How to increase the quality of a YouTube video

How to improve the quality of a YouTube video

Preliminary information

Prima di enter the live of this tutorial and spiegarti how to increase the quality of a video on youtube, you may find it useful to know that Google's popular video sharing platform is able to automatically adjust the quality of videos based on the user's viewing conditions, in order to offer the user the best possible viewing experience.

Among the factors that YouTube takes into account to automatically set the quality of the videos played there is, of course, the Internet connection speed user who starts playing a movie. YouTube guidelines specify that an internet connection of at least 0,5 Mbps.

This speed, however, refers to the reproduction of low definition movies with a resolution not exceeding 240p. A higher connection speed is required to increase the video quality and, at the same time, have a great viewing experience (e.g. no jerks).

• SD 360p: 0,7 Mbps;
• SD 480p: 1,1 Mbps;
• HD 720p: 2,5 Mbps;
• HD 1080p: 5 Mbps;
• 4K: 20 Mbps.

In addition to the connection speed, the screen size of your device affects the quality of the video played from YouTube. Playback of higher quality video is generally better on larger screens.

Finally, it should be noted that the quality of a video on YouTube depends above all on the quality of the original uploaded video. If the latter was recorded in low quality, it will not be available for viewing in high definition.

How to change the quality of a YouTube video

Having made the necessary initial premises, you are ready for change the quality of a YouTube video. All you have to do, both from a computer and from a smartphone and tablet, is to access the video of your interest, select the option Settings and choose the resolution you prefer from the available options. How to do? I'll explain it to you right away!

From computer

increase the quality of a YouTube video from your computer, connected to the main page of the famous video sharing platform, write the title of the movie you want to watch in the field Search, at the top, and click on the icon magnifying glass to view the search results.

In the new screen that appears, locate the video of your interest and press on its immagine d'anteprima (or on the title) to access the page with the YouTube player and start playing it. At this point, click on the icon of rotella d'ingranaggio, to access the Settings of the player, and select the option Quality give the menu check if you press.

Now, put the check mark next to one of the available resolution options (ex. 2160p, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, 144p etc.) and that's it. Alternatively, as mentioned in the opening lines of this guide, by choosing the option Automatica, YouTube determines the best video quality based on your connection speed and the screen size of your device.

ouTube will store the set video quality and automatically apply it for future video playback as well (if technically possible).

Give smartphone and tablet

Be your intention è change the quality of a YouTube video from smartphones and tablets, you must know that the procedure you must follow is almost identical to what I have just indicated to you to change the resolution of a computer movie.

To proceed, start the YouTube app for Android or iOS / iPadOS by pressing on its icon (the white ▶ ︎ symbol on a red background) on the home screen or in the app menu of your device, tap on the icon of the magnifying glass, at the top right, and search for the video of your interest by writing its title in the field Close your YouTube. Then press the button Search, to view the search results, locate the video of your interest and tap on his title, to start playback.

In the new screen that appears, tap on the icon three dots located in the upper right corner of the player (if you do not see this button, press on the player to bring up the multimedia controls) and select the option Quality from the menu that opens. Finally, choose the video quality you prefer from the available options (1080p, 720p, 360p, 144p, Automatica etc.) and enjoy the view.

How to improve the quality of a YouTube video

If you have just uploaded a video to YouTube and have noticed that it is in low quality when you start playing it, you should know that the videos are initially processed in low resolution to ensure that the upload is completed more quickly.

Also, it will be helpful to know that higher resolutions take longer to process, and as a result, the higher resolution options may not be available for hours after your videos are uploaded.

If you don't want to show your videos to the public in low quality, I recommend that you choose during the upload phase Non in cast o Private as a visibility option. At the end of the processing of the high resolution, you will be able to publish your video and it will be visible with all the related resolution options. Speaking of which, my guide on how to make a YouTube video private may be helpful.

If, on the other hand, you have uploaded a low quality movie and you are wondering if it is possible improve the quality of a YouTube video, I'm sorry to tell you that the answer is no. The quality of a movie depends not only on the device with which it was recorded (e.g. smartphone, video camera, GoPro, drone etc.) but also from many other factors, such as the bitrate video resolution and from codec used (H264 is among the most used formats for uploading videos to YouTube).

That said, you need to know that by accessing the section Video di YouTube Studio, selecting one of the videos already uploaded and pressing on the option Editor, you can make changes to the videos on your YouTube channel. However, these are basic changes, such as trimming, blurring or adding a song. To find out more, you can take a look at my guide on how to edit a video on YouTube.

To improve the quality of a video starting from the original movie, therefore, I suggest you use a good program for video editing and follow the instructions you find in my guides on how to increase video quality and how to change video resolution. Miracles, however, cannot be done if the source is not already of good quality!

How to increase the quality of a YouTube video