The Best Export Settings for Adobe Premiere Pro

When choosing export settings in Adobe Premiere Pro, there are a few things to consider – mainly the format,  size, and quality of the final video. 

There are many different settings that you can use to export your videos, but which one is the best for you? It’s now left to you to decide which one you want to opt for, depending on your choice.

I am David, a professional video editor, using Adobe Premiere Pro for the past few years. I use Windows PC, so the steps below are for Windows OS. But I believe it’s the same process for MAC users.

This article explains the best export settings for YouTube, Home TV, Reddit, and Social Media. Let’s dive right in!

Adobe Premiere Pro Export Panel Explained

The Export panel in Adobe Premiere Pro is a powerful tool that allows you to output your video project in various formats and settings. You can access it by going to File > Export > Media.

Preset/Formats: H.264 for MP4 files and others

Resolution and Frame Rate: Bitrate and Quality Settings: this will affect the final file size and video quality.

In the panel, you can also select the destination for the exported file and add it to the Adobe Media Encoder queue for batch exporting. This means you can export multiple files at once with different settings without having to go through the export process each time manually.

You can also export audio-only or video with an alpha channel if needed.

Best Export Settings for YouTube

The best video export settings for YouTube in Adobe Premiere Pro will depend on the specific requirements of the video and its content.

Here is a general guideline for export settings that will work well for most videos on YouTube:

  • Format: H.264
  • Video Resolution: 1920 x 1080
  • Video Bitrate: 10,000 to 50,000 kbps
  • Frame rate: 24, 25, or 30 fps

These settings will ensure that your video is exported at a high resolution and quality while still being compatible with YouTube’s requirements. YouTube and other video platforms widely support the H.264 format, and the YouTube 1080p HD preset is optimized explicitly for YouTube’s requirements.

YouTube allows uploads up to 8K resolution; also, depending on the content, you might consider exporting at a higher resolution, like 4K or 2K.

You should also ensure the audio is exported in stereo format and at a bitrate of at least 128 kbps.

Best Export Settings for Home Television

When exporting your television shows or movies to a format to view on other devices, there are a few things to remember. Export MP4, MOV, WMV, AVI, FLV, MKV,  AVCHD, WEBM.

Choose a high-quality resolution for exported files. The higher the quality, the better the playback experience on home devices.

Export videos in MP4 or MKV formats with a bit rate of at least 1500 kbps; This will ensure good video quality without overloading your device’s storage space.

Best Export Settings for Reddit

The best export settings for Reddit will depend on the type of content you are sharing. Generally, exporting content in JPG or PNG format with a resolution of 72 dpi for images and videos is recommended.

Keep the file size as small as possible to ensure smooth loading and streaming. Additionally, it is essential to include relevant tags and descriptions to help your content be discovered.

Exporting for Social Media

The best video export setting for social media depends on your platform. For the best video quality, most platforms recommend export settings. 

  • Facebook recommends an H.264 file with a maximum bitrate of 40 Mbps.
  • YouTube recommends an MP4 file with a maximum bitrate of 35 Mbps.
  • Instagram recommends an MP4 file with a maximum bitrate of 15 Mbps.
  • Twitter recommends an MP4 file with a maximum bitrate of 10 Mbps.

In general, the following are the optimum video export settings for the majority of applications:

  • H.264 – the industry standard format used (.mp4).
  • Frame rate: Match the original video’s frame rate.
  • Frame size: HD 1920 x 1080, 4K (3840 x 2160)
  • Field arrangement: Progressive
  • Pixel size: Square
  • Hardware Encoding for Performance
  • Profile: Level of Excellence: 4.2 (5.2 for 4K)
  • VBR, 1-pass Bitrate Encoding
  • Bitrate target: 20–30 Mbps for HD, 60–80 Mbps for 4K

Conclusion

Choosing the best export settings in Adobe Premiere Pro is essential to ensuring that your videos look and sound great on YouTube and other video platforms. 

H.264 is a widely supported format, and using the YouTube 1080p HD preset is a good starting point to ensure that your video meets YouTube’s requirements. 

Depending on the content, you can also consider exporting at higher resolutions, like 4K or 2K. Additionally, it is crucial to test your video on YouTube after exporting to ensure that it meets your desired quality standards and that there are no compression or other artifacts issues.

By following these guidelines and experimenting with different settings, you will be able to find the best export settings for your specific video projects.