Video Encoding on a Mac

h.264 is the preferred encoding method for Internet video. The examples in this help topic use iMovie and Quicktime. The screens for Final Cut and Adobe Premiere are similar.

You export videos from iMovie with the Share | Export using Quicktime... menu item.

This opens the "Save Exported File" window.

1. Select a name and location for your export file. It should have an .MP4 file extension.
2. Export = "Movie to MPEG-4". h.264 is one of the formats supported by MPEG-4.
3. Use = "Most Recent Settings" will memorize your settings for subsequent exports.
4. Press Options... for additional export settings.

Make sure the Video tab is selected on this window:

1. Video Format = h.264
2. Data Rate = 600 kbits / second. You can experiment a little with this setting, but 600 is a nice balance between speed and quality.
3. Optimized for Download. Directra uses Flash's progressive download feature and doesn't do true streaming.
4. Image Size = "640 x 480 VGA" is perfect for standard definition video. You will need to experiment with the sizes for high definition video.
5. Frame Rate = Current is ideal for Directra video.
6. Key Frame = Automatic is the best way to balance size and scrubbing.

Press Video Options... to display the h.264 options window:

1. Restrict Profiles to Main and Baseline
2. Encoding Mode = Best Quality (Multi-pass). This is crucial for h.264 to compress the file with the best quality.

Make sure the Audio tab is selected on this window. The settings are suggestions for action videos where sound quality isn't crucial.:

1. Audio Format = AAC-LC (Music) provides excellent compression.
2. Data Rate = 64 kpbs.
3. Channels = Mono unless the video contains high quality audio.
4. Output Sample Rate = 44.1 khz unless higher quality is needed.
5. Encoding Quality = Good.

Make sure the Streaming tab is selected on this window:

1. Enable Streaming = Unchecked.
2. Press OK to save your options.
3. Press Save to begin encoding.