How to Upload High Quality Videos to YouTube: HD, 4K, & 8K

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Easily add high definition video to your YouTube channel
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Do you want to upload HD or 4K video from your computer or phone to YouTube? Are you wondering why your HD videos aren't available in HD after you upload them? YouTube supports a variety of HD formats from 720p, all the way up to 4320p (8K). This wikiHow article will teach you how to create and upload high-definition video to YouTube so it plays in full HD, 4K, or 8K with expert tips from social media strategist & content developer Melissa Newman.

Uploading High-Quality Videos to YouTube

  • YouTube supports high-quality resolutions, including HD (720p), FHD (1080p), 1440p, 4K (2160p), and 8K (4320p).
  • You can upload HD and 4K videos using the YouTube website or the mobile app.
  • HD, 4K, and 8K videos uploaded to YouTube may not be available in full HD until they are finished processing.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Using the Mobile App

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  1. Look for the red rectangle icon with a white sideways triangle inside. You'll find it on one of your home screens, in the app menu, or by using the search function on your smartphone.
    • Alternatively, you can use the YT Studio (YouTube Studio) app to upload HD video to YouTube..
  2. It's at the bottom-center. A menu will expand.
    • If you are using the YT Studio app, tap the + icon in the upper-right corner.
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  3. According to Newman, quality is important when uploading videos to YouTube. Whenever possible, upload HD (720p) or better quality videos. [1] Tap a high-quality high definition video you have saved to your phone to start uploading it. [2]
    • Additionally, you can tap Video or Short at the bottom to select if you want to upload the video as a regular video or a YouTube Short.
  4. YouTube Shorts are 60-second videos that are vertically oriented and meant to be viewed on a mobile phone (similar to TikTok videos). If you want to edit the video into a short, tap Edit into a Short at the bottom. You will need to trim the video down to 60 seconds if it is longer.
  5. 5
    Trim the video (optional). If you want to shorten the video, you can do so by tapping and dragging the right or left sides of the white box at the bottom of the screen inward.
  6. It's at the top-right corner.
  7. Tap Create a title to name your video—this sets the video's name on YouTube. To add a description, tap Add description and enter some information about the video. The title field has a limit of 100 characters, and the description field has a limit of 5,000 characters. [3]
    • Using relevant language and keywords in your title and description will help people find your video when searching.
  8. The privacy level is set to Public by default. Tap Public next to the globe icon to switch it to Unlisted (viewers will need the link to view the video) or Private (only you can see it) if you'd like.
    • Although you're uploading an HD video, it will initially appear in a lower resolution until HD processing is complete. If you don't want anyone to see the lower-quality version, set the video to Private now and set it as Public later. You can do so by tapping the “Visibility” header.
    • According to Newman, creating an upload schedule and sticking to it is the best way to gain more subscribers. [4] You can tap Scheduled in the list of privacy options to schedule your video posts–choose a time at least 2 hours in the future to set the video as Public automatically.
  9. There are a few other options you can select from this menu. Tap Next in the upper-right corner when you are done. The options are as follows:
    • Location: To add a location, tap this option, use the search bar to search for the name of a place, and tap the place in the search results.
    • Add to playlist: If you want to add your video to a specific playlist that you manage, tap this option and then tap the playlist you want to add it to.
    • Allow video and audio remixing: To bring more attention to your video, try enabling the option to allow people to use parts of your video or audio in their YouTube Shorts. Tap this option and then select Allow video and audio remixing , Allow only audio remixing , or Don’t allow remixing .
    • Add paid promotion label: If your video contains a paid promotion for a product, select this option and tap Yes .
    • Altered content: If your video contains altered footage to make someone look like they did or said something they didn’t, altered footage of a real event, or a realistic-looking generated scene that didn’t happen, tap this option and then Yes .
    • Comments: If you want to turn comments on or off, tap this option and tap Yes or No .
  10. YouTube requires you to select the audience the video was made for. No, it's not made for kids is the default option—if the video is specifically for children, tap that option and select Yes, it's made for kids . After making a selection, you can also tap Age restriction to choose which age groups can watch the video.
    • To comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), YouTube requires you to set the audience for each video you upload. [5] If a video is marked as "Made for kids," features such as personalized ads, comments, info cards, and end screens will not be available. YouTube may set the audience settings for videos that are marked incorrectly. Intentionally marking videos incorrectly may result in consequences from YouTube. [6]
  11. It's the blue button at the bottom of the screen.
    • After you upload a video, you can open the YT Studio app (if you don't have it, download it from the App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android) to change the privacy to Public if you initially set it as Unlisted. Just launch the app, tap the video, tap the pencil icon, change the privacy, and then tap SAVE .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Using a Computer

