Buzz
Easily integrate high-quality video content into your YouTube channel
Are you looking to upload high-definition or 4K video from your computer or phone to YouTube? Are you puzzled about why your HD videos don't appear in HD after uploading? YouTube supports various HD formats ranging from 720p to 4320p (8K). When you upload an HD video, it initially displays in lower resolution, which is typical as it takes time to process HD video. Once fully processed, you can set it to Public. This Mytour article will guide you on creating and uploading high-definition video to YouTube to ensure it plays in full HD, 4K, or 8K.
Essential Knowledge
- HD resolutions range from 720p to 1440p, while 4K resolution is 2160p, and 8K resolution is 4320p.
- You can upload HD and 4K videos using either the YouTube website or the mobile app.
- HD and 4K videos uploaded to YouTube may not be available in full HD until the processing is complete.
Procedures
Uploading via Mobile Devices
Launch the YouTube app on your Android or iPhone. Locate the distinctive red rectangle icon featuring a white sideways triangle within. You can find it either on your home screen, within the app menu, or by utilizing the search function on your smartphone.
- If you haven't yet verified your YouTube account, your video uploads are restricted to a maximum length of 15 minutes and a maximum size of 20GB. Verified accounts enjoy the privilege of uploading videos up to 12 hours in length and 128 GB in size.
- After uploading your HD video to YouTube, it might initially display at a lower quality. This is a common occurrence as HD videos often require substantial processing time. If you've encountered quality issues with your HD uploads, consider allowing a few hours for the video to complete processing.
Tap on +. This button is located at the bottom-center of the screen. Tapping it will expand a menu.
Tap on Upload a Video. This option is available within the expanded menu accessed by tapping the screen.
- If this is your first time uploading a video via the app, you'll also need to grant the app permission to access your phone's camera and microphone. Follow the on-screen prompts to do so. Afterward, tap on the + icon again and select Upload a Video.
Select your HD video file. You'll find your pre-recorded video listed among the media options beneath the recording choices. A preview will be displayed.
Optional: Edit the video into a shorter version. Explore the realm of YouTube Shorts, succinct 60-second videos tailored for vertical viewing on mobile devices. Should you desire to create a Short from your video, simply tap Edit into a Short at the bottom. You'll need to condense the video to 60 seconds if it exceeds this duration.
- To trim your video, swipe left or right on the timeline at the bottom to select your desired 60-second segment. Use the white slider bars on the timeline's edges to further refine the trim.
Proceed by tapping Next. Locate it at the top-right corner of the screen.
Provide a title and description. Tap Create a title to name your video—this will be its title on YouTube. For a description, tap Add description and enter relevant details about the video. The title is restricted to 100 characters, while the description can contain up to 5,000 characters.
- Utilizing pertinent language and keywords in your title and description enhances the discoverability of your video in searches.
Select a privacy setting. By default, videos are set to Public. Tap Public next to the globe icon to switch to Unlisted (requiring a link for viewing) or Private (visible only to you).
- Although your HD video may initially appear in lower resolution until processing is complete, if you wish to prevent access to the lower-quality version, set the video to Unlisted now and switch to Public later. Alternatively, select Scheduled from the privacy options and choose a time at least 2 hours ahead to automatically make the video Public.
Proceed by tapping Next. This action can be found as a blue button at the upper-right corner of the screen.
Determine if the video is intended for children.
YouTube now requires you to specify the target audience of your video. The default option is No, it's not intended for kids—if the video is designed for children, select that option and then choose Yes, it's intended for kids. After making your selection, you can also click on Age restriction to specify which age groups can view the video.
- To comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), YouTube mandates that you set the audience for each video you upload. Marking a video as 'Made for kids' disables features such as personalized ads, comments, info cards, and end screens. YouTube may automatically adjust the audience settings for videos marked incorrectly. Deliberately marking videos incorrectly may lead to consequences from YouTube.
