Best Video Settings for YouTube,
Instagram & TikTok

The Universal Formula

Before diving into platform-specific settings, here is the one combination that works everywhere:

• Container: MP4
• Video codec: H.264 (High profile)
• Audio codec: AAC stereo
• Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p)
• Frame rate: 30fps
• Audio bitrate: 192 kbps

This combination is accepted by every major platform — YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Vimeo, and Discord. If you do not want to think about platform-specific settings, convert your video to this spec and upload it anywhere. The FFmpeg command:

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -preset slow -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart output.mp4

We use CRF 20 (instead of the typical 23) because social media platforms will re-encode your video again at lower quality. Starting with a higher-quality source means more detail survives the platform's compression pass. The extra file size is a temporary cost — it only affects your upload time.

YouTube Settings

YouTube is the most forgiving platform when it comes to upload specs. It accepts nearly every format and resolution, and it re-encodes everything on its servers. However, your upload settings directly affect the quality viewers see, because YouTube's re-encoding preserves more detail from higher-quality sources.

The 4K advantage: When you upload a 4K video, YouTube encodes it using VP9 (or AV1 for newer uploads) instead of the H.264 it uses for 1080p content. VP9/AV1 produces significantly better quality at the same bitrate. This means your 4K upload will look better to viewers even when they watch at 1080p, because the VP9 1080p stream has a higher bitrate allocation than the H.264 1080p stream.

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow -profile:v high -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 256k -movflags +faststart youtube_upload.mp4

Instagram Settings

Instagram is the most demanding platform when it comes to aspect ratios. Different placement types (Feed, Reels, Stories) have different optimal dimensions, and using the wrong aspect ratio results in automatic cropping or black bars that waste screen space.

Reels dominate Instagram's algorithm in 2026. If you are creating content for Instagram growth, vertical 9:16 Reels are the format to prioritize. Feed posts at 4:5 portrait ratio are the second-best option because they occupy the most vertical space in the feed, giving your content more visual real estate as users scroll.

Instagram compresses uploads aggressively — often to 3.5 Mbps for Feed posts. To preserve the most detail through this compression, upload at CRF 18–20 and ensure your resolution matches the platform dimensions exactly. If your source is 4K landscape and you need 1080×1920 vertical, crop first rather than letting Instagram auto-crop — you control where the frame centers.

# Convert landscape MOV to Instagram Reels (vertical 9:16, center crop)
ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -preset slow -vf "crop=ih*9/16:ih,scale=1080:1920" -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart reels.mp4

TikTok Settings

TikTok is a vertical-first platform. The vast majority of content is 9:16, and the algorithm strongly favors native vertical video over cropped or letterboxed horizontal footage.

TikTok's compression is similar to Instagram's — it re-encodes everything to save bandwidth. Upload at higher quality (CRF 18–20) to give TikTok's encoder the best possible source material. The platform's 287 MB limit through the mobile app rarely causes issues for short-form content, but if you are posting longer videos (3–10 minutes), you may need to reduce the file size first.

Audio matters on TikTok. Unlike YouTube where viewers may be using headphones, TikTok videos play with sound by default in the feed. Ensure your audio is clear and properly leveled. AAC at 128–192 kbps is sufficient since TikTok re-encodes audio regardless.

# Convert for TikTok (vertical 1080x1920, 30fps)
ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -preset slow -vf "scale=1080:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1920:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -r 30 -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart tiktok.mp4

The pad filter adds black bars if the source aspect ratio does not match 9:16, rather than stretching or cropping the video. If your source is horizontal, consider cropping to the center instead for a more engaging vertical result.

Facebook Settings

Facebook supports both horizontal and vertical video across Feed, Reels, and Stories. The platform is relatively lenient on specs but compresses uploads significantly, especially for Feed posts.

