In this tutorial, I’ll show you the best Premiere Pro export settings for YouTube + a free export preset download.
Whenever you upload a video to YouTube, the platform applies heavy compression to reduce the file size and make playback faster. From a streaming point of view, that’s a good thing.
But the downside is that this compression also reduces the overall quality of your video. That’s why your export settings are so important.
If you export with low bitrates or incorrect settings, YouTube will compress your file even further, and the result will look bad. However, if you export with the right combination of settings, you’ll provide YouTube with a file that already looks amazing, and it will preserve sharpness even after compression.
Whether you’re uploading in Full HD or 4K, the right settings make all the difference.
In this post, I’ll show you how to use my Premiere Pro Export Preset to get the sharpest results with just a single click. I’ll also break down every setting inside the preset so you understand how it works.
Importing The Preset
Before we look at the settings, let’s quickly go through how to import the preset into Premiere Pro:
- Go to the Export Page in Premiere Pro.
- Under Presets, scroll down and click “More Presets” to open the Preset Manager.
- Inside the Preset Manager, go to “Custom Presets”, then click on Import at the bottom.
- Select the downloaded preset, import it, and hit OK to save.
Once you do this, you’ll see a new preset named EditingCorp YouTube. The moment you select it, all the optimized settings are applied automatically. You don’t have to do anything else, just hit Export and upload your video to YouTube.
Breaking Down The Settings
Here’s a detailed look at what’s inside the preset and why each setting matters.
Format
The format is set to H.264 (MP4). This is the most widely supported codec for web streaming. It’s lightweight, delivers great quality, and works on almost any device.
Video Settings
The frame size, frame rate, and aspect ratio are set to match your source footage. No changes needed here.
But under More Settings, a few important adjustments have been made:
- Render at Maximum Depth – Ensures Premiere processes your video at the highest bit depth, giving you better color details and less banding.
- Use Maximum Render Quality – Improves the overall sharpness of your export.
Encoding Settings
By default, the preset uses Software Encoding (CPU-based rendering). This gives cleaner results compared to Hardware Encoding, though it’s a bit slower. If you have a powerful GPU, you can switch to Hardware Encoding, but I’ve found Software Encoding delivers the best balance of quality and control.
Bitrate Settings
This is the most important part for YouTube quality.
- CBR (Constant Bitrate): Keeps the bitrate fixed throughout the video.
- VBR (Variable Bitrate): Adjusts bitrate depending on scene complexity. More efficient and better for YouTube.
The preset uses VBR – Pass 1. Pass 2 is mainly for highly complex videos and takes longer to render. For most YouTube videos, Pass 1 is more than enough.
As for bitrate values:
- Target Bitrate: 50
- Maximum Bitrate: 50
YouTube provides its own bitrate guidelines, but after lots of experiments, I’ve found that 50 Mbps delivers the sharpest results regardless of resolution.
Audio Settings
I’ve kept the audio export settings at default. But here’s something most people don’t realize:
Premiere Pro and YouTube measure loudness differently. In Premiere Pro, audio peaks at 0 dB, but YouTube uses LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale). That’s why audio often sounds quieter once uploaded.
To fix this, I’ve enabled Loudness Normalization under the Effects section and adjusted the values. This keeps your audio slightly above 0 dB, which is the perfect loudness for YouTube.
The Result: Crisp, Sharp, and Loud Enough
With these settings, your videos will always look sharper and cleaner on YouTube. whether in 1080p or 4K. Plus, your audio won’t get crushed or sound too quiet after uploading.
And the best part? You don’t have to manually tweak every time. Just download my Premiere Pro Export Preset, import it once, and you’re good to go.