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  1. YouTube Studio is the website where you can upload videos from your computer to YouTube.
    • Alternatively, you can get to YouTube Studio by going to YouTube in your web browser and logging in. Click Create at the top of the page. Then click Upload video .
  2. 2
    Click the Upload icon. It’s the icon that resembles a line with an arrow pointing up in the upper-right corner. Alternatively, you can click Create at the top of the page, followed by Upload video .
  3. 3
    Select an HD video or better. You can either drag and drop an HD, 1440p, 4K, or 8K video file into the window or click Select files and then select the video you want to upload.
  4. By default, the file name will be the title of the video. If you want to give it a different name, you can type it under the box labeled "Title". Use the box labeled "Description" to type a brief description of the video.
  5. 5
    Select a thumbnail. You can click Upload thumbnail to select an image file from your computer, or click Auto-generate to select a frame from the video. You can then select from one of the auto-generated thumbnails and click Done .
  6. YouTube now requires you to select the audience the video was made for. If the video was made for kids, tick "Yes, it's made for kids.". If it's not made for kids, tick "No, it's not made for kids.” [7]
    • If your video has content that may be inappropriate for kids, you can click Age Restriction (Advanced) and then check Yes, restrict my video to viewers over 18 only .
  7. The Show More button at the bottom of the page displays more settings for your video. You can find the following options under "Show More:"
    • Paid Promotions: If your video has paid promotions, click the checkbox "This video contains paid promotions like a product placement or endorsement." You can then check the option if you want to add a message to inform viewers of paid promotions.
    • Altered Content: If your video was altered to make a real person look like they said or did something they didn’t do, or is altered footage of a real event, or a realistic-looking scene that didn’t actually occur, click Yes below this option.
    • Automatic Chapters: Click the checkbox next to "Allow automatic chapters and key moments" if you want YouTube to suggest how to break up your video into chapters. You can overwrite the suggestions by creating your own chapters .
    • Featured Places: Click the checkbox next to "Allow automatic places" if your video takes place in any public locations, like restaurants or shops.
    • Tags: Tags are keywords that users type in the search bar to display your video in a search.
    • Language, and captions certification: After you select a language, you can select a caption certification, and even upload a subtitles script file, if you have one.
    • Recording date and location: If you want this information to be public, you can use the options under this heading to add a date and location to your video.
    • License: Here, you have the option to select the Standard YouTube License or the Creative Commons License. You also have the option to allow embedding and publish to the subscriptions feed.
    • Shorts Remixing: Click the checkbox next to "Allow audio and video remixing" or “Allow only audio remixing” if you want to allow people to use parts of your video or audio in their YouTube Shorts .
    • Category: Here, you can select a category for the video and enter information related to the video. Categories include things like Gaming, Sports, Music, Comedy, Education, Science and Technology, and more.
    • Comments and Ratings: Choose whether to allow all comments, hold inappropriate comments for review, hold all comments for review, or disable comments. You can also customize comment order here.
  8. It's the blue button in the lower-right corner.
  9. You can use end screens and cards to promote related content during and after your video. To add an end screen or card, click Add to the right of "Add an end screen" or "Add Cards". To enter the video card editor. Click the blue button that says Next in the lower-right corner when you are ready to continue.
    • To return to YouTube Studio from the video card editor, click Return to YouTube Studio in the upper-right corner.
  10. YouTube now does a check of your video before publishing to make sure there aren't any issues that may restrict its visibility. If any issues with your video are detected, they will be listed below "Checks." You may want to edit your video and correct these issues before publishing it. If no issues are detected, click Next in the lower-right corner.
  11. This sets who is allowed to view your video and how easy it is to find. To avoid people seeing your HD video before it's fully processed, you might want to upload it as Unlisted at first. [8] This way, nobody will see the lower-quality version of your video unless they have the link. You can then change the visibility later once the quality is to your liking. The options are:
    • Public: This allows anyone to search and view your video.
    • Unlisted: This only allows those with a link to view your video. [9]
    • Private: This only allows those you choose to view your video.
  12. You have the option to set when you want the video to be published. To schedule a publish date, click Schedule and then use the drop-down boxes to select the date and time you want the video to be published. Then click Schedule in the lower-right corner. [10]
  13. It's the blue button in the lower-right corner. This saves your video settings. Your video will be published immediately, or at the time you schedule for it to publish. You will then be presented with a window that gives you the option to share your video on social media.
    • When you upload HD and 4K videos to YouTube, HD and 4K resolutions may not be available until the video is done processing. If lower resolutions are the only options available after uploading a video, do not delete the video. Just wait until it is finished processing. It may take a few hours.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Recording High Quality Video

