Video Bitrate Calculator
Choose a sensible bitrate before you export or stream. Enter the resolution, frame rate and codec, pick a quality level and how much motion the video has, and the calculator recommends a bitrate based on bits per pixel – the measure professionals use – together with the resulting file size per minute and per hour, and YouTube’s published upload recommendations for comparison.
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
- Free to use
Recommended bitrates are rules of thumb based on bits per pixel; real needs depend on the content. Platform figures are the upload recommendations published by YouTube.
How to use Video Bitrate Calculator
- Choose a resolution or enter width and height.
- Enter the frame rate and choose the codec.
- Pick the quality and amount of motion.
- Read the recommended bitrate and sizes.
Video Bitrate Calculator features
Bits-per-pixel method
Scales with resolution and frame rate.
Codec efficiency
H.264, H.265, VP9 and AV1.
Motion factor
Talking heads to sports.
File sizes
Per minute, per hour and for your length.
YouTube reference
Published upload bitrates.
Private
Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
When to use Video Bitrate Calculator
- Export settings in Premiere, DaVinci Resolve or HandBrake.
- Choosing OBS streaming settings.
- Estimating storage for recordings.
- Comparing codecs before encoding.
Video Bitrate Calculator FAQ
What is bits per pixel?
The number of bits spent on each pixel of each frame: bitrate ÷ (width × height × fps). It makes bitrates comparable across resolutions and frame rates.
Why does AV1 need less?
Newer codecs compress more efficiently. AV1 typically needs about half the bitrate of H.264 for similar quality, H.265 and VP9 about a third less.
Should I use these numbers for streaming?
For live streaming, platforms set maximums – for example 6 Mbps on some services. Use the lower of the recommendation and the platform limit.
Is a higher bitrate always better?
Only up to a point. Beyond the level where artefacts disappear, more bitrate just makes larger files.
Where do the YouTube numbers come from?
From YouTube’s published recommended upload encoding settings for SDR video.
How much bitrate does video need?
Bitrate is the amount of data per second of video. Too little and the picture breaks up into blocks and smears during motion; too much and files become unnecessarily large. The right amount depends on how many pixels are encoded per second, how efficient the codec is and how hard the content is to compress.
The calculator uses bits per pixel, which normalises bitrate by resolution and frame rate. For H.264, values around 0.1 give good quality for typical footage, 0.05 is acceptable for previews and 0.2 or more approaches archival quality. More efficient codecs reach the same quality with lower values, so the tool scales by codec.
Motion is the other big factor. A webinar with a static speaker compresses very well, while sports, gaming and handheld footage change almost every pixel in every frame. The motion setting adjusts the recommendation accordingly.
For uploads, YouTube publishes recommended bitrates for each resolution and frame rate; they are shown for comparison. YouTube re-encodes everything, so uploading at or slightly above these values preserves quality without wasting time.
Recommendations are rules of thumb; check your result and adjust if artefacts appear.