{"id":2710,"date":"2021-09-05T14:31:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-05T14:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=2710"},"modified":"2022-06-09T10:35:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T10:35:13","slug":"what-is-bitrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/what-is-bitrate\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Bitrate and How Does It Affect Video Quality?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You might well have encountered the term bitrate but not be sure what it means and how it affects your videos. If this applies to you, read on! You\u2019ll find out what bitrate is, the relationship between bitrate and video quality, and how to select the best bitrate for your videos.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a \u201cbit\u201d?<\/h2>\n

\"bits<\/p>\n

Image by Fcarmody (CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the building blocks before we look at what bitrate is. So what\u2019s a \u201cbit\u201d? A \u201cbit\u201d (short for binary digit) is a string of information. In the case of video or audio, when you knit together your video and audio bits, they\u2019ll make up your video or track.<\/p>\n

What is bitrate?<\/h2>\n

Bitrate is the term that denotes how much information is written\u2013and then read on playback\u2013per second. You select your video\u2019s bitrate when you export it. Video bitrate denotes the size and quality of a video. More bits mean more information, which means higher quality video or audio.<\/p>\n

Bitrate is measured in bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (Kbps) or megabits per second (Mbps). If you have a bitrate of 160Kbps, it means that 160 kilobits of data can be sent each second from location A to location B.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to assume that using a higher bitrate and sending more information in a given time will give you the best video, but it\u2019s a bit more of a balancing act than that. Remember: a higher bitrate increases the size of your file, which can make it slower to export. A lower bitrate will give you a smaller file size that exports faster, but your video quality will not be as good. You need to find the happy medium.<\/p>\n

Bitrate vs. resolution<\/h2>\n

Resolution measures the number of pixels in an image or a display unit, for example, a television screen. The higher the resolution of an image, the better its quality, as the more pixels it contains, the more data it holds.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a bit different for monitors and screens, though. For example, if you have 2 monitors of the same size but with different resolutions, the one with the higher resolution will give you a better picture because of the increased density of the pixels.<\/p>\n

As the resolution of a video increases, you will probably need to increase its bitrate, too. For example, a 720p video will include more data than a 480p video but less than a 1080p video. The higher bitrate will accommodate the need to process more data. However, a higher bitrate will be more demanding on your equipment, resulting in a stuttery rather than smooth picture. So you need to work out what\u2019s the best video bitrate in relation to its\u00a0video resolution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The best bitrate for different resolutions<\/h2>\n

When it comes to encoding your video, you can work out the best video bitrate for your resolution using a bitrate calculator. As well as considering the resolution, a bitrate calculator will factor in your\u00a0frame rate<\/a>, too. A higher frame rate usually requires a higher bitrate. You\u2019ll need to account for this if you\u2019re shooting an entire video in\u00a0slow motion<\/a>\u00a0because it will contain a lot more data.<\/p>\n

Some video editing software, such as Animotica, includes a bitrate calculator, but other online calculators are available. These include:<\/p>\n