Your Export Settings Are Killing Your Video Quality (Here's What to Use)

I see this constantly: creators spend hours editing a perfect short, then export it with settings that destroy the quality. Here's a quick guide to export settings that actually work.

The Golden Rules

**Resolution: 1080x1920** — This is the standard for 9:16 video on all platforms

**Codec: H.264** — Maximum compatibility

**Frame rate: 30fps** — Matches most phone cameras

**Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps** — High enough for quality, low enough for fast uploads

Common Mistakes

Exporting at 720p

I know 720p is "HD," but in 2026, it looks soft on modern phone screens. Most phones have 1080p or higher displays. Export at 1080x1920 — the file size difference is minimal.

Using H.265/HEVC

H.265 is more efficient than H.264, but not all platforms support it properly. TikTok re-encodes H.265 uploads, which can introduce quality loss. Stick with H.264 for maximum compatibility.

Wrong aspect ratio

I've seen people export 16:9 video and try to use it as a Short. It gets letterboxed with huge black bars. Always export in native 9:16.

Too low bitrate

A 30-second Short at 2 Mbps looks blurry. A 30-second Short at 10 Mbps looks crisp. The file size difference is about 30MB — worth it for the quality.

ApexClip's Export Settings

If you're using ApexClip, the export settings are pre-configured for optimal quality:

1080x1920 resolution

H.264 codec

30fps

10 Mbps bitrate

You can override these in the settings, but the defaults are designed to give you the best quality-to-file-size ratio.

The Test

Export the same clip at different settings and compare:

720p vs 1080p: 1080p is noticeably sharper

5 Mbps vs 10 Mbps: 10 Mbps has fewer compression artifacts

24fps vs 30fps: 30fps looks smoother for speech

The differences are subtle but real. And on a phone screen, they're more visible than you'd think.