Exporting Guide

Get the skinny on using specific software to export video for uploading to Wistia.

We know just enough to be dangerous about most video export software. Here’s our tips and tricks to using them - a guide to exporting from video editors

Looking for a guide to optimal export settings? You should also see our export settings page.

If you’re looking for free video transcoding software, we recommend Handbrake.

Final Cut Pro X

There are three ways to export video for use on Wistia from Final Cut Pro:

To make things even easier, we’ve also put together an awesome Wistia preset for you to download. We know. You’re welcome. :)

Sharing From Final Cut Pro X

Exporting videos for Wistia from Final Cut Pro is pretty straightforward.

First, select a clip or sequence in the Browser, or open a sequence in the Timeline. From there choose File > Share > Export File.

If Export File isn’t in the Share list, you’ll have to add it as a destination. Go to File > Share > Add Destination. Once here, double click Export File in the list of options and close the window.

In the Export File menu, under Settings, change the format from Video & Audio to Computer. This will change the codec to an H.264 MP4 file. (AKA, Wistia’s favorite setting.)

Next, make sure the resolution is set to 1080p, and that the Video Codec is set to Better Quality and not Faster Encode.

Then, click Next, and choose where you want this file to export to. After it’s done exporting, you’re good to upload it to Wistia. Look at you go!

Using Compressor as a standalone application

To use Compressor as a standalone application, you must first create a QuickTime movie file to submit to Compressor. Since this will only be a temporary intermediate file, we recommend creating a QuickTime reference movie. These can be created quicker and takes up less space than a standard QuickTime movie. This is because the video refers to your sequence’s original media files when possible, instead of storing all of the media in the file itself. However, since this file simply references other media stored on your computer, it will not work on other computers that don’t have all the required media.

To create a QuickTime reference movie, select the sequence or clip in the Browser that you want to export and choose File > Export > QuickTime Movie.

Choose a name and location for the file. Choose Current Settings and include both Audio and Video. Make sure the Make Movie Self-Contained box is unchecked and click Save. Then follow the directions for exporting video from Compressor.

Final Cut Pro to Compressor

You can also send a video to Compressor by exporting a Browser clip or sequence directly from Final Cut Pro to Compressor. Exporting a video from Final Cut Pro to Compressor works nearly the same as using Compressor as a standalone application, but you can skip the intermediate step of creating a QuickTime movie.

To send a sequence or clip from Final Cut Pro to Compressor, select the sequence or clip in the Browser and choose File > Send To > Compressor.

Compressor will open and you will see the sequence (or clip) appear in a Compressor Batch window. Create a new custom setting, and under File Format, choose Quicktime Export Components.

Set the destination of your file, and then change the Encoder Type to MP4.

Then, under Advanced Settings, head into Configure (this launches a modal). Choose MP4 as the file format and change the video format to H.264.

Bump the image size up to 1080p, update the data range to 15,000 kbps, and keep the frame rate at current. In the Audio section, change the Data Rate to 256 kbps, and the sample rate to 48k.

Save these settings, and drag your new Custom Preset to the queued video.

Then click Start Batch. This will be encoded as an MP4 file that looks great and is ready to upload to Wistia.

The Wistia Final Cut Pro Preset

If you haven’t already, download The Wistia Preset for Compressor. It’s a custom preset we’ve made for exporting 1080p videos, that look and upload great to Wistia.

Once it’s downloaded, in drag the preset into the Compressor settings window. This will add the preset to your list of custom presets. Then just drag the Wistia Preset setting to the job in the Batch window, and click submit. The video will be encoded as an MP4 file which you can then easily upload to Wistia. Hooray!

Adobe Premiere Pro

Our video team loves Premiere Pro! Consider this our top pick for video editing, if you were asking. :) We also made you a preset. Check it out!

Just a heads up — the Wistia preset only works with the Adobe Creative Cloud. Anything CS6 and below is not compatible.

Exporting From Premiere Pro

To export a video from Adobe Premiere Pro for use in Wistia, place your video clip in the Premiere timeline. Choose File > Export > Media. In the export settings, change the file format to a H.264. Keep the preset at Match Source - High Bitrate.

Under the Bitrate settings, change the Bitrate Encoding to a VBR 2-Pass. Bump the target and maximum Bitrate up to 15.

Then, in the Audio settings, change the Bitrate to 256 kbps. Once you’ve locked these settings in, choose the destination for your file, and click Export.

This will be encoded as an MP4 file which you can then easily upload to Wistia.

The Wistia Premiere Pro Preset

Want to be extra snazzy? Download the Wistia preset for Premiere Pro. It’s a custom preset we’ve made for exporting 1080p videos, that look and upload great to Wistia.

The Wistia Premiere Pro Preset will only work with the Adobe Creative Cloud. It is not compatible with anything CS6 or below. (Sorry about that!)

Once it’s downloaded, in Premiere head over to File > Export > Media. Look for the Import Preset icon, and navigate to the downloaded preset to install it.

