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So how do I get better quality in my videos, OR, why am I not getting a sharper picture?

This is a frequent question among vidders. At first they might just be thrilled that they successfully created a video clip from their favorite show or movie, and can edit it. But eventually, they'll look around at the appearance of other fan videos, and ask, "Why doesn't my video look that sharp?"

It's not magic, it doesn't require the work or know-how of a vidding genius. All that is required is that you know what settings to use when preparing footage for editing, and also encode your finished video with quality in mind. Neither of these things costs any more, or is difficult to learn.

Source clip quality | Does it really matter? | Final encode quality | But all I care about is looking better on YouTube . . . | Tutorials for better quality

TWO STEP PROCESS TO QUALITY: What comes in, what goes out.

There are two vitally important factors to sharp video quality: The quality or type of file that is imported into your video editor, and the methods you use when you're exporting the finished project out of your video software. If you are careless in either or both of these two things, your video quality will suffer (often greatly) as a result. Let's look at some examples:

Source clip quality (the types of files you import into your editor)

What you feed into your editor matters a great deal in the final quality of your video. Your software can't make the source clips any sharper—it has to make do with what you give it. So it's important to use the best possible quality you can get your hands on . . .

Getting clips off of YouTube. No. Just no. These clips have had a lot of the detail sucked out of them by going through YouTube's horrific compression process, and as a result, they look HORRIBLE in a fan video. I'll show a demo below.

Downloaded files. Is a downloaded video (perhaps one of those TV episodes that is in the XviD AVI format and often runs about 350 MB per episode) "good enough" quality for video editing? It looks pretty decent when you're watching it on your computer. Well, if that's the only source you have available (like, you're waiting for the DVD to be released) then you have to make do. But there is a BIG difference between a downloaded XviD AVI file (or DivX AVI, MP4, MPEG-4, 3ivX AVI, or WMV) and a file that you can get from a DVD rip, using excellent encoding standards. Downloaded clips have had to be squeezed and compressed quite a lot, in order to make them a tolerable download size. All this compression means that the video looks blurrier and softer.

DVD Rip, using "editable codec." What's an editable codec? Read the codec tutorial for more detail. In a nutshell, it's a professional-quality video format which retains most if not all of the original detail of the DVD, so your fan video's picture is almost as crisp and clear as the original DVD. The codec tutorial will explain the different types of editable formats, and also give links to tutorials, so you can learn how to use these file types yourself. (Don't worry, the software you'll need costs very little or usually, nothing at all!)

Note: If you convert your DVD to an XviD or DivX AVI file and edit with that, you're probably getting similar quality to a downloaded XviD file. Compressed codecs like XviD, DivX, WMV, MP4, or MPEG-4 cannot compare to the "pro-grade" codecs like DV or Lagarith. (Again, consult the codec tutorial!)

Here are some visual examples of the quality differences between these three main sources:

Who am I trying to kid? This looks terrible.

It's starting to look better, but it's still pretty soft focus.

NOW we're talking! This is from a DV file (professional-quality codec).

Of course, all the juicy detail you'll get from a high-quality, pro-grade video codec comes at a price: Disk space. These superior codecs take up a lot more than compressed videos like XviD, DivX, WMV, MP4, etc. But that's the way it has always been with working with video. Most professional video editors (and a lot of fan video enthusiasts) are buying external Firewire or USB 2.0 hard drives, to store their video footage. (These external drives are costing less and less these days.) Also, more and more computers come with 500 GB or 1 TB hard drives, which can store a lot of video clips, even the professional grade types!

DOWNLOADABLE VIDEO SAMPLES:

Because I am a geek, I had a lot of fun making a "demo" video, showing the different quality source clips in action. You'll see side-by-side how much difference the type of file you import into your editor can affect the overall quality of your finished fan video.

RIGHT-CLICK TO DOWNLOAD. To fully see the visual difference between the different source clips discussed here, view video at full screen.

Codec Quality Comparison, DivX AVI file, 43 MB (best quality)

Codec Quality Comparison, WMV file, 28 MB

Viewing notes: Notice how the audio "breaks up" with the YouTube sample. That's because many video editors don't like dealing with compressed audio, like MP3 or AAC. WAV or AIFF is better. Also, the difference between the two clips in the last segment of the video (with the upper/lower split screen) may not be immediately noticeable if you are viewing on a smaller or older monitor, or are not viewing the video at fullscreen. But rest assured, on a larger widescreen monitor, it's noticeable. The lower half of the video (from downloaded XviD file) makes the video look like it's got a veil or soft film over it.

For more information about how I prepared this sample video, read notes at bottom of page.

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Does this matter all that much? Does your video audience care?

