How Can I Properly Export to YouTube from Elements?

[TimothyDolinschi]

Hello to whoever is reading this and/answering me,

I thank you for it!

As the title suggests, I'm inquiring on how I can export to YouTube (in absolute highest quality) the best way. If you go to the 'Export and Share' on Elements, you see 'Quick Export,' 'Devices,' 'Disc,' 'Online,' 'Audio' and finally but not least... 'Image.'

Now, why have I stated that above? Simply because I'm questioning the best one for the highest quality YouTube uploads. You see, if I go to 'Online' and upload directly from Elements to YouTube, I'm extremely limited to my abilities to maneuver what settings I'd like. In fact, there's no custom or advanced settings to choose from.

Now, lets say I assume exporting from 'Devices' suits best, as I can go to advanced settings and so on, does that I mean I have to go to 'Audio' and 'Image' to put in the settings best suited for YouTube as well before I export? And even if I do not, each of these have their own limitations, 'Audio' has a few more advanced settings then does in 'Devices,' and so on in the opposite manner. I really don't want to bring this up but...it's quite in-convenient how it's setup. That's my criticism to the (software) system.

To add on, I'm a little disappointed. Can I not change my bitrate of the video? The recommended or/for normal quality videos that are recorded in 1920 x 1080, the bitrate should be 10,000 kbps. I went to 'Device,' 'custom,' 'advanced settings,' and then 'video' category. I then went to bitrate settings and, to my surprise, no way of changing the bitrate. The only thing I saw was 'Target Bitrate' and 'Maximum Bitrate' with a scale to go up/down.

To recap, my questions are this.

1. Before Exporting and Sharing, to get the best results for YouTube, I must go to each individual "folder(s)" (Devices, Online, Image, etc.) to choose each best setting, for example, audio to video, or can I do this all in Devices? Basically, when exporting, I should check each "folder" for best results in all respected aspects such as devices, audio, and video. Or...what's the best way to export to YouTube? I hope someone who knows video can help me with this question.

2. Can I change the bitrate?

I hope really hope someone can help me. It's a little stressing to be honest with you. Okay, it's really stressing me out.

Thank you so much for your time,

Andrew

[Steve Grisetti]

By Elements, we'll assume you mean Premiere Elements (and not Photoshop Elements or the Elements Organizer) and, although you don't mention it, we'll also assume that your'e talking about version 15.

That said, remember that there are a number of factors that contribute to how high the quality of your YouTube post is including: The quality and resolution of your original video, how closely your project settings match your original footage, what your project settings are and (sort of beyond your control) what YouTube does to your video after you upload it.

You seem to be focusing on the output: The bitrate, etc. And that's only one link in this chain. In fact, it's one of the least important because, if you don't have the other factors in place, you can push bitrate all you want and you'll just end up with a bigger ugly file.

So my advice is to quit focusing so much on tweaking the output settings. The program's default settings are fine.

What model of camcorder is your original video coming from and what format and resolution is this video?

When you add the first clip of this footage to your timeline, is there a yellow-orange "render" line above it? If you see this line, then the program is not matching project settings to your video specs and your results will not be their best.

The rest of your workflow depends on this information.

[TimothyDolinschi]

The camera I use is a Canon 70D (I use the best settings for video) and the

resolution format I use is 1920 x 1080. Also, by reading this, I understand

that the bitrate is not very "editable," rather limited, correct? I can't

really increase to the recommended 10,000 kbps?

Also, I don't think I've ever seen a yellow-orange render above my

timeline. And one more thing, what is the best way to export for highest

quality videos to YouTube? When I export directly from Elements on Online

(YouTube), the video never turns out good to where I'd desire it. And to

continue, looking at the defaults in Devices, I see that the default is

fine, yes, but a few things need to be adjusted to go best with YouTube.

And that's my question, again. What is the best way to export for highest

quality video on YouTube? If, lets say, I don't want to directly upload

from Elements to YouTube, and I choose Devices, does that mean I have to

tweak the Audio Folder, and all the others? I'd rather get the closest

settings that YouTube requires.

On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 3:55 PM, Steve Grisetti <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[Ann Bens]

The only thing I saw was 'Target Bitrate' and 'Maximum Bitrate' with a scale to go up/down.

Set both to 10 and you will have the same effect.

I would set it at least to 16.

Higher max bitrate can improve max quality, but will take longer to encode.

If you dont edit, but just trim the footage you wont see any yellow bar.

I would just make a mp4 and upload manually.

Elements automatic upload settings are all wrong, imo.

[TimothyDolinschi]

Anne Bens, if I were to set my "Target Bitrate" and "Maximium Bitrate" to 10 or/16, what does that mean? It's an odd question, but I'm just wondering if it refers to 10 kbps etc. Also, on all my Elements settings I have, should I set everything to max quality for the best quality video?