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  1. Before you can upload an HD video to YouTube, you'll need to make sure you've recorded the video in a high-definition format. [11] YouTube recommends recording in any of the following HD resolutions to fit its default 16:9 aspect ratio properly:
    • 720p: 1280 x 720 (HD)
    • 1080p: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    • 1440p: 2560 x 1440 (Full HD)
    • 2160p: 3840 x 2160 (4K)
    • 4320p: 7680 x 4320 (8K)
    • If your phone has HD recording abilities (like many iPhones and Androids), you'll be able to find these settings in your camera's settings. For instance, tapping a gear icon at the top of the screen on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will bring you to the camera settings, where you can choose the resolution.
  2. Use the same frame rate your video was recorded in to encode and upload it. Common frame rates are 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 frames per second (fps). [12]
    • The faster the frame rate , the smoother the motion in the video will appear. However, video files with faster frame rates will take up more space on your computer or phone.
  3. Video bitrate is the rate at which the video codec encodes the video playback. Your video should be optimized for your video resolution, framerate, and whether or not your video has high dynamic range (HDR). YouTube recommends the following bitrates for standard framerates (24 - 30 fps) and high framerates (48 - 60 fps): [13]
    • 4320p: Standard framerate: 80 - 160 Mbps, High framerate: 120 - 240 Mbps
    • 4320p (HDR): Standard framerate: 100 - 200 Mbps, High framerate: 150 - 300 Mbps
    • 2160p: Standard framerate: 35 - 45 Mbps, High framerate: 53 - 68 Mbps.
    • 2160p (HDR): Standard framerate: 44 - 56 Mbps, High framerate: 66 - 85 Mbps.
    • 1440p: Standard framerate: 16 Mbps, High framerate: 24 Mbps.
    • 1440p (HDR): Standard framerate: 20 Mbps, High framerate: 30 Mbps.
    • 1080p: Standard frame rate: 8 Mbps, High frame rate: 12 Mbps.
    • 1080p (HDR): Standard framerate: 10 Mbps, High framerate: 15 Mbps.
    • 720p: Standard frame rate: 5 Mbps, High framerate: 7.5 Mbps.
    • 720p (HDR): Standard framerate: 6.5 Mbps, High framerate: 9.5 Mbps.
  4. This is the recommended audio format for YouTube videos. YouTube also supports mono, stereo, and 5.1 surround sound channels.
  5. H.264 is the most common compression format for HD video.
  6. YouTube recommends that videos be uploaded in MP4 format. However, almost all popular formats are supported by YouTube, including MP4, MPEG4, AVI, MOV, WMV, and FLV. [14]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Troubleshooting

