A smaller video, with the tradeoffs explained

Compression makes sharing easier, but the right result depends on what is in the recording and where you plan to send it.

Start with the part you need

A shorter video is often the most effective size reduction. Use Trim Video to keep the relevant section before you make other changes. Keep a copy of the original so you can return to it later.

Choose a quality preset

Compress Video exports H.264 MP4 using FFmpeg in your browser. Its presets trade image quality against output size. Start with Balanced, inspect the result, and move toward a smaller-file preset only if the quality remains acceptable.

Fine text, fast motion, gradients and grain can show compression artifacts sooner than a simple, well-lit scene. There is no fixed percentage reduction that works for every source.

When you have a file-size limit

Compress to Size estimates a bitrate for the requested target. The target is approximate because container overhead, audio and video complexity affect the final size. Leave some headroom below a strict upload limit and check the downloaded file before submitting it.

What local processing means

The engine runs on your device rather than uploading your recording to a conversion server. The first run downloads about 31 MB of engine assets. Inputs are capped at 150 MB, and long or high-resolution recordings can exceed browser memory even below that limit.

Inspect the actual export

Check the beginning, a high-motion section and the ending. Listen for audio sync and confirm the result plays on the device or platform you intend to use. If a codec is unsupported, try a standard MP4 source or the Convert to MP4 tool.