Facebook has a generous 4 GB maximum file size and supports videos up to 240 minutes long. However, Facebook's compression is among the most aggressive of all platforms — even high-quality uploads can look noticeably degraded. Upload at CRF 18 or lower to counteract this. Scenes with text overlays, fine detail, and gradients suffer the most from Facebook's compression.

For Feed posts, the 4:5 portrait format takes up the most screen space on mobile, which is where over 90% of Facebook users browse. This gives your video more visual prominence in the feed compared to landscape 16:9.

Twitter/X Settings

Twitter/X has the most restrictive video limits among major social platforms. Free accounts face tight size and duration constraints, while Premium subscribers get expanded limits.

The 140-second limit for free accounts means you often need to trim videos before uploading. Twitter/X supports any aspect ratio, but 1:1 (square) and 16:9 (landscape) display best in the timeline. Vertical 9:16 video gets cropped in the timeline preview — users must tap to see the full frame.

For free accounts, keeping videos under 512 MB while maintaining quality requires encoding at CRF 23–26 at 1080p. If your video exceeds the limit, reducing the file size with resolution scaling or higher CRF values is the fastest fix.

Aspect Ratio Guide

Choosing the right aspect ratio is as important as choosing the right resolution. The wrong aspect ratio results in automatic cropping (losing parts of your frame) or black bars (wasting screen space).

In 2026, vertical video (9:16) dominates. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, and Snapchat Spotlight all use this format. If you are creating content primarily for mobile audiences, shooting in 9:16 from the start eliminates the need for cropping later. If you are repurposing horizontal footage for vertical platforms, center-crop is usually better than letterboxing (black bars above and below).

Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet

The following table summarizes the recommended video settings for each major platform. Use it as a quick reference when preparing your uploads.

Every platform in this table accepts MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. This is the universal formula. Some platforms also accept MOV, WebM, or MKV, but MP4 H.264 is the safest choice because it processes fastest and is least likely to cause upload errors.

FFmpeg Commands for Each Platform

Here are ready-to-use FFmpeg commands for each platform. Replace input.mov with your source file name.

YouTube (1080p, high quality for re-encoding survival)

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow -profile:v high -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 256k -movflags +faststart youtube.mp4

Instagram Reels / TikTok (vertical 9:16, center crop from landscape)

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -preset slow -vf "crop=ih*9/16:ih,scale=1080:1920" -r 30 -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart vertical.mp4

Instagram Feed (4:5 portrait)

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -preset slow -vf "crop=ih*4/5:ih,scale=1080:1350" -r 30 -c:a aac -b:a 192k -movflags +faststart feed_portrait.mp4

Twitter/X (under 512 MB, 140 sec max for free accounts)

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset slow -vf "scale=1920:-2" -t 140 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart twitter.mp4

The -t 140 flag trims the video to 140 seconds. Adjust this value based on your account type and the platform's current limits. For Twitter/X Premium, you can extend this to 480 seconds.

Why Platforms Re-Encode Your Video

Every social media platform re-encodes your upload regardless of what format you submit. This is not a bug — it is by design. Platforms need to:

• Generate multiple quality levels (240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p) for adaptive bitrate streaming. Viewers on slow connections get the lower-quality stream automatically.
• Normalize encoding settings across millions of uploads. Users upload videos in every possible codec, resolution, and bitrate combination. Re-encoding ensures consistent playback behavior.
• Reduce storage and bandwidth costs. A 4K ProRes upload at 6 GB per minute would cost the platform a fortune to store and serve. Re-encoding to their optimized codec (often VP9 or AV1 for YouTube, H.264 for Instagram/TikTok) dramatically reduces these costs.
• Apply content moderation. Re-encoding through their pipeline allows platforms to scan frames for policy violations during processing.

This is why uploading at higher quality than the final output is the right strategy. Your CRF 18 upload becomes the source for the platform's encoder. The better your source, the better the platform's output. Think of your upload as the "master copy" that gets compressed down — starting with a higher-quality master means less quality is lost in translation.