In 2016, Nichola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s VP for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) announced that she expected her company to go all-video within the next five years. Mark Zuckerberg, previously, had echoed similar comments. Whether Facebook is any closer to being all-video in 2021 is debatable; however, what is not debatable is its statistics.
More than 2.7 billion people use Facebook every month. That's almost a third of the world's population! And it doesn’t stop here - over 4 billion video views happen on Facebook every day.
Little wonder then Facebook is the world's most-followed social media platform.
As you can imagine, Facebook videos have become a gold mine for many brands out there as they represent a significant communication and marketing tool for them. Therefore, using the best videos is key to better engage your audience and get your message across more efficiently to drive more sales or to reach a particular objective.
But the thing is, there's no good video, without using a good format.
When we talk about video formats, there are three essential elements to consider:
- Video file format
- Video resolution, and
- Video aspect ratio
So, the billion-dollar question now is: What's the best video format for Facebook? Well, keep reading and get your answer. In addition, you will find out answers to the most important Facebook Video Setting that should be considered when making a video like how to convert videos to a Facebook-supported format, and more.
What Is The Best Overall Facebook Supported Video Formats?
The answer to the “billion-dollar question is” - MP4 and MOV.
However, there are differences between the two formats and each of them has its characteristics that make them special. A small comparison between these two formats will allow us to know more about which one is better.
What Should You Know About MP4?
Also known as MPEG-4 Part 14, MP4 is a multimedia file storage format that is widely used in several media players and operating systems. For example, MP4 is supported by several hardware devices such as DVD players, Sony PSP, and many others. Speaking of software, the MP4 format supports most DirectShow / Video for Windows codec packages.
MP4 is a much better option for any non-Apple device. The format has great flexibility in terms of storing data in files. It enhances high-resolution content by using the latest H264 codec. Also, MP4 uses not only advanced video coding technology (AVC) but also Apple's advanced audio coding (AAC) to improve the old audio container format. If you didn't know already, MP4 is supported by several devices and programs including Apple QuickTime 6 and all subsequent editions.
The special thing about this format is that it was designed to store the MPEG-4 format, which results in less overhead than other formats. You can repair your corrupted or inaccessible videos by using good video repair software because MP4 video files are prone to corruption. It also supports multiple bits of data.
Finally, what makes MP4 one of the best video formats is that it uses, like MOV, a lossy compression to minimize the file size. This type of compression does not damage the quality of the image or sound and is, therefore, a great advantage due to its versatility.
What Should You Know About MOV?
Like MP4, MOV is a video file format originally developed by Apple and is the predecessor of MP4. It is often used to save movies or videos and works through an advanced algorithm specially designed by Apple but is also compatible with different versions of Windows and Mac operating systems. In other words, if you are a Mac user, MOV is ideally quite safe and efficient.
To store data, MOV uses the concept of tracks. The concept is to store a particular type of data in a media container file.
MOV supports many media players such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, and also Real Player. MOV files have a reputation for high quality and are much larger than other media formats, taking up a lot of space.
If your video is corrupted and you are unable to play your MOV video file, it is possible to fix it. The process of repairing MOV videos is very simple. Just use a professional MOV video repair tool such as Stellar Repair.
Not only does MOV allow you to combine multiple audio and video files independently, but it also makes the files suitable for use in professional applications while isolating the elements during editing or playback. MOV files vary in size depending on two factors: length and the compression technique used.
It is possible to convert a MOV file to MP4 and vice versa without changing the video encoding. This is perfectly possible in the case of an Apple environment. However, if you are working in a non-Apple environment, you may encounter difficulties.
Here’s a list where you can see the differences between these two formats.
MOV vs MP4: What’s The Best?
The best Facebook video format is MP4. This is because MP4 compression has a minimal effect on the quality of a video while keeping your content at a reasonable size. In addition, MP4 is one of the most popular video formats, which can be played on virtually all multimedia software and online video platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). It is used by the majority of video professionals. This is not the case with MOV or any other video format and, although you can see many AVI and MKV files online, they are not as suitable for social media. However, if you are an Apple user, MOV is the preferred option.
