You finished the edit. Now don’t ruin it at the finish line. Export settings determine whether your video looks crisp or mushy on TikTok, Reels, and Shorts — and the platforms all recompress your upload, so how you export decides how much quality survives. These are the settings that work in 2026.
The universal short-form recipe
For TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, this covers 95% of cases:
- Resolution: 1080×1920 (9:16 vertical)
- Frame rate: 30fps (match your timeline; don’t convert 24→30 or 60→30 at export)
- Codec: H.264 (maximum compatibility) — H.265/HEVC is smaller but some platforms handle it worse
- Bitrate: 12–16 Mbps, VBR 2-pass
- Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz
- Format: MP4
Why VBR 2-pass: it allocates more data to complex scenes and less to simple ones, so quality stays even. It takes longer to encode — worth it for anything you publish.
Why bitrate matters (the recompression problem)
Every platform recompresses your upload — aggressively. TikTok and Reels crush uploads to roughly 8–10 Mbps or less. If you upload a low-bitrate file, the platform’s compression stacks on yours and the result is mush. Uploading at 12–16 Mbps gives the platform’s encoder clean source material, and visibly better output. This is the single highest-leverage export decision.
Platform-specific notes
TikTok
Accepts up to 1080×1920 well; higher resolutions get downscaled with no benefit. Keep files under 287 MB (iOS) / 72 MB (Android) for direct upload — your 16 Mbps 60-second file is ~120 MB, fine. TikTok’s player favors punchy contrast; a slightly more saturated grade survives its compression better.
Instagram Reels
Same 1080×1920 spec. Reels’ compression is harsh on fine detail and gradients — avoid subtle film grain and very dark scenes if Reels is your primary platform; they turn to blocks. Captions burned in or via Instagram’s caption tool both work; many creators burn in for style control.
YouTube Shorts
Same spec, slightly more forgiving compression than TikTok/Reels. YouTube also handles 4K vertical (2160×3840) — overkill for most, but if your source is 4K and the platform is YouTube-first, uploading 4K gets you the VP9 codec, which looks noticeably better.
Premiere Pro: exact export steps
- File → Export → Media. Format: H.264, Preset: Match Source — High bitrate (then customize).
- Under Video: 1080×1920, 30fps, Field Order: Progressive, Aspect: Square Pixels.
- Bitrate Settings: VBR, 2-pass. Target 14 Mbps, Maximum 16 Mbps.
- Under Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz, Stereo.
- Check “Render at Maximum Depth” and “Use Maximum Render Quality” for best results.
- Export a master file first, then make platform copies from it — never re-export from a compressed upload.
CapCut / free tools
CapCut: export at 1080×1920, 30fps, “Higher” quality (which targets ~10–12 Mbps). It’s slightly below the ideal bitrate but perfectly serviceable — CapCut’s encoder is decent. DaVinci Resolve free: same recipe as Premiere, full control, no cost.
Common export mistakes
- Exporting at 720p “to save space.” Platforms downscale from your upload; starting low guarantees a soft result.
- Wrong frame rate conversion. A 24fps timeline exported at 30fps gets judder. Match timeline and export.
- Uploading the platform-compressed file elsewhere. Always export fresh from the master for each platform.
- Forgetting audio. 128 kbps audio on a music-driven short is audible. Use 320.
- Vertical video with horizontal bars. If your content is 16:9, crop or reframe to fill 9:16 — pillarboxed uploads get less reach and look unprofessional.
The 2-minute pre-upload checklist
- Watch the exported file on your phone, full screen, with sound.
- Check the first frame — that’s the thumbnail on some platforms.
- Check text legibility at phone size.
- Check audio on phone speakers.
- Confirm file size is under platform limits.
Export is the last 5% of the work and protects the other 95%. Part of the complete Premiere Pro finishing workflow.