Exploring Trails with my Son. Video quality issues.

[JeepViking13]

Took my Son out to hit up some trails in Eastern Pennsylvania. Very dark and gloomy day but we both had a blast.

One thing I realized is when you upload a high quality 4k video to YouTube their compression kills the quality. The Drone footage got killed especially. Apparently if you're a small channel you don't get same bit rates and quality as larger channels. Which totally stinks for the type of videos I want to start making.

I originally released it Friday but it was so bad I took it down and tried reloading it several different ways over the weekend. Very blurry and pixelated. Which is not how the original content is.

Anyone have a fix for this? Or is it basically something I just have to deal with? Any advice or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Regardless at least my Son and I had fun and if anything it's a memory for us to watch and enjoy in the Future.

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[sentience]

Specific to YouTube, try to upload the video as “unlisted” or use the premier (timed release) feature and give it a day or two to figure itself out.

 

[JeepViking13]

Specific to YouTube, try to upload the video as “unlisted” or use the premier (timed release) feature and give it a day or two to figure itself out.

I did that. I always keep them private for a day or two. I also upload it at the highest quality possible knowing they will degrade it. From what I've read they only upload bigger channels at the higher quality which stinks if you want to do adventure style videos in 4k.

 

[JamesWyatt]

Looks pretty good to me. Might experiment with different FPS and bit rates on your recording devices just to rule that out (60 fps for hyper-real look or 24fps for smoother motion).

When I watch a YT video, I immediately click the gear icon and make sure it's 4K – especially when embedded on a site like this, they tend to play in 720p by default.

 

[JeepViking13]

Looks pretty good to me. Might experiment with different FPS and bit rates on your recording devices just to rule that out (60 fps for hyper-real look or 24fps for smoother motion).

When I watch a YT video, I immediately click the gear icon and make sure it's 4K – especially when embedded on a site like this, they tend to play in 720p by default.

I'm not home right now or I'd show you a clip of original footage before uploading it to YouTube. It's like night and day.

 

[JamesWyatt]

I'm not home right now or I'd show you a clip of original footage before uploading it to YouTube. It's like night and day.

YT is weird – sometimes exporting to a lower bit rate makes them compress it less. For example, if the bit rate is too high quality, they may do a lot of compression on it, but if you upload a lower bit rate, they leave it alone.

Adobe gives these specs as best for export for YT:

• Format: H.264 (.mp4)
• Frame sizes: UHD: 3840 x 2160. ...
• Frame rate: match the frame rate of the source video.
• Target bitrate: 8 Mbps (45 for 4K)
• Bitrate encoding: VBR, 1-pass.
• Field order: Progressive.
• Aspect: match the aspect of the source video.

From YT:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en

 

[JeepViking13]

YT is weird – sometimes exporting to a lower bit rate makes them compress it less. For example, if the bit rate is too high quality, they may do a lot of compression on it, but if you upload a lower bit rate, they leave it alone.

Adobe gives these specs as best for export for YT:

• Format: H.264 (.mp4)
• Frame sizes: UHD: 3840 x 2160. ...
• Frame rate: match the frame rate of the source video.
• Target bitrate: 8 Mbps (45 for 4K)
• Bitrate encoding: VBR, 1-pass.
• Field order: Progressive.
• Aspect: match the aspect of the source video.

From YT:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en

I use Adobe. I have Rush and Premier. I did choose the proper YouTube settings.

Youtube compression is definitely the problem.

 

[blnewt]

I know you want the video to be perfect, but really, like is short and the time out on the trails bonding w/ your boy are much more important. Looks like a great day out there! Keep up the videos, they've been good.

 

[JeepViking13]

I know you want the video to be perfect, but really, like is short and the time out on the trails bonding w/ your boy are much more important. Looks like a great day out there! Keep up the videos, they've been good.

Oh yeah absolutely. The day spending time with my Son is what's important. I spend a lot of time with my Son off camera. It's just frustrating when you record with high quality devices and then YouTube compresses it and the quality of the video is severely downgraded.

I really want to do videos more involved then this one with the trails and the surrounding nature as the main visuals. But they need to be high quality to make sense and enjoyable to watch. It's frustrating that YouTube favors bigger channels and uploads their content with higher quality. Makes no sense.

 

[Granite2dr]

You have a great channel!! I really liked the 5 things you hate about your wrangler (especially the seat one). Keep shredding!

 

[JeepViking13]

You have a great channel!! I really liked the 5 things you hate about your wrangler (especially the seat one). Keep shredding!

Thanks man really appreciate it.

 

[Xcoaste]

I live about 40 mins from Pinchot. 2 really cool disc golf courses there too.

 

[Tethmes]

The Drone footage got killed especially.

Not an answer to your question (as I don't know the answer), but just as a heads up for ya:

Not sure how big your channel is, but if you make even a penny from the channel make sure you have your Part 107 from the FAA. There are some nasty people on the internet that make it their hobby to report youtubers using drone footage to the FAA because they're small individuals with no self esteem or compassion.

If you don't make any money from the channel and are doing it for pure enjoyment, then you fall within the USC 44809 (recreational flying exemption to part 107), but if the channel does monetize, it could be hit retroactively too.

Normally the FAA is chill and an agent gets in touch with the channel owner to educate them on the subject (with a warning not to post drone footage again until they have obtained licensing), but there have been a couple instances of some pretty massive fines. The biggest back in 2020 with a pilot/youtuber getting slapped with 185k in fines.

Anywho, just a friendly heads up from someone with dual hobbies!

 

[JeepViking13]

Not an answer to your question (as I don't know the answer), but just as a heads up for ya:

Not sure how big your channel is, but if you make even a penny from the channel make sure you have your Part 107 from the FAA. There are some nasty people on the internet that make it their hobby to report youtubers using drone footage to the FAA because they're small individuals with no self esteem or compassion.

If you don't make any money from the channel and are doing it for pure enjoyment, then you fall within the USC 44809 (recreational flying exemption to part 107), but if the channel does monetize, it could be hit retroactively too.

Normally the FAA is chill and an agent gets in touch with the channel owner to educate them on the subject (with a warning not to post drone footage again until they have obtained licensing), but there have been a couple instances of some pretty massive fines. The biggest back in 2020 with a pilot/youtuber getting slapped with 185k in fines.

Anywho, just a friendly heads up from someone with dual hobbies!

I've been flying Drones for years. I'm aware of the laws. Thanks for the heads up anyways though it's good information for everyone to know.

 

[Ang1Sgt]

I like your channel and I wish I could have owned a Jeep while my kid were younger. I had to go away from Jeeps back in 1977 went I got orders for England. Then we had TWINS born to us in England and all the stuff that kids need to have, well a Jeep was just not going to work out.
At least I can have fun with some of the grand kids now in the Jeep. Seems like they all love it so far. My youngest Grandson (8) just bought me a Jeep Matchbox car because he KNEW I’d like it! LOL!

Enjoy those kids!

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