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  6. 3.6 Top Five MP4 Codecs

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All Ways to Reduce Size of MP4 Videos (MPEG/MPG Included) on Windows/Mac

by Christine Smith • 2023-06-01 14:01:14 • Proven solutions

"What is the quickest (and free) way to compress an mp4 video to 30mb or less so that online sites can upload it?" - from Quora

If you have a large MP4 video file, you'll definitely want to reduce MP4 file size for your different uses, like saving on your mobile, sharing on YouTube, etc. In occasions, the MP4 reducer provides you options to make your MP4 file smaller so that you can use it at will. In this article, we're going to introduce how to reduce the size of MP4 files with several helpful methods.

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All Ways to Reduce Size of MP4 Videos with Wondershare UniConverter

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Part 1. Common Video Formats' File Size

First of all, let's take a look at the file size of several popular formats, which may help you choose the right format for your compression:

Video Formats Pros Cons
MP4 MP4 is the most commonly used and compressed video format for storing video, audio and still images. Although MP4 uses a high degree of compression, almost all the original quality of the video are retained.
FLV It is a format that is suitable for web videos. You can use this format to compress MP4 files when you need to upload files to the web. Creating an FLV format is an expensive as well as time- consuming process. It takes a long time to access the web page with Flash.
AVI This format is compatible with a variety of media players and is the most common compressed format that features an array of codecs. The format is too large to compress.
WMV This is a tightly compressed format that needs very less storage space as compared to MPEG-4, it has two times better compression. The format is perfect when you need to save space on a hard disk or email your videos. The format has poor compatibility when it comes to non-windows devices and platforms like iPad, iPhone, and other Apple products.
MKV It is an open-source format that features a menu for including audio tracks in a different language. The format does not work universally across different devices and media players. It generally has a large file size of up to 40GB.

As you can see, each video format has its own characteristics, and when you're going to compress videos for different occasions, you can choose the best format for your use. There's no doubt that reducing MP4 file size is the most common method used in our daily life, but when you want to compress videos for specific purposes, you may choose the right format.

Common Occasions We Need to Reduce MP4 File Size

Besides the lack of storage space on the hard disc and mobile phones, there are other reasons as well when you need to compress the size of your MP4 file, such as:

  1. Sending videos via email - large MP4 files cannot be sent via email attachment. Therefore you'll need to reduce the size of your MP4 file and then send it.
  2. Uploading to YouTube - YouTube has become the most popular video sharing site all over the world, and it allows you to upload your video to the platform with ease. But a large video will cost you a large amount of traffic, so you can compress the video file size to make it easier to be uploaded.
  3. Playback on Mobile - If you are using a small screen device or a limited-storage tablet, compressing your video file size will help you save the storage of your device.

Part 2. Ultimate Solution to Reduce MP4 File Size

If you want to reduce the MP4 file size, the powerful tool – Wondershare UniConverter helps you to get the work done with easy steps. It is a complete video toolbox for your video live, and it helps you to compress, convert, edit videos, and save online videos. In this part, we'll introduce how to compress MP4 with Wondershare UniConverter.

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  • Reduce MP4 videos to the right size for your different purposes
  • Support 1,000+ video formats, including MP4/MOV/MPEG/AVI/WMV for compression and conversion
  • Edit the video files with trimming, cropping, cutting, merging, adding subtitles, etc.
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How to Reduce the Size of MP4 Videos With Wondershare UniConverter:

  1. Add your MP4 videos.
  2. Start reducing the size of MP4 by setting bitrate, resolution, etc.
  3. Save the new compressed MP4 file.

Step 1 Choose Compressor icon in Toolbox.

After you install and run this video reducer, choose Tools and click the Compressor icon.

Choose Video Compress Tool

Step 2 Add your MP4 video into the video compressor.

After clicking the Compressor icon, you'll see a pop-up window. Now you can click the Add Files icon to add your MP4 video from your local computer.

Add MP4 File from Computer

Step 3 Start reducing MP4 video size.

Now you can set up the desired file size, quality, and other parameters. After making up all the settings, you can click the Compress button to start reducing the MP4 file size.

Start Reducing MP4 File Size

This is how Wondershare UniConverter reduces the MP4 file size to meet your requirements. Wondershare UniConverter is more than a video compressor, and it enables you to convert videos with ease. When you want to convert MP4 to AVI for your purpose, you can get the work done easily with Wondershare UniConverter. Also, this program enables you to edit videos, download videos, transfer videos, burn DVDs, and more.

Part 3. How to Reduce MP4 File Size with Advanced Settings

Video and audio files have their own codecs, which make them different from other files in size. When we want to reduce MP4 file size, we can also change the codecs of the MP4 file to make the file smaller. Speaking of changing the codecs, we're mainly talk about changing bit rate, resolution or frame rate of the video file. Therefore, if you want to reduce MP4 file size, you can also achieve the goal by changing the codecs of the video file.

