Video Compression Guides
Practical guides on making videos smaller without making them ugly, by Esteban Ortiz, who builds and runs BoltCompress. 19 guides so far.
Platforms
Fit a video into a specific app: what the limits are and how to get under them.
How to Compress a Video for Instagram Reels and TikTok
Both apps compress your video again after upload. The goal is not the smallest file, but a clean 9:16 source that survives their encoder.
Read guideHow to Compress a Video for Discord (20 MB Free Limit)
Free Discord accounts can upload files up to 20 MB. Here is how much video that holds and how to fit a real clip under it without ruining it.
Read guideThe Best Video Compression Settings for YouTube Uploads
YouTube compresses your video again after upload. The trick is giving its encoder a clean source while keeping the upload practical.
Read guideHow to Compress a Video for WhatsApp Without Losing Quality
WhatsApp re-encodes every video you send from the gallery. Here is why clips arrive blurry and a repeatable way to send clean ones.
Read guideHow-to
Step-by-step workflows for phones, email, screen recordings, and big files.
How to Convert MOV to MP4 Without Losing Quality
Converting MOV to MP4 is often a simple re-wrap that takes seconds and loses nothing. Here is how to tell if your file qualifies and what to do if it does not.
Read guideHow to Compress 4K Video: Keep 4K or Drop to 1080p?
A minute of 4K can pass 300 MB. The biggest decision is not the compression level but whether you need 4K at all. Here is how to choose and what to do next.
Read guideHow to Compress a Video on Android (Samsung, Pixel, and Others)
Android camera apps differ by brand, but the levers are the same: resolution, frame rate, codec, and trimming. Here is where to find each one.
Read guideHow to Compress a Video on iPhone: Settings, Trimming, and Sharing
A minute of 4K iPhone video can be 170 MB or more. Here is how to record smaller files and shrink the ones you already have.
Read guideHow to Compress Screen Recordings Without Blurry Text
Mostly static screens compress extremely well, but small text punishes the wrong settings. Here is how to get small files with sharp text.
Read guideHow to Send Large Video Files: Every Option Compared
Compression is not always the answer. Here is how to choose between shrinking a video, sharing a link, and apps with big file limits.
Read guideHow to Compress a Video to Send by Email
Most email services cap attachments at 20 to 25 MB. Learn how much video fits, how to get under the line, and when to send a link.
Read guideHow to Reduce MP4 File Size Without Losing Quality
"Without losing quality" really means without visible loss. These are the levers that shrink an MP4 the most for the least visual cost.
Read guideTechnology
How codecs, bitrate, and containers work, explained without jargon.
CRF vs Bitrate: Two Ways to Control Video Compression
CRF gives you steady quality and an unpredictable size. A bitrate target gives you a predictable size and variable quality. Here is when to use each.
Read guideHow to Calculate Video File Size (and the Bitrate for a Size Limit)
File size is just bitrate times duration. Learn the formula, avoid the megabit vs megabyte trap, and work backwards from any size limit.
Read guideWhat Is AV1? How It Compares to H.265 and VP9
YouTube and Netflix stream a lot of AV1. Here is what it is, why it is efficient, and why everyday tools still default to H.264 and H.265.
Read guideWhy Compressed Videos Look Blocky (and How to Fix It)
Most ugly compression comes from one thing: too few bits for what is on screen. Here is how to spot each artifact and what to change.
Read guideMP4 vs MOV vs MKV vs WebM: Which Video Format Should You Use?
MP4, MOV, MKV, and WebM are containers, not codecs. Here is what each is actually good at and which one to choose.
Read guideBitrate, Resolution, and File Size: How Video Compression Really Works
Bitrate, resolution, and frame rate are the three dials behind every video file. Understand them and compression stops feeling like guesswork.
Read guideH.264 vs H.265: Which Video Codec Should You Actually Use?
H.265 makes files roughly half the size of H.264 at the same quality, but compatibility is the catch. Here is how to choose.
Read guideHow these guides are written
Every guide is reviewed by Esteban Ortiz before it goes live, and platform limits are re-checked when they change. If something is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it. Read our editorial policy.