[Ann Bens]

10 Mbps is the same as 10.000 Kbps.

This is how I would set it up:

I match source and upped the audo to max.

Make sure it is set to progressive if source is interlaced.

You can check Max Depth, but will take longer to encode.

[Steve Grisetti]

What I'm saying is that there's really no reason to increase push the bitrate way off the charts. For two reasons:

1) What you get on YouTube is going to be re-encoded by YouTube to their streaming bitrate. So you're just uploading a much larger file and getting very little benefit from it; and

2) Pushing the bitrate is, as I explained earlier, the LEAST effective way to get a great-looking output.

I explained above what the more important elements of your workflow are.

But you'll have more control of the quality of your output if you output an MP4 from the program and manually upload to YouTube. If you use the direct upload method from the program, you'll only have so much control.

That said, if you want the best quality output, you need to know if your project settings are matching your video specs (If there was or was not a yellow orange "render" line over the first clip you added to your timeline). That's the single most important factor.

[TimothyDolinschi]

Well, thank you for the information, I didn't know YouTube automaticly

places a bitrate to fit it its specifications when re-encoding. Now, you

did mention something about an MP4 output from the program and manually

uploading it to YouTube would result in having more control of the quality,

etc. and if it's not too much to ask for, how do I export as you've stated?

I'm very, very interested to know.

Also, thank you so much for the help/information, it really means a lot.

On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 8:02 PM, Steve Grisetti <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[Steve Grisetti]

To output a file, just go to Export & Share/Devices/Computer and select the 1920x1080 resolution and the MP4 format for your output. The bitrate is 15 mbps, but you can move the slider up to 32 mpbs if you'd like. Though in my experience, it won't give you that much higher a quality output but it will increase the size of your file by about 250%.

As I've been saying, the default output settings for a 1920x1080 mp4 should work just fine for online viewing.

Assuming your project settings match your video specs, you'll get excellent upload quality in a nice, compact file, ideal for internet streaming.

[williebegoode]

If you go to "Export & Share" and use "Quick Export" -- after you've done all of your PRE editing--your video will be saved as an .mp4 file, which you can upload to YouTube. (Just drag and drop it into YouTube.) I skip the rendering step in the editor since it will be done using the Export & Share. Once in YouTube, I use the Video Manager -> Enhancements and click Auto-fix and it takes care of the color and light. If I need to stabilize a picture, I also use the YouTube Enhancements -> Stabilize.

Everything else I do in PRE, but in a pinch I'd use the Trim enhancements as well.

Why? A long time ago when I was with the Flash Media Server group, I learned that much of the quality depended on the quirks the serving platform had, and YouTube has done a good job helping to iron out the quirks. It works for me, and so far I've had 28,000 views and 500+ subscribers. I use the built-in camera in my iMac and previously, that in my iPhone. Here's the link to my videos--keep in mind that I'm not a photographer, and while I code, I have no graphic design abilities whatsoever. WatchArtSci - YouTube

[TimothyDolinschi]

Thank you Willieb, Anne Bens and Steve Grisetti! So I can get the bitrate to 10,000 kbps, which I'm very excited about. And I'll do the output a file you mentioned, Steve, to see how the quality looks. And I think I'll try Anne Bens too, but if you could tell if you were on the Devices Export and how you got there.

And once I test all your guys' methods, I'll tell you what I got and see if I like how it turned out. Also, quick question. On my Canon 70D, what should be my aspect ratio? Some people tell me 16:9, others 1:1, which I'm just bluntly confused on now. And same with if I should shoot Raw + Jpeg (CR2), or should I shoot only Jpeg. If you guys could answer that I would be ecstatic.

And also, I was thinking of getting FilmConvert (for color grading) but PRE doesn't really allow software's to come in. So that brings me to my question, is there any way I can get a somewhat pro software to color grade?

Thank you so much!

[Ann Bens]

If you use the custom setting also bump the audio its way too low.

If you want to some serious color grading either get Premiere Pro or have a go at Resolve (free)

[TimothyDolinschi]

I would rather not have a go on Resolve, I had a few issues with them, which is why I got PRE. I just wish I would've known that PRE is limited in color grading, which really disappoints me. There's no way to "return" PRE 15, right?

Also, should I shoot in 16:9 aspect ratio and CR2.? Anyone know?

[Ann Bens]

I am not sure but return with in a month?

Contact Customer Care - Elements

If you want proper color correction/grading you need professional software. Elements is not the tool for that.

[TimothyDolinschi]

I now know that Elements is not the tool for proper color grading. However, if I did want to return Elements, I would not be able to do so, as I got Elements a few months back sadly. Continuing, though, software's such as FilmConvert exist which you have the ability to buy as a standalone, but because of the price ($150), I'm just going to do videos and if they go well, I'll just buy the Pro, which then I'll make the purchase of a good color grading software and be able to use it within Pro.

