Best Export Settings for YouTube Shorts
Pick your editor and source, get the exact settings — and a preset file if you're on Premiere.
YouTube Shorts Export Settings Generator
YouTube Shorts — Premiere Pro export settings
Format / Container
MP4 (moov atom at the front / "Fast Start")
Video Codec
H.264 (High profile)
Chroma Subsampling
4:2:0
Resolution
1080×1920 (9:16)
Frame Rate
Export at your source frame rate — converting it causes stutter or judder.
30 fps
Bitrate Encoding
VBR, 2-pass
Target Bitrate
Below this, the platform's own recompression visibly degrades quality.
8 Mbps
Max Bitrate
Anything higher is wasted upload bandwidth — the platform recompresses it down anyway.
12 Mbps
Keyframe Distance
Every 60 frames (2s)
Color
Rec. 709, 8-bit
Audio Codec
AAC-LC
Audio Sample Rate
44.1 kHz sources should be resampled to 48 kHz before export, not left as-is.
48 kHz
Audio Channels
Stereo
Audio Bitrate
384 kbps
YouTube Shorts spec Verified Sep 2026 — source
Max duration: 3 minutes — verified 2026-09-01
Fetched directly from YouTube's own recommended upload encoding settings page — bitrate/audio figures are its standard-frame-rate SDR table (1080p row). Shorts' upload constraints confirmed separately on support.google.com/youtube/answer/10059070.
Import via Premiere's Export Settings panel → preset dropdown → "Import Preset."
Why do sources disagree on bitrate?
Every platform re-encodes your upload again after you send it. The target bitrate above is the point where that re-encoding stops costing visible quality — export lower and the platform's own compression makes it worse; export much higher and you're just uploading more data for the same result. That's why blogs quoting 2 Mbps, 8 Mbps, and 20 Mbps can all be describing the same platform without being wrong — they're each picking a different point on the same curve.
The best export settings for YouTube Shorts are 1080×1920 (9:16), your source frame rate, H.264 video at an 8 Mbps target bitrate, and AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz — straight from YouTube's own recommended upload encoding page. Pick your editor below and the settings card fills in — in the exact order your export dialog shows them.
Exporting for other platforms too?
Use the same generator for Instagram Reels or TikTok — just switch the platform selector, your editor and source settings carry over.
Before you post, check your captions against the YouTube Shorts safe zone so nothing gets covered by the UI once it's live.
What does YouTube itself recommend for Shorts export settings?
YouTube's own recommended upload encoding page specifies H.264 video, 4:2:0 chroma, AAC-LC audio at 48kHz — the same settings it recommends for any upload, not a separate Shorts-specific table. Shorts adds its own 3-minute duration cap and up-to-1080p resolution ceiling on top of that.
Why do sources disagree on the best bitrate for YouTube Shorts?
Because YouTube re-encodes every upload again on its own servers. Below the target bitrate, that re-encoding visibly degrades quality; above it, you're just uploading more data for the same result — YouTube's own 1080p standard-frame-rate figure is the number where that trade-off balances.
What resolution should I export for YouTube Shorts?
1080×1920 at a 9:16 aspect ratio — YouTube caps Shorts uploads at 1080p.
What frame rate should I use for YouTube Shorts?
Match your source. YouTube's own guidance is explicit: content should be encoded and uploaded at the same frame rate it was recorded, whether that's 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, or 60fps — converting it on export is what causes stutter.
Can I import a ready-made YouTube Shorts preset into Premiere Pro?
Yes — select Premiere Pro as your editor above and download the generated .epr file, then import it from the Export Settings panel's preset dropdown. DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and CapCut show a step-by-step checklist instead, since none of them have a stable preset file format to import.