From the PC to the television, from the camera to the smartphone, from game consoles to streaming services, 4K has truly taken over our daily life. More people are also opting to film 4K footage themselves in order to achieve clearer pictures and higher audio quality.
The HD and 4K video formats now dominate the worlds of cameras, mobile devices, streaming services, desktop computers, televisions, and even films, among other things. A rising number of people are using 4K video recording devices such as GoPro, iPhone, DJI, Sony, Canon, and other similar devices to get an immersive experience in the image sharpness and brilliant color contrast that 4K video provides. However, there is a cost associated with everything, and in the case of 4K video, that cost is storage.
However, there are plenty of video software you can download or purchase to handle the conversion like FonePaw, Leawo, and WinXDVD and in this article, we will show you how to do exactly that! So, let’s get started with this!
How To Compress 4K Video
To begin, open your chosen converter and import your large-sized 4K videos by clicking on the +Video button or dragging and dropping them into the program. You have the ability to import numerous large 4K UHD videos and compress them all at once.
For Social Media
Next, you have to choose what kind of output you want, depending on where you want the video to go. If you want to upload 4K video to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Whatsapp, you should check out the optimal video upload settings, which are as follows:
● Whatsapp: Convert 4K video to MP4 (h.264+aac), and ensure that your movie is less than 16MB in size. Take, for example, an iPhone 4K HEVC video at 30 frames per second; a 5-second film will be easily over 15-20MB in size. As a result, it is recommended that you modify the video resolution to 1080p or 720p or that you split the long video into several parts in order to reduce the file size.
● YouTube: Follow the same steps to convert 4K to MP4 (h.264+aac), then reduce the 4K resolution to 1080p by using the same converter. Then adjust the parameters to match the YouTube-recommended upload encoding settings, which are as follows: 16:9 aspect ratio, 1080p 24/25/30fps at 8-10Mbps, or 1080p 48/50/60fps at 12-15Mbps, maximumly 128GB and 12-hour length.
● Facebook: Change the video frame rate to 30 frames per second and trim videos that are less than 25 minutes long. Convert 4K video to MOV/MP4 format using the h.264+aac codec, downscale 4K to 720p, change the video frame rate to 30 frames per second, and trim videos that are less than 25 minutes long.
● Instagram: Transcode enormous 4K video to MP4 (h.264+aac), compress oversized 4K to 1080p, tune video to 30 frames per second, crop video frame size in 1:1 or 16:9, and trim video to a maximum of 60 seconds (4GB).
For Low-End Machines
After a few seconds, an Output Profile box appears. Select General Profiles > MP4 (h264+aac) > Done for 4K MKV to MP4 conversion, AVI to MP4 conversion, and so forth. This not only resolves the issue of 4K format incompatibility, but it significantly reduces the size of a 4K video when using the H.264 codec.
To downscale 4K to 1080p or 720p for playback on media players such as iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple TV, Xbox One, PS4, HDTVs, and other devices, you must first select 19201080 or 1280720 from the drop-down Resolution menu of the Settings button.
For Sending Videos via Email
To convert H.264 to HEVC, select General Profiles > HEVC > Done from the drop-down menu. This will cut the video file size by half. Reduce the video quality by switching from 4K to HD or even SD, then use the scissors-shaped Edit button to trim the video length to output a 25-50MB video for email transmission to reduce the size of the video file for transmission.
For Storing on Cloud or Memory Cards
Convert 4K video to MP4 HEVC and reduce the 4K video frame rate from 60fps to 30fps before publishing. Of course, if you're going to run out of cloud storage space or SD card storage space, you may reduce the 4K video resolution to HD or SD, or you can shorten the video time to reduce the video file size. Dropbox, for example, provides 2GB of free storage space, while each Google account has access to 15GB of free storage space on Google Drive.
And Then Compress!
In order to improve the output video quality, you can check the boxes for Use High-Quality Engine and Deinterlacing before starting. Also, make sure the Intel/nVIDIA Hardware Accelerator option is checked in order to raise 4K video compression speed 47X in real-time (if your computer has built with hardware-accelerated graphic cards).
After that, use the RUN button to begin shrinking 4K videos right away. Once this is completed, you will be able to freely play 4K content on any device.
FAQs
Does 4K video compression kill quality?
Yes. Transcoding video causes quality loss. Balancing is key. No 4K video compressor program or web tool can compress 4K video files without compromising image quality. But a capable one
like WinX Video Converter will establish a balance between file size and quality. You lose some resolution, but if the file isn't meant to be read on a 4k screen, the difference is imperceptible.
Why is my edited 4K video larger than the original?
Assumedly, the original source video is already. If you unpack it while editing and then repack it with no compression (100%), it will be significantly larger. You can't improve image quality by reducing compression. With a free video converter, you may shrink a huge 4K video by up to 90% while maintaining near-original quality.