The Best Premiere Pro Export Settings for YouTube Shorts.
Here are the Premiere Pro export settings you want to use for high-quality YouTube Shorts.
Also, here are the settings for YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok if you need those.
While not as sophisticated as Instagram Reels or TikTok, YouTube Shorts can lead to wild channel growth on the platform.
Premiere Pro Settings.
Format: H.264
Preset: Match Source - Adaptive High Bitrate
Basic Video Settings.
Frame Size: 1080x1920
Frame Rate: 24, 25, 30 FPS
Field Order: Progressive
Aspect: Square Pixels (1.0)
Render at Maximum Depth: Yes
Use Maximum Render Quality: Yes
Encoding Settings.
Performance: Software Encoding
Profile: Main
Level: 4.1
Export Color Space: Rec. 709
Bitrate Settings.
Bitrate Encoding: VBR, 1 Pass
Target Bitrate: 8 Mbps
Audio.
Audio Format: ACC
Audio Code: ACC
Sample Rate: 4800 Hz
Channels: Stereo
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Captions.
Export Options: Burn Captions Into Video
If any of these settings are grayed out, all you have to do is toggle the checkbox next to it to activate and edit them. Also, depending on your hardware, you might not be able to select some of these settings, and if that's the case, check out each section below for what to do instead.
Then lastly, there are a lot of settings in Premiere Pro, but if I didn't mention them, that means they won't affect the quality of your video.
Format.
H.264 is the current standard video encoding format associated with high-quality video and moderate compression. Eventually, though, platforms will upgrade to the newer H.265, which allows for even higher quality with less compression.
Preset.
Once you have all of these settings, you can create a YouTube Short Export Preset so you don't have to update these settings each time.
Frame Size.
YouTube Shorts are vertical videos at 1080x1920.
Frame Rate.
While most other social platforms play at 30 FPS, YouTube Shorts will natively play 24, 25, and 30 FPS.
So, the best thing to do here is to match your Sequence Settings to the Frame Rate you captured the footage in and then export it in the same.
Render at Maximum Depth & Use Maximum Render Quality.
Check both of these, so Premiere adds whatever extra bit of quality it can.
Hardware vs. Software Encoding.
Though it will take a bit longer to export than Hardware Encoding, Software Encoding will give you the highest quality output. Software Encoding is better because it dynamically adapts to your video rather than being limited by whatever the hardware can or cannot do.
And for exporting a one minute or less video, the time difference will be hardly noticeable, if at all.
Export Color Space.
Exporting your project in Rec. 709 helps ensure your video has consistent and accurate colors as it goes from Premiere Pro to YouTube Shorts.
Bitrate Settings.
YouTube is specific about what Bitrate it likes for the footage you're uploading.
For 1080p videos at 24, 25, or 30 FPS, they recommend a Bitrate of 8 Mbps.
So, with Software Encoding selected, we'll use VBR 1 Pass and set the Target Bitrate to 8 Mbps.
File Size.
YouTube's file size limits are large enough not to worry about them. So, you'll be fine with whatever the file size is with the settings above.
Custom Thumbnail.
Unfortunately, you can't upload a separate Thumbnail file for a YouTube Short, but you can select a frame from your video. You have to do this before you upload it, though, as you can't go back and edit it later.
Uploading Shorts with the YouTube App lets you use videos you've already made or you can create one in the app.
Uploading Shorts to YouTube.
Nothing on YouTube makes it clear you’re uploading a Short. Instead, YouTube will categorize your video as a Short if you upload a 1:1 or 9:16 vertical video that’s less than 60 seconds.
YouTube will make any square or vertical video that’s less than 60 seconds a Short.
