This article shows you how to reduce the size of a video file by changing its resolution and quality to be able to share it on the web in a simpler and more flexible way. Read on to find out how.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Handbrake (Windows)
Step 1. Use your computer's internet browser to access the www.handbrake.fr website
This is the public site of Handbrake, a free program for converting video files, including changing the resolution and image quality. By decreasing the values of these last two elements, the resulting file will have a reduced size.
Step 2. Press the Download Handbrake button
It is a red button clearly visible on the left of the main page of the site, which allows you to download the program installation file.
Step 3. Select the installation file
It is located at the bottom of the internet browser window. Alternatively, it could be located inside the "Downloads" folder.
Step 4. When prompted by the Windows operating system, press the Yes button
Step 5. To continue through the installation wizard steps, press the Next button
Step 6. When finished, press the Finish button to close the installation wizard window
Step 7. Select the "Handbrake" icon on the desktop
Step 8. Press the Source button
It is located in the upper left corner of the Handbrake window.
Step 9. Select the File item
Step 10. Use the dialog box that appeared to browse the contents of your computer's hard drive and be able to select the file you want to convert
Step 11. After choosing the file, press the Open button
Step 12. Press the Browse button located inside the "Destination" section
Step 13. Choose the folder where the resulting file will be saved at the end of the video conversion
Step 14. Locate the "Size" section within the Picture tab
Step 15. Enter a low number in the "Width" text field
By reducing the resolution of the video, the resulting file size will be drastically reduced. For example, if the current image width is "1920" pixels, try changing it to "1280". In this way, the actual resolution of the video will go from 1080p to 720p and the size of the file where the video is stored will be significantly smaller. Variations in image resolution are much more noticeable when using large screens.
Here is a list of the values that can be used within the "Width" field, in the case of 16: 9 screens, to maintain the correct aspect ratio between image height and width: 1024, 1152, 1366, 1600 and 1920. Remember that, normally, these values are used in the case of video resolutions suitable for screens that adopt the 16: 9 or "widescreen" format. If your computer screen, monitor or TV you intend to use adopts a different format, you will need to use values other than those indicated
Step 16. Go to the Video tab
Step 17. Move the Constant Quality slider to the left
The higher the number set, the lower the image quality, resulting in a reduction in file size.
The value "20" refers to the quality of the videos distributed on DVD. Starting from this information, you can try to reduce the image quality by using the value 30, which should still ensure a satisfactory view if you use small screens. In the case of large monitors or large televisions, it is best to use a value in the range of 22-25
Step 18. Drag the x264 Preset slider to the right
The smaller the set value, the less disk space the video file will occupy resulting from the conversion. Try to use the lowest possible value based on your needs.
Step 19. Press the Preview button
It is positioned at the top of the window.
Step 20. Select the Use system default player check button
Step 21. Press the Play button
Step 22. Preview the video to determine how the image quality will look after the conversion is complete
Step 23. Change the video settings as you wish, then re-observe the preview of the final result
Step 24. When you have achieved a satisfactory result, press the Start button
The conversion process will begin. The time required to complete this step depends very much on the total length of the video, the conversion settings chosen and the computing power of the computer.
Step 25. Once the conversion is complete, open the new file that was generated
You will find it in the folder you selected as the destination in the first steps of this section. Play the new movie to check the image quality level and make sure there are no problems during video playback. You should notice a noticeable difference in the size of the file obtained after conversion from the original.
Method 2 of 5: Handbrake (Mac)
Step 1. Use your computer's internet browser to access the www.handbrake.fr website
This is the public website of Handbrake, a free program for converting video files, including changing the resolution and image quality.
Step 2. Press the Download Handbrake button
It is a red button clearly visible on the left of the main page of the site, which allows you to download the program installation file.
Step 3. Once the download is complete, click the installation file icon
It will appear in the lower right corner of the desktop. Alternatively, you can locate it in the "Downloads" folder.
Step 4. Drag the Handbrake program file to your desktop or into the "Applications" folder
Step 5. At this point, start Handbrake by double clicking on its icon
Step 6. Press the Open button
Step 7. Browse the contents of your computer's hard drive for the file you want to convert
The operating system dialog, which will allow you to access the contents of all memory units installed on your computer, will appear on the screen as soon as Handbrake is started.
Step 8. Select the file to open, then press the Open button
Step 9. Type the name of the new file that will be created during the conversion process in the text field in the Destination section
If you don't change the file name, the program will overwrite the original one.
Step 10. Press the Picture Settings button
It is positioned at the top of the window.
Step 11. Enter a smaller number in the "Width" text field
This is one of the two values that make up the video resolution of the file that will be generated. By reducing the resolution, the image will appear smaller on the screen when the movie is played, but as a benefit the resulting file size will be drastically reduced. When watching videos on mobile devices, the change in resolution may not be perceived at all. This is a great way to reduce the size of a video file.
- For example, if the current image width is "1920" pixels, try changing it to "1280". In this way the real resolution of the video will go from 1080p to 720p. Here is a list of the values that can be used within the "Width" field for 16: 9 screens: 1024, 1152, 1366, 1600 and 1920.
