NLE Export Settings: What Those Terms Actually Mean
A dozen knobs and nobody explains them: what bitrate, what keyframe interval, which Profile. Default settings often produce a needlessly enormous file that platforms will transcode anyway.
The terms, decoded
Bitrate is the data budget per second - the direct dial for quality and size. VBR spends more on complex shots and less on static ones, beating CBR at equal size; one-pass VBR for speed, two-pass when the final file is due. Target and maximum bitrate are exactly what they say.
Keyframe interval (GOP) places a full frame every N frames - twice the frame rate (about 2 seconds) is the safe default. Profile is a feature set tier: High is standard, Main when compatibility worries you. Audio: AAC at 128k minimum, higher for voice-heavy work.
Why exports come out huge
Editor defaults prioritize quality: high bitrate, conservative compression - hundreds of MB for a 4K timeline is normal and intentional. The export is a master, not a distribution file. Uploading the master just means the platform transcodes it again for nothing.
The right structure is layered: keep a high-bitrate master for future re-editing, and cut a distribution version per channel from it. One file preserves options, the other travels well.
Compress again after export?
Depends on the channel. Direct platform upload: usually no - the platform re-encodes regardless, and its encoder has its own ideas. IM, email, local playback: yes - these channels transcode nothing, so the file you send is the file they get.
Check the exported bitrate first with a parameter tool: an 8 Mbps 1080p export sent through chat is misery; a 2-3 Mbps version travels comfortably. Re-check after compressing so the change is verified, not assumed.