Post by Elvira on Dec 18, 2008 10:13:54 GMT -5
Thank you to Stormwolf for first discovering this new development! 
Bottom line: ALL of us can have HD quality videos displaying on YouTube. Whether you use a cheapo consumer version of Vegas, an old version of Final Cut Express or Ulead VideoStudio or iMovie—it doesn't matter. You can do it!
It's just a matter of exporting a special "HD" version of our video. Here are a few examples:
Lucas North "Spooks" video. Heathra didn't even know about the HD feature in YT, but I told her to run her finished video through MPEG Streamclip and make an HD version, which she did. This is the result!
Republished video (original made a while ago). I used a higher quality DivX file of this video and converted it to HD in MPEG Streamclip.
A few things to know first:
- You do NOT have to be using HD or high definition footage (like HD downloads or from HD-quality DVDs) in order to use this feature. Your video will look much better if you use high quality DVD rips, however. (And our tutorials show how to do that.) Using mediocre quality downloaded clips will look kind of pitiful when seen in HD, alas.
- Your software does NOT have to have HD capabilities in order to do HD for YouTube. (For instance, Vegas Movie Studio (not Platinum) and some older versions of Final Cut and Final Cut Express do not do HD). There's even a way for Windows Movie Maker (non HD version) to use this feature, but I need to experiment to find out exactly how.
- Your "HD" video probably won't really be HD. For that you need to edit with genuine HD-quality footage. What we're doing is "fooling" YouTube into upgrading your video to the HD viewing quality by making a video with the right frame size and a high video data rate. (And by the way, who is YouTube kidding? Their "HD" quality is not really HD either—it's just set to a higher data rate then their "standard" or "HQ" viewing options.)
- You can re-do existing videos with the HD format and re-upload them to YouTube. (I've done this a number of times. ) As long as you have a reasonably good quality file (preferably a high data rate MP4 for the sake of our tutorials) it's not hard at all!
- Needless to say, your video has to be in the WIDESCREEN, 16:9 aspect ratio. You can't keep editing with those black letterboxes on the top and bottom (like a lot of you did back when YouTube defaulted at fullscreen (4:3)). You can't convert an older show or movie which was made in fullscreen (4:3) aspect ratio to HD, without squashing or distorting the picture. Read more about aspect ratio here. Odds are that if you are vidding to a recent or current show or film that your source footage will be widescreen (16:9) which is what is required for HD. But if you are unsure (or don't know what aspect ratio is) then it's good to educate yourself before going further.
- As always, there are many ways to skin a cat. I give some good methods which have worked great for me (on Mac and PC) but that doesn't mean that some other method couldn't work equally well. Do what works best for you!
METHOD ONE FOR MAKING HD VIDEO FOR YOUTUBE:
Export straight out of your editor at HD quality. Vegas Pro and Movie Studio Platinum users can export out as HD 1280x720 WMV, (but the cheaper non-Platinum version of Vegas Movie Studio can't). A data rate of 4000 or 5000 (4-5 MB) is good. I recommend an audio setting of 44 kHz or above, and a data rate of 128 or above. (The YouTube tutorial on HD in Vegas recommends a lower audio setting. DO NOT do this—it'll be way too low quality for some of your more discerning viewers. Aim for 128 kbps and 44 kHz or above to be on the safe side.)
If you use some other video editor, follow one of our encoding tutorials, in particular this "Web Ready Recipes" tutorial. Follow along carefully to the tutorials, but instead of using the custom settings described there, use something more appropriate for HD. Either choose HD (720p) if the option exists, or type in the custom frame size 1280x720. Your video data rate (bitrate) should be around 3000-5000, and audio rate of 44 kHz or above, kbps 128 or above. Always select the SQUARE PIXEL ASPECT RATIO OPTION where applicable.
METHOD TWO FOR MAKING HD VIDEO FOR YOUTUBE:
This option will work even if your editing software does not have HD abilities.
Follow this tutorial for exporting an UNCOMPRESSED version of your video. (Warning, this uncompressed file will be VERY big and may not play smoothly in your media player. This is normal.) You don't have to make the uncompressed video file larger in dimensions (I recommend sizes like 768x432 for widescreen, and that'll work just fine for our purposes.
) Just follow the tutorial to the letter. Then open this large UNCOMPRESSED video file in MPEG Streamclip. Go to File >> Export to MPEG-4.
Use these settings in MPEG Streamclip. (Works the same on both Mac and PC.)
Make sure your compression is set to H.264.
Check on the "Limit Data Rate" box and type in the number 3000 or 4000.
Under "Sound," leave the audio setting as-is, or change the data rate to 128 kbps or above.
Under "Frame size" check 1280x720 (HDTV 720p).
Save the file and wait for it to export. (If you have a slower computer, this might take a while.) Then upload this video to YouTube and you'll get the HD treatment!
HOW TO CONVERT AN OLD VIDEO TO HD FOR YOUTUBE.
If you have been following our tutorials and have made high quality MP4 files of your videos, it's easy. Open the high quality MP4 in MPEG Streamclip and convert it to HD, following the tutorial right above.
If all you have is a middling-quality WMV or DivX, then I recommend . . . don't bother. There isn't enough there to show off.
Converting DivX, XviD AVI or WMV files to HD for YouTube: Mac users can also use MPEG Streamclip to convert XviD/DivX files to an HD MP4 (and they can convert WMV files if they purchased the Flip4Mac encoder/converter), since the Mac version of MPEG Streamclip opens and recognizes the video and audio of these other formats. (Don't know why this is a problem for the Windows version.
) Windows users, review this tutorial for converting your existing XviD/DivX or WMV file to HD for YouTube. (Just remember—if you open an XviD/DivX AVI in Avidemux, look for the file saving options in the lower left corner and pick AVI from the drop-down menu, because it gets automatically set to something else when you open a XviD/DivX file.) Follow the tutorial, making sure to set your data rate (bit rate) to 2000-4000. (Update: It used to be that Avidemux couldn't go above the 2000 data rate, but it seems better now. Aim for 3000-4000 for HD and see if it'll work.
) Use the "resize" filter (the tutorial covers resizing your video) and put in the numbers "1280" and "720" for your new file dimensions. Audio should be 128 kbps or above.Click to save this video as an XviD AVI and wait for it to convert. It should work!
I'd pan myself, but I can't find the pan. 
) but if that's what's needed to work, then that's what you do! 
So far I've had all my videos pop in to HD, even with a 2000 (2 MB bitrate) and regular 44 KHz audio.