This tutorial will show you how to prepare your video for Vimeo using Compressor. We have recommended specific settings below based on nonexhaustive testing and member feedback, but can't guarantee we specify newer settings or navigational steps of any third-party software. Always keep our main compression guidelines in mind and learn more about using Compressor in Apple's user guide.
If you want to upload your video in Dolby Vision using Compressor, our partners at Dolby have a tutorial here.
If you imported your video into Compressor directly from Final Cut Pro, it should already be preloaded into the main window. Otherwise, import your file by clicking Add File in the lower panel. (Alternatively, you can navigate to File > Add File... Select your video file, then click Add.)
Navigate to Window > Show Settings & Locations (If the settings/locations menu is already shown, you can skip this step)
In the bottom left-hand corner, click the "+" symbol and select New Setting. Learn more about creating a new setting.
In the Format dropdown, select MPEG-4. Give the setting a Name (for example: "Vimeo Export") and a Description (ex. "Export setting for Vimeo"). Then, click OK.
In the settings panel on the left-hand side, select your new preset.
On the right-hand side of the screen, under the General tab, choose the following options
Note: If the General tab is not appearing, select the equalizer icon (
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| Name | Leave as-is |
| Description | Leave as-is |
| Default location | None |
| Format | Video and Audio |
| Optimize for network use | Unchecked |
| Set duration to | 100% of source |
Under the Video tab, select the following options:
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Video Properties |
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Frame Size Vimeo uses some unique calculations to determine the available playback qualities for your video. Read More. |
Choose your desired frame size from the list under "Manual." If you aren't sure what frame size to use, choose "Automatic." |
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Pixel aspect ratio |
Square |
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Frame rate You can enter a custom frame rate by choosing Automatic and entering your new frame rate value to the right of the dropdown. There are some situations where you'll want to choose a frame rate different from the source:
If you upload a frame rate that is higher than 60 FPS or lower than 15 FPS, Vimeo will automatically adjust the frame rate for you. However, we can't guarantee the results will always look as expected. It's best to do the conversion on your end prior to uploading. |
Under "Manual," choose your source video's native frame rate. If you aren't sure which frame rate to use, choose "Automatic." |
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Field order (if applicable) |
Same as Source or Progressive |
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Color Space |
Rec. 709 💡TIP: If you’re working with HDR videos, you can set this value to Rec. 2020 (note this setting should only be used for videos recorded and mastered in HDR) |
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Codec |
H.264 |
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Profile |
For HD footage, choose "High." For SD footage, choose "Main." |
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Entropy mode |
CABAC |
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Keyframe interval |
Automatic |
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Data rate These data rates are suggested for average video files. If your video contains below average visual complexity (such as a slideshow presentation), choose a lower data rate. If your video contains above average visual complexity (such as a video with high levels of grain), increase the data rate. Remember: Lower data rates lead to smaller file sizes and faster uploads! Experiment to pick the lowest data rate that yields acceptable image quality. |
Custom. Use the slider to choose a value appropriate for your video. SD 2000 – 5000 kbps 720p 5000– 10,000 kbps 1080p 10000 – 20000 kbps 2K 20000 – 30000 kbps 4K 30000 – 60000 kbps 8K 50000 – 80000 kbps |
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Multi-pass |
Unchecked |
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Allow frame reordering |
Checked |
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360 Metadata |
For standard, non-360 videos, set this value to “None” For 360 (e.g spherical) videos that do not already video metadata, set this value to “Spherical V1” (learn more here about working with 360 metadata in Compressor) |
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Cropping & Padding |
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Cropping |
Custom (Top/Bottom/Left/Right should all be set to 0) |
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Padding |
Preserve Source Aspect Ratio |
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Quality |
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Resize filter |
Anti-Aliased (Best) |
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Retiming quality |
Best (Motion Compensated) |
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Adaptive details |
Checked |
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Anti-aliasing level If your video contains aliasing (jagged edges), you may wish to increase this value. Use sparingly. |
0 |
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Details level If your video has soft edges, you may wish to increase this value. Use sparingly. |
0 |
Skip the Video Effects section.
Under the Audio tab, select the following options (you can skip this step if your video does not contain audio):
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Channel layout |
Stereo (L R) (Note that for any number of channels above 2, Vimeo will downmix your audio to 2 channels upon upload. For best results, we recommend mixing down multiple audio tracks into a Stereo mix beforehand) |
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Sample rate |
48 |
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Format |
AAC |
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Quality |
Maximum |
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Data rate |
320 kbps |
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Bit Rate Strategy |
Variable |
Skip the Audio Effects section.
Your export preset is now ready. Choose Add next to the filename to apply your preset. Then select a destination on your computer to export your file to (such as your Desktop).
You can also drag the Vimeo Export preset over your file to apply it.
Once you’re ready, click Start Batch to kick-off the export process. You can then watch the progress of your compression job in the Active tab.
Once the compression process has finished, view your finished file to make sure it looks and sounds correct, then upload it to Vimeo via your browser.