If you publish or distribute marketing videos, there will be various situations where you need to convert them. In fact it isn’t just the video format that you will need to convert, but also the resolution (and aspect ratio), or some of the other video settings.
To ensure that you’re able to convert your marketing videos more effectively and with fewer issues, there are a few best practices that you should try to follow:
Store the original video file
The original video file will be the best quality copy of your marketing video that you have available – which is why you should make it a point to store it safely. The other copies that you convert to different formats or resolutions will (generally) have lower quality.
For important videos you may want to consider backing-up the file using different types of backups. It will ensure that if your video is lost for any reason, you have a copy that you can use to restore it.
Convert copies from the original video file
All copies of your marketing video that you convert should use the original video file as the source material. That will ensure that the video quality doesn’t gradually degrade over time due to data being lost when it is compressed using different video codecs.
Follow recommended upload encoding settings
Different online platforms will normally have their own recommended upload settings, such as for videos on YouTube. If you are publishing your marketing video on any platform it is always best to follow these settings.
Although many platforms may accept videos encoded using other settings, most will internally convert videos based on their recommended settings. That can affect the quality and appearance of your marketing videos, so it is best to do it yourself.
Crop to change the aspect ratio
The best way to change the aspect ratio of marketing videos is to crop them, as it won’t distort the image. However in some cases you may not be able to rely on that alone, as there may be important content in the video that you can’t afford to crop out.
In general it is best to crop your video so that it is as close as possible to the new aspect ratio to minimize the amount that it is distorted when it is resized the rest of the way.
Knowing the best practices for converting the format of marketing videos is just the start. The exact steps that you need to take will depend on the video converter that you use, and you can click here to refer to a good guide on how to get started.
By making these best practices part of your workflow, you should be able to convert the format of your marketing videos without adversely affecting their quality. In the long run that will help you to make sure the marketing videos that you upload or distribute retain their quality and don’t end up looking worse for wear in time.
