What format do you export your videos to?

[Dreamertk]

I've been re-exporting the same project to numerous file types at the very least to match the original sources quality, which has been exceedingly difficult. Most of the time I would get artifacts when objects moved around especially with MP4. Sometimes the entire quality was downgraded a peg with pixels everywhere.

And then when I match the quality, the file size has completely blown away the 100mb/300mb limit here. I converted one source episode from mkv to mov, the original mkv was 500mb and the mov file ended up being 6 gigs (which made it very difficult to view in premier). MP2 file for a 4 minute 720p video is 200mb, but the quality is good. I wouldn't mind sharing that file or entering it into a competition (but it's still too large).

[Pikapwn]

Try rendering the video as an uncompressed avi, and then using Zarx264gui to compress it.

That usually works for me. Although, if you got a 6GB file at one point, I'm not completely sure if that'll work.

[dragontamer5788]

I use UTVideo instead of raw video, and then use Handbrake (https://handbrake.fr/) to convert it into an mkv or mp4 file.

Its a bit of an art form to make a 100MB file with high quality. You should use two-pass encoding, you should calculate the bitrate in advance to create a 100MB file... and bitrates (along with other settings) change the end quality of the video. If you play around with settings enough, you'll get it.

The long story short is that Handbrake adds a pretty face to x264, and x264 is the best free "H.264" encoder out there. H264 is the technical name of "MPeg-4" and refers specifically to the codec. The core x264 program is a bit hard to use, but Handbrake tries to make it easier.

There are things like "low profile" (maximum compatibility: works on cheap cell phones) vs "high profile" (maximum compression, only high-end PCs or highest-end cell phones can play). And those things aren't quite documented... but enough google-fu and grit and patience is all you need to learn. Ask around here for more info.

[The_McLaughlin]

Try rendering the video as an uncompressed avi, and then using Zarx264gui to compress it.

That usually works for me. Although, if you got a 6GB file at one point, I'm not completely sure if that'll work.

It should work, I had a 5gb file that I got down under 100mb without destroying quality. While it would probably take some playing with in zarx to get the quality to file size where you want it. Its not impossible.

[Qyot27]

H264 is the technical name of "MPeg-4" and refers specifically to the codec.

H.264 is the technical (really, it's not; it's just the ITU-T name) name for MPEG-4 Part 10, you mean. An unqualified reference to 'MPEG-4' usually still refers to MPEG-4 Part 2 [Advanced] Simple Profile, aka Xvid.