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Create Video File
This screen can be reached from the Main screen, using the
Create Video File button, or from the File menu.
Controls on the Create Video Screen
- File Format - Select MPEG-4 H.264, Windows Media, or AVI output format.
Note: Options listed are for the Windows version; Mac OS X version uses MPEG-4 H.264 only.
- MPEG-4 H.264 - Only available on Windows 7 or newer, and Mac OS X.
Well known and supported format that typically encodes faster than Windows Media.
Works best on Windows 8 or newer, or Mac OS X.
- Windows Media - Microsoft format that supports high-definition video. May take
longer to encode than H.264, but can offer higher quality than the Windows 7 H.264
encoder. For Windows 8 or newer, and Mac OS X, H.264 is generally recommended.
- AVI - Limited to a maximum of 720x480 (DVD resolution). This is an old
format that is occasionally still used today, but is generally not recommended.
It also depends on Video for Windows (VfW) codecs being installed on your computer. The
Xvid codec may offer better quality and speed than the standard Windows AVI encoders.
- Use YouTube Uploader When Complete - This option enables you to upload the video
directly to your YouTube account. After selecting the output file that you want to
create, the video will start rendering in the background, while the upload screen
prompts you for the details of your upload. When rendering is complete, the upload
screen will appear again and automatically start uploading your video.
- Distribution Profile - Select a preset configuration that fits your
intended use of the video file that you are creating.
- Local File profiles provide high quality, but larger file sizes that may make
them more difficult to share with others.
- Internet / Upload profiles sacrifice some quality in the interest of producing
a somewhat smaller file size for sharing with others over the Internet. You may wish to
increase the Video Bitrate somewhat to enhance quality.
- Television / DVD profiles produce high quality and large file size, with a
default overscan area (black border around the picture) for better viewing on many
televisions. This is meant for importing into DVD creation software, or otherwise
transmitting to a TV screen.
- Picture Aspect Ratio & Size - Aspect ratio and picture size for the video file.
If the aspect ratio that you select here is different from the aspect ratio selected
on the Preview Settings screen, display objects may appear in
slightly different proportions and positions than they do in the main preview window. This
can be even more noticeable on display objects that are using the
Maintain Aspect Ratio option. It is recommended to set the
preview screen to the same aspect ratio that you intend
to use in your output video file, so that the preview is a more accurate representation.
16:9 is a common choice.
Choosing a smaller Picture Size can be used with a lower Video Bitrate to reduce file
size, as well as improve rendering speed. Selecting a smaller picture size without also lowering the
video compression bitrate will result in a sharper and less distorted picture in the smaller size. Some
aspect ratio and picture size options are not available with the AVI file format and will cause the
format to change to Windows Media or H.264.
The picture size can have a significant impact on rendering performance. Higher sizes can come
at a significantly higher performance cost.
See Also: Performance Cost per Video Type
- Video Frame Rate - Increasing the number of frames per second can improve the smoothness
of the video, while decreasing it can be used with a lower compression bitrate to reduce file size.
Decreasing the frame rate without also decreasing the video compression bitrate may result in
better picture quality. 29.97 FPS is a typical video frame rate.
- Overscan Area - This creates a black border around the outside of the video image to
compensate for the fact that some televisions do not show the full width or height of the video.
This should not be needed or desired for computer monitors or certain newer televisions. For
televisions where this is desirable, a setting of 5% is typical.
- Audio Channels - Enables you to choose between 8 and 16 bit, and Mono and Stereo. This
option can help reduce file size when creating AVI files, but does not have any significant
impact on Windows Media or MPEG-4 H.264 files, except for the Stereo vs Mono option. If using
the MPEG-4 H.264 output format, only 16-bit options are supported.
- Audio Sample Rate - Lower sample rates can help decrease file size in some cases, but
may also cause the audio to sound flat or distorted. 44100 Hz 16-Bit Stereo is CD quality. If
using the MPEG-4 H.264 output format, only 44100 and 48000 Hz are supported.
- Picture Rescale Quality - Scaling mode to use. Lower quality can appear jagged or
distorted, but may create the video file faster in some cases.
- Video & Audio Bitrate (kbps) - Lower bitrates will decrease file size at the expense
of quality, and may cause "ghosting", a "blocky" picture, and other image artifacts. These settings
are not used for AVI files, which may have separate dialog boxes for this:
AVI Example 1
AVI Example 2
- Render Entire Project - Creates the video file from the entire project.
- Render Specific Time-Span in Project - Creates the video file from the specified
time range of the current project. The Start time and End time settings are both optional.
If the End time is after the actual project length, it will simply use the project
length instead. These times are automatically filled and selected when the
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controls on the Main screen were used to select a time range.
- Render Lap Range - Creates the video file to include everything during and
between the selected laps of the current project, based on the data input file.
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