- Make sure the "Keep Aspect Ratio" checkbox is checked. In this way, the height of the image will be changed automatically, according to the width entered, to keep the aspect ratio unchanged.
Step 12. Press the X button
This will close the "Picture Settings" window, saving and making the new settings effective.
Changing the resolution of a video is not an essential step to reduce the size of its file, but it is certainly very useful
Step 13. Move the Constant Quality slider to the left
The higher the number set, the lower the image quality, resulting in a reduction in file size. In this case, you may need to try using multiple values before finding the right one for you.
- The value "20" refers to the quality of the videos distributed on DVD. Starting from this information, you can try to reduce the image quality by using the value 30, which should still ensure a satisfactory view if you use small screens.
- If you want to enjoy the video using a large TV, it is best to use a "Constant Quality" slider value of less than 22-25.
Step 14. Move the Encoder Options Preset slider to the "Slow" value
If possible, select an even lower option. This is a setting that affects the image compression level. The smaller the value is set, the smaller the final file size will be.
Step 15. Press the Preview Window button
Step 16. Select the Live Preview item
Step 17. Preview the video after it has been reprocessed with the new settings
Step 18. Edit the new video configuration according to your needs
To make the new changes, follow the steps seen above, based on the image quality of the video preview.
Step 19. Press the Start button
This will start converting the video based on the configuration settings provided. The time required to complete this step depends largely on the total length of the movie and the image quality settings you have chosen.
Method 3 of 5: iMovie (Mac)
Step 1. Launch iMovie
iMovie is a video editing software included in the operating system installed on any Mac. You can open the program by selecting its icon in the "Applications" folder.
Step 2. Press the "Projects" button
Step 3. Press the "+" button to create a new project
Step 4. Select the "Movies" category
Step 5. Choose the "No Theme" template
Step 6. Type in the name you want to give the new file
Step 7. Navigate to the folder where the video file to convert is stored
Step 8. Drag the desired video file into the upper left pane of the iMovie window
Step 9. Drop the movie into the timeline box (the timeline of all the frames that make up the video)
Step 10. Access the "File" menu
Step 11. Select the "Share" item, then choose the "File" option
Step 12. Use the "Resolution" drop-down menu to select a video resolution lower than the original one
In this way, the size of each frame that composes the movie under examination will be reduced, consequently reducing the size occupied on disk by the relative file. When using devices with a small screen, changes in the video resolution will not be noticeable.
Step 13. Use the "Quality" drop-down menu to set the image quality level lower than the original
In this way, the visual quality of the video will be reduced, but the size of its file will also be smaller than the original.
Step 14. Access the "Compression" drop-down menu, then select the "Smaller file" option
Step 15. Press the "Next" button
Step 16. Type the name you want to give the new file
Step 17. Press the "Save" button
Step 18. Wait for the conversion process to complete
This step may take a long time for large videos.
Method 4 of 5: Use an Android Device
Step 1. Access the Google Play Store using your Android device
Select the Play Store icon located within the "Applications" screen or on the Home. It features a small "shopping bag" embossed with the Google Play Store logo.
Step 2. Tap the Search Mail bar at the top of the screen
Step 3. Type in video compress keywords
Step 4. Select the Video Compress application that appeared in the results list
Step 5. Press the relevant Install button
Step 6. Tap the Open button
The latter will appear only after the download and installation of the application is complete.
Step 7. Press the Accept button
In this way the application will be able to access the video files stored inside the device.
Step 8. Tap the folder that contains the movie you want to convert
Normally, this is the folder named "Camera".
Step 9. Select the video file you want to compress
Step 10. Press the Compress Video button
Step 11. Select the final size you want to achieve
For each available option, the video resolution and the size that the movie will have at the end of the conversion will be shown.
Step 12. Wait for the video to be compressed
Step 13. Locate the new compressed video
The file resulting from the compression process will be automatically saved in the "Super Video Compressor" folder of the device. The final file will have the same name as the original, with the prefix "video compress" added.
Method 5 of 5: Use an iOS Device
Step 1. Access the Apple App Store using your iOS device (iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone)
Step 2. Go to the Search tab
Step 3. Type compress video keywords into the search field
Step 4. Press the Get button located next to the "Video Compressor" application
Step 5. Tap the Install button
Step 6. Once the app has finished downloading and installing, press the Open button
Alternatively, you can select the "Compress" icon that appeared on the Home screen after installation.
Step 7. Tap the OK button so that the application can access the videos stored in the device's internal memory
Step 8. Select the movie you want to compress
Step 9. Press the Choose button
Step 10. Select and drag the Target Size slider to the desired value
By default the application is configured to reduce the original video file size by 50%. By changing the value indicated by the "Target Size" slider you will see an estimate of the final size of the compressed file.
Step 11. Once your selection is complete, press the Save button
Step 12. Wait for the chosen video to be compressed
You can check the progress of the compression process by looking at the status bar at the top of the screen.
Step 13. Locate the new compressed video
The new movie will have automatically been stored in the "Recently Added" album in the device's media gallery.
