Smallest file size?

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    I have rendered my scribe and tried as both .wmv .mov - but each one is HUGE 170mb or 233mb.


    How can I make a file small enough to use on the web?


    My original scribe was created to enter a competition - deadline yesterday but I was unable to sort this, so couldn't upload :-(

  • Hi Caron,


    The rendered video files are going to be this size - it is normal. 


    I would suggest that you try to get the memory usage down using a number of methods including reducing the number of images and/or text, not using too many different fonts and optimizing images before you import them so they are the smallest size possible. There are a number of free tools you can use to optimise your images which are outlined in a post on our blog entitled 9 Free tools to pimp VideoScribe.


    You could try using a piece of software called Handbrake to get the size of the rendered video files down.

  • Here's a different way, proven many times over: Create your video at the LARGEST size, import graphics at the LARGEST size and render at the HIGHEST quality MOV. This will result in a huge video, 300MB per minute or larger.


    Now the magic: Upload your huge video to YouTube. Yes, it will take a while to upload, then somewhere between minutes and hours to render on YouTube before it is ready. But YouTube will automagically create 3-5 versions of your video, optimized for different sizes and bandwidths. The best part: As the owner, YouTube allows you to download each of these compressed versions to use elsewhere if you want. 


    I used to have a dedicated computer for doing rendering/compression. We endlessly fiddled with all the compression settings to get good results. Until a couple of years ago, we did everything we could to PREVENT YouTube from messing up our videos. All this has changed, as YouTube now has great compression algorithms, and they do it for you for free. 


    If you doubt this, create a 5-second test using the technique described above, which should only take a few minutes to create, upload and render. Let YouTube do its magic, and look at the results. For most videos, you will be quite happy.

  • Thanks both - really great advice. I tried the Handbrake route yesterday and was delighted when it took my 133mb file down to 13mb, in a flash! I will also try the You Tube route, which sounds brilliant. I prefer both these routes to the compromise of less pix etc. Thanks so much!

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