What You Need to Know Before Touching a Video File
6 days ago
- #x264
- #video-encoding
- #ffmpeg
- Video files consist of container formats (e.g., .mp4, .mkv) and encoded video streams (e.g., H.264, H.265).
- Remuxing (changing containers) is lossless, while reencoding (changing the video stream) reduces quality and takes time.
- Video quality is determined by encoding settings (e.g., CRF in x264/x265), not resolution, file size, or container format.
- Avoid unnecessary changes to resolution, frame rate, colors, or sharpness, as they degrade quality.
- Use tools like ffmpeg, x264/x265, and MKVToolNix for efficient video processing; avoid Handbrake and online converters.
- Hardsubbing (burning subtitles into video) should be minimized due to quality loss; prefer soft subtitles in .mkv files.
- Color space issues (e.g., BT.601 vs. BT.709 matrices) can cause mismatches; tag files correctly to avoid problems.
- Interlaced footage may be telecined (reversible), not always requiring deinterlacing.
- For beginners, stick to CRF-based encoding with x264/x265 and avoid unnecessary post-processing.