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  1. 1
    Make sure you record and render your video in full HD or higher. If you want to upload HD video, you need to make sure your video is shot in HD, 4K, or 8K. Additionally, if you are using video editing software on your phone or computer, you need to double-check and make sure that the video is rendering in full HD resolution.
    • If your video is shot and edited in 4K, but your video software is set to render the final video in 720p, the final video will be of lower quality. You will need to re-render the video.
    • You may want to try rendering the video at a higher quality than what you want. For example, if you want your video to be in 1080p, try rendering it in 1440p. This will give you a little extra quality to work with.
  2. 2
    Wait for YouTube to finish processing your video. When you upload HD videos to YouTube, they may not be available in HD right away. YouTube often finishes processing videos in lower-quality formats first because they are faster to process. If you don’t see your video in HD right away, give it a few hours.
    • When you upload a video to YouTube, you may want to upload it as “Private” while it’s processing. Once it is finished processing and all HD formats are available, you can switch it to “Public.” Alternatively, you can upload your video ahead of time and schedule when you want it to be published.
    • If HD versions of the video aren’t available after a day or two, there may be an internal error with YouTube. You may need to contact YouTube or upload the video again.
  3. 3
    Make sure your YouTube account is verified. If you have not verified your YouTube account , you can only upload videos that are a maximum length of 15 minutes with a maximum size of 20GB. [15] Verified accounts can upload videos that are up to 12 hours long and 128 GB in size.
  4. 4
    Make sure your view settings are correct. If a video you uploaded doesn’t appear to be HD, the problem may be with your settings rather than the video. Make sure your YouTube settings are set to view videos in full HD.
    • To check your resolution settings on mobile, play the video and tap the Gear icon in the upper-right corner of the video playback. Tap Quality , followed by Advanced . Select the highest quality available.
    • To check your resolution settings on a computer, play a video on YouTube and click the Gear icon at the bottom of the screen. Click Quality and select the highest quality format available.
    • If HD quality isn’t available for the video you uploaded, the video file you uploaded may not be in HD. If you uploaded the video recently, it may still be processing.
  5. 5
    Check your internet connection. HD video takes a lot of bandwidth. If your videos aren’t loading in HD on YouTube or are taking a long time to upload, you may have a slow internet connection. Try restarting your router. Check to see if you are experiencing problems with other internet apps or streaming services.
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      References

      1. ↑ Melissa Newman. Social Media Strategist & Content Developer. Expert Interview
      2. ↑ https://canadacollege.edu/professional-dev/docs/flexday/1617/Uploading+a+video+to+YouTube.pdf
      3. ↑ https://canadacollege.edu/professional-dev/docs/flexday/1617/Uploading+a+video+to+YouTube.pdf
      4. ↑ Melissa Newman. Social Media Strategist & Content Developer. Expert Interview
      5. ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa
      6. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9528076?hl=en
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JzXiSkoFKw
      8. ↑ https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/UploadUnlistedVideotoYouTubeAppFromMobileDevice-TPSS.pdf
      9. ↑ https://sites.uab.edu/apex/for-mph-students/youtube-video/
      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1270709?hl=en
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6375112?co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop&hl=en
      3. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en
      4. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en
      5. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/troubleshooter/2888402?hl=en
      6. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/171664?hl=en

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Record in a video at 720p or higher, with an H.264 video codec, and an AAC-LC audio codec.
      2. Go to https://www.youtube.com/ and sign in.
      3. Click the icon that resembles a camera with a plus (+) sign and click Upload Video .
      4. Drag and drop the video you want to upload to the window in the center of the web browser.
      5. Enter a title, and description for the video.
      6. Select if the video is for kids or not.
      7. Click Next .
      8. Add video cards or click Next .
      9. Click Done .

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