<aside> 📋
Export each chapter as 2160×3840 (not 3940), 9:16, progressive, native frame rate, H.264 High Level 5.1, 8-bit 4:2:0 Rec.709, VBR 2-pass 120 Mbps target / 200 Mbps max (or CRF 16), 2-second keyframes, AAC 320 kbps or PCM 24-bit 48 kHz. No upscale, no rotation tag, no burned-in subs. One file per chapter.
</aside>
This article is the technical export spec for licensed vertical masters. Use it with Onboarding Your Vertical (what to collect) and Chapter Editing & Export Guidelines (how chapters should cut).
We ask for native 4K vertical so we can encode for the app, socials, and localization without starting from a soft file. ProRes HQ at this size is usually hundreds of gigabytes per title. High-quality H.264 is the current ingest standard when a filmmaker cannot deliver HEVC 10-bit.
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Container | .mp4 preferred. .mov is OK if you need PCM audio. |
| Codec | H.264 / AVC |
| Profile / level | High, Level 5.1. Use Level 5.2 only if the title is 50 or 60 fps. |
| Pixel format | 8-bit 4:2:0 (yuv420p). High 10 is welcome if the NLE can export it cleanly. |
| Color | Rec.709, legal / TV range, tags left intact. Don’t strip color metadata. |
| Scan | Progressive only |
| Frame rate | Exact source rate, constant (23.976 / 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 30). No 24↔30 convert, no pulldown, no variable frame rate. |
| GOP | Closed GOP, keyframe every 2 seconds |
| Other | CABAC on. B-frames allowed (2–3). Fast-start / web-optimized MP4 (moov at the front). |
Preferred if the tool has a quality slider or CRF: constant quality at the high end. In FFmpeg terms that is CRF 16 (15 if file size is acceptable). Preset slow.
If the tool only has bitrate (Premiere / Media Encoder):
A compressor that silently caps H.264 around 35–60 Mbps is a proxy, not a master. Re-export.