Click on the Upload Video button. This blue button is located at the bottom of the screen.
- When you upload HD and 4K videos to YouTube, HD and 4K resolutions may not be available until the video finishes processing. If only lower resolutions are available after uploading, refrain from deleting the video. Simply wait until processing is complete, which may take a few hours.
- Once you've uploaded a video, you can use the YT Studio app (if you don't have it, download it from the App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android) to change the privacy settings to Public if you initially set it as Unlisted. Open the app, tap on the video, click on the pencil icon, adjust the privacy settings, and then click on SAVE.
Uploading on Desktop
Visit https://www.youtube.com using a web browser. This is YouTube's website, where you can upload videos from your computer.
- When you upload HD video to YouTube, the video may initially appear to be of lower quality. This is because HD video processing can take a considerable amount of time. If you've attempted to upload HD video previously and were dissatisfied with the quality, consider waiting a few hours for the video to finish processing.
- If you haven't yet verified your YouTube account, you're limited to uploading videos with a maximum length of 15 minutes and a maximum size of 20GB. Verified accounts can upload videos up to 12 hours long and 128 GB in size.
Click on the camera icon with a plus sign and select Upload video. This icon can be found near the top-right corner of the page. When you select Upload video, you'll be prompted to choose a file.
Drag the video you wish to upload onto the arrow icon. Alternatively, you can click Select File and pick the video file from your computer.
Provide a title and description. By default, the title of the video will match the file name. If you wish to assign a different title, you can enter it in the 'Title' box. Utilize the 'Description' box to input a brief overview of the video.
Choose a thumbnail. Once the video finishes processing, this step becomes available. This image, taken from the video, will serve as the thumbnail when your video appears in searches.
- You can also click on the Upload thumbnail box and select a custom image file to use as the thumbnail.
Specify the intended audience for the video. YouTube now mandates selecting the target audience for each video. If the video is aimed at children, select 'Yes, it's made for kids'; if not, select 'No, it's not made for kids'.
- If your video contains content unsuitable for children, you can click Age Restriction (Advanced) and then select Yes, restrict my video to viewers over 18 only.
Click on Show More (Optional). The Show More button located at the page's bottom reveals additional settings for your video. Under 'Show More,' you'll find the following options:
- Paid Promotions: If your video contains paid promotions, check the box labeled 'This video contains paid promotion like a product placement or endorsement.' You can then choose to include a message informing viewers about the paid promotions.
- Automatic Chapters: Tick the checkbox next to 'Allow automatic chapters and key moments' if you want YouTube to suggest chapter breaks for your video. You can override these suggestions by creating your own chapters.
- Featured Places: Check the box next to 'Allow automatic places' if your video takes place in public locations such as restaurants or shops.
- Tags: Tags are keywords that users enter in the search bar to find your video.
- Language and Captions Certification: After selecting a language, you can choose a captions certification and even upload a subtitles script file if available.
- Recording Date and Location: If you wish to make this information public, you can use the options under this section to add a date and location to your video.
- License: You have the option to select the Standard YouTube License or the Creative Commons License. Additionally, you can choose whether to allow embedding and publication to subscriptions feed.
- Shorts Sampling: Check the box next to 'Allow people to sample this content' if you want to permit others to use excerpts of your video in their YouTube Shorts.
- Category: Here, you can designate a category for your video and provide related information. Categories include options like Gaming, Sports, Music, Comedy, Education, Science and Technology, and more.
- Comments and Ratings: Decide whether to allow all comments, hold inappropriate comments for review, hold all comments for review, or disable comments. You can also customize the order of comments here.
Tap Next. This blue button is located in the lower-right corner.
Add end screens or cards (Optional) and tap Next. You can utilize end screens and cards to promote related content during and after your video. To add an end screen or card, tap Add beside 'Add and end screen' or 'Add Cards'. To enter the video card editor, tap the blue Next button in the lower-right corner when you're ready to proceed.