The answer is often yes. As every year passes, our computer monitors get bigger, better, and sharper. Viewers get more all the time, and so we expect more. We can view fan videos on our large widescreen monitors or even on our TVs. We can really see the fuzzy detail in a badly encoded fan video, and it is less enjoyable, especially when the video download is bigger (let's say over 50 MB) and we've already seen that other fan videos can get a much sharper picture.

Dial-up customers—those who are not yet on broadband and must download smaller (lesser quality) versions of fan videos—can also benefit. If you use good quality source footage, your video looks better, even when it's compressed down to a dial-up download size. A dial-up quality video can go from looking "pretty bad" (if you use poor source footage) to "pretty decent" (if you go with best quality from start to finish).

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The other key to fan video quality: The final encode.

The settings you use to export your finished video out of your editing software can also greatly impact the visual sharpness (and audio quality) of the final product. Most of us are in some way aware of this—we see that there's a big difference between a "dial-up" version of a video and a "broadband" version. But just to recap, to get better picture quality, your video will have to be saved at higher settings, which means the file size will get bigger. With more and more people on broadband, this is a nice option. (Though of course it's always good to make a "dial-up" version of your video as well.)

A "dial-up" quality video, compared to good quality (broadband).

DOWNLOAD VIDEO SAMPLES:

Just to show what a big difference the final encode can make. These two clips are from the same source—I used a professional DV codec, ripped from the DVD source. But all that detail is lost when I make a really crummy quality encode. The audio sounds flat and muffled, and the picture is very smeared and "blocky." Sure, the file size is a lot smaller, but there comes a point when so much detail and quality is lost, that viewing enjoyment is diminished.

RIGHT-CLICK TO DOWNLOAD.

Low-quality encode (less than 1 MB, WMV)

Good quality encode (7 MB, WMV)

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"But all I really care about is looking better on YouTube. . . "

YouTube—even at its HQ viewing option—still loses a lot of the detail in the video you upload. No matter how much you work and fuss with your video's settings, there's a limit to how good your YouTube video will look. There are some tutorials out there which will give you encoding settings to use when you upload a file to YouTube. Consult these tutorials when you find them; they might help. But in my experience, as long as what you upload to YouTube is reasonably sharp and clear, it'll look pretty much as good as any other videos which have similar clarity.

I have uploaded countless video samples and clips to YouTube—some are WMV, some H.264 MOV, DivX AVI, H.264 MP4, some are larger frame sizes, some are smaller frame sizes (but not too small) and they all end up looking okay. One rule of thumb I'd give is to keep your data rate (aka bitrate, determines video picture detail and sharpness) to 1400 or above, and use a decent codec like XviD, DivX, or H.264.

I made this YouTube video to show how using a bad quality source file (in this case, a mediocre MPEG4 clip) can definitely lower the video's quality when seen on YouTube. If you look at the sample video in HQ mode (and at fullscreen) you can really see the difference. View the YouTube video at regular quality to read the annotations I made on the quality settings.

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"How do I learn how to get all this better quality in my own videos?"

More information on how to rip your DVD at better quality (and how to export at better quality) can be found on the other tutorials here on FoolishPassion.org, as well as our companion forum, FoolishPassion Fan Video Forums.

On Foolishpassion.org:

• Consult the "Rip that Clip" tutorial for ripping your DVD and converting to DV MOV or DV AVI (the same format used in the sample clips on this page). For Mac and PC. Very easy to learn, just follow along, step-by-step!
• Encoding final video tips, for Ulead VideoStudio can be found on the "Vidding for Newbies" tutorial. (You'll find the tips on the latter pages of the tutorial.)
• Getting good quality from iMovie or Final Cut tutorials. (Also found in the latter pages of the tutorial.)

On the FoolishPassion Fan Video Forums (free membership required for parts of forum):

Ripping and converting DVD files:

• Ripping your DVD: Mac and PC. (No membership required to view tutorial.)
• Converting your DVD to DV AVI or DV MOV (high quality video). Similar to the DV AVI or DV MOV tutorial here on FoolishPassion.org, but with more screenshots and details. (No membership to forum required to view tutorial.)
• The AMV method simplified. (AMV stands for "animemusicvideos.org" a vidding tutorial site with excellent—but exacting—tutorials on vidding.) Makes possibly the BEST quality possible on Windows. More of a learning curve, but fantastic quality! (Free membership required to access tutorial.)
• Encoding clips for iMovie. A "non-standard" way that often works very well for iMovie 6 users. (Free membership required to access tutorial.)
• VirtualDubMod—ripping clips for your fan video. For Windows users only, excellent quality clips! (Free membership required to access tutorial.)
• Other software options for making editable high quality video. Covers Mac and PC, with links or tutorials for making HuffYUV AVI, DV AVI or DV files. (Free membership required to access tutorial.)

Encoding finished video for distribution on the web:

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Sample video encoding notes:

In case you're curious (or suspect I fudged my sample video's outcome), here's the nitty-gritty on how I prepared the different quality clips:

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