Step-by-Step Guide To Convert Videos To Facebook Supported Format Using VideoSolo Video Converter Ultimate
Download VideoSolo Video Converter Ultimate and Add Your Videos
The first thing to do is to download and install VideoSolo Video Converter Ultimate. Then you click on "Add Files" to find the videos you want to convert.
Choose the optimal format options for your Video
Next, click on "Convert all to", then select "MP4" as the conversion format.
The next step is to click on the "Settings" option to adjust the parameters including resolution, frame rate, codec, and aspect ratio using the data in Table 2.
Convert the video to the format recommended by Facebook
Go back to the main page. Then click on "Convert All". Wait a few minutes and you will receive the best video supported by Facebook in the selected folder.
Upload Video on Facebook
The last step - go to your Facebook page and upload the converted videos directly from the software to Facebook.
Important Facebook Video Setting You Should Consider
Use H.264 codec for Facebook video and AAC codec for the audio portion of your video
It is recommended to use the H.264 codec for Facebook videos. For audio, however, make sure you use the AAC codec. For video professionals, it is a common secret that H.264 is one of the best and most popular codecs for getting higher quality video in proportion to the file size. The good news is that most converters can transcode to the H.264 codec. This is also the case for the AAC codec.
30 frames-per-second or less as video frame rate
It is possible today to shoot a lot of videos at 60 frames per second. However, if you want your video to be played back on Facebook, you should reduce the number to 30 frames per second or even less if possible.
Your video shouldn’t exceed 25 minutes
Ask yourself, when was the last time you watched a video on Facebook that lasted 25 minutes?
As we often say, good things don't last very long! A 3-minute video on the internet can even seem like an eternity. Therefore, short videos work better because:
A. The first three seconds of a Facebook video ad are responsible for 47% of the total campaign value.
B. 65% of users who watched the first three seconds of a video are likely to watch it up to 10 seconds.
The ideal Facebook video dimension is 720p
Do not upload a video that exceeds the stated resolution. If you do, Facebook will itself reduce the size and resize the frame of your video. As a result, the quality of your video will be impaired in the process. Also, to avoid any surprises, it is advisable to reduce the size of the video on your computer before uploading it to Facebook.
Stereo audio with a sample rate of 44.1 kHz
Although this is a common setting, many video cameras capture at a 48 kHz sample rate. You might be going to need to do some conversion there as well.
Use MP4 or MOV as file formats
That’s the golden rule. We’ve talked about it all along in the blog. At the end of the day, the resulting filename will look something like myvideo.mp4 or myvideo.mov. Do not forget that MOV is better to be used when you work with Apple equipment. Otherwise, MP4 is the best option to choose.
How Important Is Video Formats For Businesses?
Mark Zuckerberg claims 100 million hours of video are watched every day on Facebook. This was back in 2016. These numbers have shot up exponentially since then.
A survey carried out by wyzowl revealed that 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. It’s undoubtedly the best way to connect with the consumers and businesses are taking advantage of that. Considering the seriousness of videos today, businesses don’t have a choice but to make sure they choose the right format before uploading videos.
Why do video file formats matter that much?
Videos are everywhere today. Having a better understanding of the multiple formats out there and knowing how to use them will ensure that your video is viewed in the right format, in the right way, and with the best quality possible.
A very good video always attracts the attention of the general public. As an example, we all remember Nike's viral 'You Can't Stop Us' ad on social media which has been viewed more than 59 million times on YouTube.
Imagine if Nike had uploaded this video in a wrong format. Well, a wrong format used would never have made the quality of the image so perfect and garnered so much praise and views.