- To return to YouTube Studio from the video card editor, tap Return to YouTube Studio in the upper-right corner.
Tap Next if there are no issues. YouTube now conducts a check of your video before publishing to ensure there are no issues that might restrict its visibility. If any issues with your video are detected, they will be listed under 'Checks.' You may wish to edit your video and address these issues before publishing. If no issues are detected, tap Next in the lower-right corner.
Adjust your video's visibility. This determines who can view your video and how easily it can be found. To prevent people from viewing your HD video before it's fully processed, you may want to initially upload it as Unlisted. This way, nobody will see the lower-quality version of your video unless they have the link. You can then change the visibility later once the quality meets your standards. The options are:
- Public: This allows anyone to search for and view your video.
- Unlisted: This only allows those with a link to view your video.
- Private: This only allows specific people you choose to view your video.
Schedule a publication date (optional). You have the option to specify when you want the video to be published. To schedule a publication date, tap Schedule and then use the drop-down menus to select the date and time you desire the video to be published. Afterwards, tap Schedule in the lower-right corner.
Press Save. It's the blue button in the lower-right corner. This action saves your video settings. Your video will be published either immediately or at the scheduled time. A window will appear, allowing you to share your video on social media.
- When you upload HD and 4K videos to YouTube, HD and 4K resolutions may not be available until the video finishes processing. If only lower resolutions are available initially, do not delete the video. Simply wait until processing completes, which may take a few hours.
HD Recording
Record the video in HD or 4K resolution. Before uploading an HD video to YouTube, ensure it's recorded in a high-definition format. YouTube recommends recording in any of the following HD resolutions to fit its default 16:9 aspect ratio:
- 720p: 1280 x 720 (HD)
- 1080p: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
- 1440p: 2560 x 1440 (Full HD)
- 2160p: 3840 x 2160 (4K)
- 4320p: 7680 x 4320 (8K)
- If your phone supports HD recording (like many iPhones and Androids), access these settings in your camera's options. For example, on a Samsung Galaxy s23 Ultra, tap the gear icon at the screen's top to access resolution settings.
Use the appropriate frame rate. Encode and upload the video with the same frame rate it was recorded in. Common frame rates include 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 frames per second (fps).
- The higher the frame rate, the smoother the video motion appears. However, videos with faster frame rates consume more storage space on your device.
Choose the correct video bitrate. The video bitrate determines how the video codec encodes playback. Optimize your video based on resolution, frame rate, and whether it has high dynamic range (HDR). YouTube recommends the following bitrates for standard (24 - 30 fps) and high (48 - 60 fps) frame rates:
- 4320p: Standard: 80 - 160 Mbps, High: 120 - 240 Mbps
- 4320p (HDR): Standard: 100 - 200 Mbps, High: 150 - 300 Mbps
- 2160p: Standard: 35 - 45 Mbps, High: 53 - 68 Mbps.
- 2160p (HDR): Standard: 44 - 56 Mbps, High: 66 - 85 Mbps.
- 1440p: Standard: 16 Mbps, High: 24 Mbps.
- 1440p (HDR): Standard: 20 Mbps, High: 30 Mbps.
- 1080p: Standard: 8 Mbps, High: 12 Mbps.
- 1080p (HDR): Standard: 10 Mbps, High: 15 Mbps.
- 720p: Standard: 5 Mbps, High: 7.5 Mbps.
- 720p (HDR): Standard: 6.5 Mbps, High: 9.5 Mbps.
Opt for the AAC-LC audio codec at either 48khz or 96khz. It's the ideal audio format recommended by YouTube for your videos, supporting mono, stereo, and 5.1 surround sound channels.
Employ the H.264 video codec. H.264 stands as the predominant compression format for HD video content.
Ensure your video is saved in a compatible format. YouTube suggests uploading videos in the MP4 format. However, YouTube supports nearly all popular formats, including MP4, MPEG4, AVI, MOV, WMV, and FLV.
