.
Playback Is More Important Than Resolution
Buffering kills engagement. It’s just a fact. In the times of people having the attention span of a fly, no one is waiting for the video to start loading in 10 seconds. It doesn’t happen instantly? Boom! You just lost another potential viewer or a client. a
Compression on the other hand, speeds up loading, by reducing the amount of data people need go use to stream. You can look more into bitrate and why and how it affects streaming, if you want to get technical.
In simple words – lower bitrate, faster playback.
Sharing Platforms “Don’t Like” Heavy Files
Emails will not send files heavier than a specific metric. Messaging apps will automatically, and very badly, I might add, compress them. Social platforms decide to re-encode them anyway, to fit their needs. Cloud links take up crazy time to upload. Heavy and big files create a very unwelcome friction every step of the way.
On the other hand, a compressed video sends quickly, previews quickly and loads easily. You can control how the compressed file looks in the end. All platforms apply compression in most cases, but it’s random.
6 Steps to Compress Your Video With Minimal Losses
Here are 6 things you can do to compress your video without any software.
- Pick a good format and codec – MP4 with a modern codec is a great choice and is supported by most devices. Other formats might create bigger files.
- When resolution is not that important, lower it – 1080p or even 720p is more than enough for a phone. If your video is not going to be played on a large screen, 4K is unnecessary.
- Reduce the bitrate – this is a big one! Bitrate dictates the data usage for every second of the video. Even a small drop in bitrate won’t hurt the quality of the video while the size of it is slashed.
- Edit out the parts no one needs – cut out everything unnecessary: dead space, extra seconds, mistakes or long pauses. It will also make the video more engaging and cleaner.
- Check audio settings – high bitrate audio makes take up more space than people think. Lowering the bitrate will make your file much lighter.
- Consider constant quality options – These days there are very smart editors, that will let you set the quality target instead of a bitrate target. Meaning? You can pick and choose which parts of your video get compressed and which don’t.
A compression checklist
Here is a quick checklist you can go through to make sure your end compressed file will be light and of high quality:
- Format
- Codec
- Resolution
- Bitrate
- Audio bitrate
- Length
It will only take a few seconds but will prevent the “why is this file so huge?” problem before it even starts. Re-exporting? Re-uploading? You will forget what that is with this practice incorporated into your workflow.
Final Thought
Compression is about working smarter and not harder. You don’t need to be a tech wizard or too savvy. Small videos upload faster, save storage, play smoother and work across more devices. They are easier to send, easier to store and easier for people to watch without frustration.
So next time you finish editing an ad reel, birthday video or a celebration clip, make a final check before you export it. Make sure you made it lighter. Make it easier to share. You will thank yourself later, and so will the people watching it later, whether they are your colleagues or the audience.