ShrinkVD: The Ultimate Guide to Video Compression

ShrinkVD Settings Explained: Best Presets for Quality & SizeShrinkVD is a video-compression tool designed to reduce file size while preserving as much visual quality as possible. This article explains the most important settings, offers recommended presets for different goals (maximum quality, balanced, and smallest size), and walks through practical tips for getting the best results for various content types.

How video compression affects quality and size

Video compression reduces file size by removing redundant or less-important visual information. Two main factors determine final size and quality:

• Codec and container — determine how efficiently frames are encoded and what features (like variable bitrate, HDR, or advanced chroma subsampling) are supported.
• Encoding settings — control bitrate, resolution, frame rate, GOP structure, and other parameters that directly trade off between quality and file size.

Understanding these elements helps you pick ShrinkVD presets that match your priorities.

Core ShrinkVD settings explained

Below are the primary settings you’ll encounter in ShrinkVD, with straightforward guidance on what each does and when to change it.

• Codec (H.264, H.265/HEVC, AV1)

  • H.264: Widely compatible, good speed, larger files than newer codecs.
  • H.265/HEVC: Better compression at similar quality but slower and less compatible.
  • AV1: Best compression efficiency in many cases, but much slower encoding and limited hardware decoding support.
    Choose H.265 or AV1 when file size is critical and target devices support them; use H.264 for maximum compatibility.

• Bitrate mode (CBR vs VBR vs CRF)

  • CBR (Constant Bitrate): Maintains a steady bitrate; useful for streaming where bandwidth must be predictable.
  • VBR (Variable Bitrate): Allocates more bits to complex scenes and fewer to simple scenes; better for stored files.
  • CRF (Constant Rate Factor): Quality-based mode (for x264/x265) where lower values mean higher quality. CRF is usually the best choice for a quality/size balance for offline content.
    For most users: use CRF (x264/x265) or VBR with a sensible max bitrate.

• CRF values (x264/x265)

  • x264: CRF 18–23 is a common range; CRF 18 is visually near-lossless, CRF 23 is a good default for balance.
  • x265: CRF values are roughly 4–6 points lower for similar visual quality, so CRF 15–19 maps to x264’s 19–23.
    Recommendation: Start at CRF 20 for x264 or CRF 17 for x265, then adjust after testing.

• Preset (ultrafast — placebo)

  • Preset controls the encoding speed vs compression efficiency. Faster presets produce larger files; slower presets produce smaller files but take longer to encode.
  • Typical meaningful choices: veryfast, medium (default), slow, slower, placebo.
    Use “medium” or “slow” for good efficiency; “veryfast” for quick encodes where time matters.

• Tune (film, animation, grain, etc.)

  • Tunes optimize encoding for content type. For example, “animation” preserves hard edges; “grain” preserves film grain.
    Set tune to match content when available.

• Profile & Level

  • Profile (baseline, main, high, high10) affects feature set and compatibility. Level limits bitrate/resolution combinations.
    Use High/Main for modern devices; choose profile based on required features (e.g., High10 for 10-bit).

• Resolution & scaling

  • Downscaling reduces pixel count and thus file size. Use algorithms like Lanczos for better quality when resizing.
    If you can accept lower resolution, downscale (e.g., 2160p→1440p or 1080p) to dramatically cut size.

• Frame rate (fps)

  • Lowering fps reduces motion smoothness but can save bits. For content with limited motion, drop from 60fps to 30fps.
    Avoid lowering fps for motion-heavy content like gaming or sports.

• Chroma subsampling (4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0)

  • 4:2:0 is standard for most video and offers the best size. 4:2:⁄₄:4:4 preserve color detail but increase size.
    Stick with 4:2:0 unless color fidelity is crucial (e.g., professional color grading).

• Audio codec & bitrate

  • Use AAC or Opus for stereo audio; Opus often gives better quality at lower bitrates. Typical bitrates: 128–192 kbps (AAC), 96–128 kbps (Opus).
    Reduce audio bitrate only if storage matters; audio is minor compared to video bitrate.

Recommended presets by goal

Below are practical presets you can copy into ShrinkVD (adapt names/fields as needed).

• Maximum quality (archival / near-lossless)

  • Codec: H.265 (x265)
  • Mode: CRF = 15
  • Preset: slow
  • Profile: main10 (if 10-bit desired), else main
  • Tune: none / film
  • Chroma: 4:2:0 (or 4:2:2 for color-critical)
  • Audio: Opus 192 kbps

• Balanced quality & size (recommended default)

  • Codec: H.265 (or H.264 for compatibility)
  • Mode: CRF = 17 (x265) or 20 (x264)
  • Preset: medium (or slow if time allows)
  • Profile: main
  • Tune: film/none
  • Audio: Opus 128 kbps

• Smallest size (storage-limited, accept visible loss)

  • Codec: AV1 or H.265
  • Mode: CRF = 22–28 (adjust; higher = smaller)
  • Preset: slower (AV1 slower)
  • Resolution: consider downscale to 720p or 480p depending on use
  • Frame rate: reduce to 30 fps if original is 60 fps and motion allows
  • Audio: Opus 96 kbps

Content-specific tips

• Animation / Cartoons: Use “animation” tune, higher CRF tolerance (can go slightly higher CRF), and avoid heavy de-noising that removes line art.
• Film / Cinematic: Preserve grain (use “grain” tune if available), use slower presets, prefer 10-bit (main10) for color grading.
• Screen recordings / Tutorials: Use lossless or very high-quality CRF for text clarity; consider 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 if text is critical.
• Gaming / Fast motion: Keep higher bitrates or lower CRF; avoid aggressive downscaling; use higher fps if input was high-fps.

Workflow & testing recommendations

1. Start with the balanced preset (CRF 20 x264 or CRF 17 x265).
2. Encode a representative 30–60 second clip of your content.
3. Inspect visually at full resolution and on target devices.
4. Adjust CRF ±2 steps or change preset speed if necessary.
5. For final batch encode, use slower preset once settings are locked.

Quick troubleshooting

• Blockiness/artifacts: lower CRF (improve quality) or increase max bitrate; use slower preset.
• Banding: enable dithering, use 10-bit profile, or increase bitrate.
• Excessive grain preserved increasing size: apply grain-aware denoise or use “grain” tune to better preserve visual intent.

Example command lines

ShrinkVD wraps common encoders; below are example ffmpeg-style commands you can adapt in ShrinkVD’s advanced mode:

# Balanced x264 example ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -c:a libopus -b:a 128k output.mp4 # Balanced x265 example ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -preset slow -crf 17 -c:a libopus -b:a 128k output.mp4 # Smallest size with AV1 (slow) ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libaom-av1 -cpu-used 2 -crf 30 -b:v 0 -c:a libopus -b:a 96k output.mkv 

Final notes

Choosing the right ShrinkVD preset is a balance between desired visual quality, file-size limits, and encoding time. Use CRF for most offline encodes, pick a codec based on compatibility needs, and always test with short clips before batch-processing large libraries.