Then click Export at the bottom of the window and the video will be encoded as an MP4 file which you can then easily upload to Wistia.

Adobe Captivate

To export a file from Adobe Captivate, select Publish from under the File menu. In the Publish dialogue box, select Media.

Select H.264 or MP4 as the format for export.

If prompted to enter a title, enter one without the full file extension (this will be added automatically).

Camtasia Studio (PC)

Camtasia comes with preset production options to make export easier, but sometimes these settings aren’t always ideal. Have no fear! We’re here to help.

First, you’ll want to click Export in the top right corner select and then Local File. Confirm that the File Type is set to MP4 and then click Advanced Settings.

Set your desired dimensions making sure that they are a 16:9 aspect ratio. You’ll also want to make sure that the aspect ratio is preserved by checking Keep Aspect Ratio. Under Encoding, change the quality to 70%.

Export that file and the video will be rendered as an MP4 file which you can then easily upload to Wistia. Woo!

Camtasia (Mac)

To export a perfect MP4 for Wistia from Camtasia, you’ll want to first head to Export and then Local File. Confirm that the File Format is set to Export to MP4 and then click Options.

Set your desired dimensions making sure that they are a 16:9 aspect ratio. You’ll also want to make sure that the aspect ratio is preserved by checking Preserve Aspect Ratio.

Change the Data Rate to custom, and bump up to 15,000 kbps. Click okay and choose a destination.

Export that file and you’re good to go!

After Effects

If you are adding your After Effects export back into an editor like Avid or Premiere (our normal workflow), match the native sequence settings you are using in your edit. Make sure you match codec (ProRes, ProRes LT, HDV), frame size (1920x1080, 1440x1080), and frame rate (24, 23.98, 29.97).

If you are exporting out of After Effects for upload to Wistia, use h.264 Quicktime settings and 1920x1080 frame size.

Garageband

To export your video + audio track/score from Garageband, start by clicking on the File option and under Movie select Export Audio to Movie.

You will then be prompted with a dropdown menu for Video Presets. Select Full Qualityand click the Save button (this will save it as the same file format as the original movie).

Your video will be saved to your computer as an .mov file that you can easily upload into your Wistia account.

iMovie

To export your iMovie video project, select the project you wish to export from the iMovie Project Library and choose File > Share > File.

Set the Format to Video & Audio, and make sure the resolution is set to 1080p. Then change the quality from High to Custom, and set the Bitrate to 15 mbps.

Click Next, and choose a filename and location, and then Save. Your video will be saved to your computer as an MP4 file which you can then easily upload to your Wistia account.

QuickTime Pro

To easily export a video from QuickTime Pro, open the movie you wish to export and choose File > Export > 1080p. In the Export pop-up menu, choose a filename and location, and click Save. Your video will be saved to your computer as a .mov file which you can then easily upload to Wistia.

ScreenFlow

Wistia has an awesome integration with ScreenFlow 5 that allows you to publish a video right from ScreenFlow to Wistia. In the editor, head up to File > Publish to > Wistia.

Here, you can choose 720p for HD or 1080p. If you want to keep a copy of the file, just click Save Copy To Disk and choose the destination.

After you click Sign In, it will launch a modal that looks like your Wistia login page.

Enter your username and password, Authorize ScreenFlow to post to your account, and then choose which project you’d like to upload to. You can even create a new “Untitled Project” to upload into.

Once you hit Publish, it will begin the exporting and uploading process.

Then, hop into your Wistia account, and you’ll see the ScreenFlow video is in a new project ready to be customized. Hot dog!

Handbrake

Handbrake is a great, free solution for smoothing out problems with weird video files. To export a video for Wistia from Handbrake, click Source in the top right corner and select the file that you’d like to convert. Some of the fields will auto-populate. We recommend making sure that:

  • The “Video Codec” on the video tab is set to H.264 (x264)
  • The “Video Quality” uses “Average Bitrate” and is set to 5,000–8,000kbps. Also, you can check off “2-pass encoding.”
  • On the “Audio” tab, use the “AAC (CoreAudio)” codec and set the bitrate to at least 128 kbps, or the maximum bitrate for the audio track in your video.
  • In the top right, click “Picture Settings” and make sure the aspect ratio is correct.

Then, click “Start” at the top right and your video will begin encoding to the Destination folder you chose!

GoToMeeting

Getting high-quality video out of GoToMeeting (or GoToWebinar / GoToTraining) is tricky tricky, but luckily our friend Kyle from HubSpot has come to the rescue with a great workflow to convert your GoToMeeting to WMV format.

Start by opening your GoToMeeting Preferences (screenshot is for Windows, as the Mac version doesn’t convert to WMV).

In the Recording preference category, select convert to Windows Media Player file.

And that is it! Your WMV will encode at much higher quality after being uploaded to Wistia than the default G2M4 video. If you have any trouble, check out the GoToMeeting Transcoding Wizard.