Getting along with YouTube a lot better now

A few posts back I badmouthed the most popular video sharing site on the net. Turns out my problem was I didn't understand the special requirements for Mac users. I was following advice aimed at PC users... normally I pay close attention to the distinction, but for some reason I didn't even think about it in this case. Well today I dug deep in the hidden bowels of YouTube and found a post on their user help forum delineating the procedure for Mac users.

Here's the post itself, copied here for your convenience:

Level 9 12/14/10

Some of the recommendations in YouTube's "Help articles" for Apple users creating .MOV files contradict guidance given elsewhere or use terms only software developers would be familiar with.  I believe the instructions below cover the major do's and don'ts for creating .MOV files that are "YouTube Friendly".


Instructions for advanced Mac users creating .MOV files for YouTube

YouTube doesn't support or improperly decodes some of the more advanced features and data types that may be used in .MOV files.  When creating .MOV files that will be uploaded to YouTube you can increase the chances your movie will playback properly by conforming your .MOV file to the following specifications:

Video Track (required)
  - must contain 1 and only 1 Video Track
  - do not use "Frame Reordering"
  - H.264 encoded
  - 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 are acceptable Frame Rates

Sound Track (optional)
  - may contain 1 and only 1 Sound Track
  - Sound Track [if present] must be of equal length as Video Track
  - AAC encoded

"Prepare for Internet Streaming" (required)
  - must be "Fast Start"

Do not include any other type of "Tracks" other than the 1 required Video Track and 1 optional Sound Track.  Do not embed XML, XMP, or EDL data.

If you are creating a .MOV for a client that may upload the file to YouTube you should explain the importance of not editing the movie in any way since that invalidates the "Fast Start" option.  Make sure clients understand that adding or deleting bumpers, bugs, color-bars, credits, black, slates, etc. is considered "editing".

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Update:

Sound Track specs addendum:
  - "AAC" encoded with "Constant Bit Rate" option

12/16/10

Found on this web page.

Additionally, a YouTube staffer posted this helpful info:

File format and editing tips for Apple users

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If you're a Quicktime Pro, Finalcut Pro, or iMovies user, check out the following tips on how to export your video files and get the best results out of uploading to YouTube and the transcoding of your files.

How to enter Options for:

• iMovie: File > Export > Compress movie for: Expert Settings > Share > Export: Movie to QuickTime Movie > Options
• Finalcut Pro: File > Export > Using Quicktime Conversion > Options
• QuickTime Pro: File > Export > Export: Movie to QuickTime Movie > Options

From Options:

1. In the Video section select the following:
   • Compression Type: H264
   • Frame Rate: 30
   • Data Rate: Automatic
     (if you choose to restrict the Data Rate, make sure to choose the highest value acceptable to you — more bits means better quality)
   • Key Frames: Automatic
   • Frame Reording: Unchecked
2. In the Video section click Size and set Dimensions to the original size of your video (Note: HD resolutions - 1280x720 or 1920x1080 - preferred).
3. Select Prepare for internet Streaming and choose Fast Start from the drop-down menu.
4. In the Audio section, make sure that the audio codec is AAC. Always use AAC as the preferred audio codec.
5. Once you've made all of these selections, click the OK button to save your preferences.
6. Add a title to the video file and click the Save button to save your edited version of your movie. Your project will then be exported and be ready to upload to YouTube.

On This page.

And to test it, I finally dug out the original file of Terror in the Pumpkin Patch, formerly only viewable as a tiny QT movie via my site, encoded and uploaded it according to the instructions. And the results are excellent. So I tried re-encoding One Good Yank and the clip I call DrunkStagger and uploaded them as well. That stuttery motion I complained about earlier in One Good Yank... completely gone!! I'll post those two below as well.