Quicktime Pro, what are the best export settings for a file that will go on the internet?

Question

I dont know what all the following things are: streaming, mp4, mov, and i hope i wont have to. i just want the damned file to work, and i want it as big as possible, in as good quality as possible and to load as soon as possible.

Answer 1

Without understanding what you're doing with these video files, it's hard to recommend one or the other, but as you've given us a steer I'll have a stab.

I know you don't want to understand what they all are, but it'll help you make an informed decision if I explain briefly what they mean, or you can skip down to my conclusion:

Streamed - This will create a file you put on your server and when people go to a webpage that requests the file, they'll be sent only the bits of it their browser requests, and they can start watching it before it finishes downloading. This is viewed in the browser window using the QuickTime plugin which most people have, and is free.

MP4 - This is a highly compressed format which retains a huge amount of quality, but depending on the resolution and length of your video - this might still create quite a large file. To play this file, your viewers will require the correct codec which doesn't allow playback in a browser window normally. They can download the file and play it back offline.

MOV - This is the Apple QuickTime format which creates files for multiple resolutions and qualities but with reasonably small files. You will lose some of the quality if you want to keep the filesize managable. Your viewers will require the QuickTime program, which is freely available and they can download and play back this video offline.



To conclude
If you want people to view your video on your site in the browser window, use the streaming option. With the other two videos, people will need to download the right codec or player, and then download and watch your video offline. Their difference is in quality and filesize.

My recommendation - try them and evaluate the output to see which best suits your needs.

I hope that helps.