To understand more about how video formats work, we first need to know about codecs and why they are needed. Codecs, simply put, are compression-decompression algorithms that compress video to a particular file format. For the best quality of your videos on Facebook, it is recommended to use the H.264 codec
What Are The Best Practices For Formatting Some Of The Most Popular Facebook Video ad options?
Let’s walk you through the different ways to upload some of the most popular Facebook video ad options.
1-Regular Facebook Feed Video
- Recommended size: 1280 by 720 pixels
- Recommended resolution: 1080×1080
- Aspect ratio: Between 9:16 and 16:9 ( Square: 1:1, Full Portrait: 9:16, Vertical: 4:5 or 2:3 and Horizontal: 16:9)
- Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV
- Max. size of video file: 4GB
- Maximum video length: 240 minutes
2- Facebook in-stream Video ads
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Recommended size: 1280 by 720 pixels
Maximum length:120 min
Minimum size, square video: 600 by 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
3-Facebook collection cover video
Recommended size: 1200 by 675 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 1:1 or 16:9
Recommended formats: MP4 or MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
4-Facebook Instant Experience (IX) Video
Recommended size: 1200 by 628 pixels
Landscape video (Minimum size): 720 by 379 pixels (1.9:1 aspect ratio)
Square video (Minimum size): 720 by 720 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended formats: MP4 or MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum length: 120 seconds
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
5- Facebook slideshow ads
Recommended size: 1200 by 720 pixels
Recommended specs: MP4 or MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum video length: 120 min
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
6- Facebook carousel video ads
- Recommended video resolution: 1080 x 1080.
- The aspect ratio is 1:1.
- Max video file size is 4 GB. Avoid putting two auto-play videos on the screen at once. It helps you to prevent competing playback.
- Recommended video formats: MP4 and MOV
- Video duration length is 1 second to 240 minutes.
- The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
- Collection: The collection hero video shows up at the top of the Instant Experience. The video must meet these criteria.
7- Facebook messenger videos ads
Recommended size:1280 by 720 pixels
Minimum size: 500 pixels wide
Supported aspect ratios: 16:9 to 1.91:1
8- Facebook 360 videos
- Recommended Resolution: Monoscopic – Up to 5120 x 256
Stereoscopic – Up to 5120 x 5120
- Aspect Ratio: Monoscopic – 2:1 Stereoscopic (Top-Bottom) – 1:1
- Recommended Frame rate: 30 fps
- Length: Up to 30 minutes
- Maximum file size: 1.75GB
What Facebook video file formats You Can upload?
Inclusive of MP4 and MOV, there are 19 video file formats for facebook, namely:
- AVCHD Video (mts)
- AVI Video (avi)
- DIVX Video (Divx)
- DVD Video (VOB)
- DV Video (DV)
- Flash Video (f4v, flv)
- Graphics Interchange Format (gif)
- Matroska Format (mkv)
- Mobile Video (3g2, 3gp, 3gpp)
- MOD Video (mod)
- MPEG Video (dat, mpe, mpeg, mpg)
- MPEG-4 Video (m4v, mp4, mpeg4)
- MPEG Transport Stream (ts)
- M2TS Video (m2ts)
- Nullsoft Video (nsv)
- Ogg Media Format (ogm, ogv)
- QuickTime Movie (MOV, qt)
- TOD Video (tod)
- Windows Media Video (asf, WMV)
Despite the long list of formats mentioned above, some are not recommended if you want to upload a video of impeccable quality that meets your expectations and those of your customers/followers.
Not all of the above-mentioned formats have an adequate balance between the quality and size of the video.
That's why, as a general rule, it is often recommended to use two formats for Facebook videos, which are once again: MP4 and MOV.
Recap
As videos become more and more popular as the best way to reach the masses, it's also important that the quality of the videos is flawless. That's why for perfect video quality, it's important to choose the best Facebook video formats, such as MP4 and MOV. These two alone, however, aren’t enough - you would also need to take into consideration elements like resolution, size, and audio codecs for the best video quality for facebook.
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