Now, my only question is this: on my camera, what should be my aspect ratio? AND, should I shoot in Raw (CR2)?

Also, thank you very much! That question above is the only question that is left unanswered for me, for quite some time now!

[Ann Bens]

I always use raw for photo's (nikon)

Elements supports cr2 and nef but PrPro does not.

You can batch convert in Camera Raw.

Get your self the free Resolve. Steep learning curve but its worth it. Does an excellent job.

Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve 12

Btw you cannot buy PrPro its for rent only.

[Mohammad Tahseen]

A lot has been discussed already about the concern on how to upload a video to YouTube while preserving the best quality; please ignore if it has already been answered. Premiere Elements actually creates a complete files before uploading to YouTube and YouTube or any such platforms (facebook, Vimeo etc.) then re-encodes that movie file at their end. We can't control anything there. What we can do is to send a file with best possible quality. And inside Premiere Elements, for YouTube's 1920x1080 preset there are 2 bitrates, 10 Mbps and 20 Mps. I guess, somewhere in the thread, Steve has already mentioned that increasing bitrate above a certain threshold does not increase the quality of the video, but does increase the file size. Basically, increasing the bitrate beyond the source clip bitrate will not result in better quality output. But, reducing the bitrate below source bitrate will definitely result in reduced file-size with some compromise with the video quality. This too depends on the subject and contents of the video.

Also, regarding Target and Maximum Bitrate, Target is what is honored while exporting and Maximum is like giving some extra bandwidth if required to algorithm. You can't set Maximum below Target, it can only go beyond Target value.

So, use 1920x1080(either Standard=10Mbps or High=20 Mbps quality) preset when uploading a video to YouTube and if it does not look good finally, you can use Custom/Advanced settings and see how the output video playsw locally and who is the ultimate culprit.

[Ann Bens]

I would like to comment on the Youtube (and FB/Vimeo) upload.

especially the automatic upload feature they are all wrong.

Bitrate, framerate and audio settings.

This is not the first time I am mentioning this...

[Mohammad Tahseen]

Bitrates, framerates tied to any of the Presets are supposed to work fine and if something is not working as designed then there is a bug. I guess you are talking about the choice of presets shown for YouTube/Facebook/Vimeo which does not cover other important presets such as corresponding to PAL ones. If this is the case, then we are evaluating this for the next version of the product and I can't promise but we will do something to handle that problem.

[Ann Bens]

Yes I am reffering to PAL but NTSC is wrong too.

They probably work as designed but that is the whole point: they are designed wrongly.

NTSC: 1920x1080 framerate 29,97, 1080x1440 framerate 24, 640x480 framerate 30. Audio bitrate all set way too loo and 44 khz. Really?

[TimothyDolinschi]

No one really answered my question on if I should shoot in aspect ratio 16:9 on my Canon 70D, and if I should shoot in Jpeg or CR2. I really gotta know, because I gotta start recording soon. And this is for YouTube, so if anyone could answer this question (that I've been questioning for weeks and weeks...) I need to know for highest quality possible.

[Steve Grisetti]

You should shoot in the aspect ratio of the video project you're going to use your photos in. If you're shooting in a 16:9 project, then you might as well shoot your photos in 16:9 to fill the frame. (I assume by "shoot" you mean shoot photos, right?)

As for JPEG or Camera RAW, I'm sure as a photographer you know the advantages of each. RAW photos can not, of course, be used in a Premiere Elements project. They'll need to be exported from Photoshop Elements' RAW editor into a photo format -- which might as well be JPEG. So whether or not you shoot in RAW depends on how much RAW editing you plan to do once you've taken the picture.

[Bill Sprague]

Steve Grisetti wrote:

...... RAW photos can not, of course, be used in a Premiere Elements project. They'll need to be exported from Photoshop Elements' RAW editor into a photo format -- which might as well be JPEG. ....

Steve,

With due respect, Premiere Elements incorporates Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) data in some way that allows RAW photo files to be imported without any pre-processing.   You don't see the same slider interface as you see when you open a RAW file in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop, but RAW files can be brought into any PrE project through the standard Add Media routine.  

Below is a screenshot.  Note that  ".RW2" is the file extension for Panasonic's version of RAW. 

[Ann Bens]

I would shoot raw (which Elements supports) in 3:2. (I can import Nikon NEF files) Which is highest quality and best to color correct.

I would never take pictures in 16:9 (only if they are intended just for a particular video and nothing else)

3:2 will give you more latitude to frame.

On a side note: do a test run. Shoot raw, jpeg, 16/9 and 3/2 and see what YOU like best to work with.

Upload to YT and see how it looks.

[Steve Grisetti]

Thank you, Bill! I didn't know that!

That said, I still think the OP is overthinking this. You can only squeeze so much juice out of a YouTube upload. But I sure appreciate Ann's contribution!