  • Changing Bit Rate: The size of the video file can be decreased by lowering its bitrate. Bit rate size is directly proportional to file size, and thus, reducing one will reduce the other as well. But here it needs to be understood that too much lowering of the bit rate will reduce the quality as well. Thus reducing the bit rate by 20-30% of the original size is a good choice.
  • Changing the resolution of the file: The resolution of any file determines its size as well as quality. A high-resolution file will have good quality and larger file size. Thus, if you are aiming to reduce file size, reducing the resolution with a video resolution reducer will do the trick. If you have HD videos with a high resolution of 1080P, you can reduce it to a lower resolution to reduce the file size.
  • Changing frame rate: Another aspect that can be considered while reducing MP4 file size is to reduce the frame rate of the file. The frame rate is directly related to file size, and thus, reducing one will directly affect the other.

So if you considering changing the frame rate, bit rate, and resolution for compressing MP4 files, below listed are suggested settings of an MP4 file for Vimeo and YouTube. The file can be kept at 23.97 fps to reduce the size of the file before compressing it.

Parameters Compression Settings for YouTube Compression Settings for Vimeo
Codec (This offers a higher quality of video for smaller sized MP4 file)
Bit Rate 1000 kbps (360p), 2500 kbps (480p), 5000kbps (720p), 8000kbps (1080p), 10Mbps (1440p), 35-35kbps (2160p) 2,000 – 5,000 kbit/s (SD)/5,000 – 10,000 kbit/s (720p HD)/10,000 – 20,000 kbit/s (1080p HD)
Resolution 426x240(240p), 640x360 (360p), 854x480(480p), 1280x720 (720p), 1920x1080 (1080p), 2560x1440 (1440p), 3840x2160(2160P) 640 pixels wide (SD) or 1280 pixels wide(HD)
Frame Rate Keep it as the original one 24, 25, or 30 FPS as the value about 20 does not make any difference.

Part 4. Reducing MP4 File Size by Trimming and Cropping Unwanted Part of Video

Another common solution to compress the size of the MP4 file is by trimming and cutting its unwanted parts. If you have huge MP4 clips, you can do some editing by reducing unnecessary parts that will reduce the size of the file. There are plenty of editing tools as well as professional converter software available that will help you to do the task of editing and trimming.

How to Reduce MP4 File Size by Trimming and Cropping

Step 1Add Video into Program Window

Start Wondershare UniConverter after installing it on your computer, then choose Video Editor section at the left side bar. Then choose Trim in the main interface. Now you can add your video into the program by clicking the Add Files button at the upper left corner.

Choose Video Editor and Add Video

Step 2 Trim Unwanted Part of Video

After you adding the video into the trimming window, you can click move the time slider to the time you want to trim, and click the scissor icon at the middle bottom of the screen to trim the video to different parts.

Move Time Slider to Trim Video Clip

Step 3 Save the Video Clips You Need

After trimming the video clips, you can save the videos to your computer. You only need to click the Save button at the right side of the video clip you need, and then Wondershare UniConverter will start saving the video into your computer.

Save Trimmed Video Clips to Your Computer

After saving the video clip you want into the computer, you'll be able to get the video you need with smaller size. It's a little tricky way to reduce MP4 file size, but it's helpful if you have a large video file.

Part 6. Another 4 Free Ways to Reduce MP4 File Size

If you are considering free video size reducer software for compressing your MP4 and other files, listed below are the best tools that work on Windows and Mac platforms.

1. the Best way to shrink MP4 file size free: Wondershare Free Video Converter

Wondershare Free Video Converter is the free version of the best MP4 file reducer, Wondershare UniConverter, which has a similar interface and functions as the full version. It also supports 1000+ video and audio formats, and you can compress MP4 file size without any quality loss. Video resolution, bit rate, file size, format, and other parameters can also be changed here. But like most freeware you can find, it has a watermark on the output video.

Wondershare Free Video Converter

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2. Free video size reducer to reduce video file size Mac: HandBrake

HandBrake is a decent movie file size reducer for Mac users that allows reducing MP4 files and other files. The program enables adjusting parameters like frame rate, bit rate, resolution, and others so that it can reduce movie size quickly.

HandBrake

3. Free Windows video file size reducer: Windows Movie Maker

For Windows users, Windows Moviemaker is an excellent MP4 compressor to reduce video size. The software allows shrinking an MP4 video by selecting the size of the finished video. The program features a decent interface and supports other formats like WMV, MPEG, H264, MP3, AVI, MOV, and WMA formats.

Windows Movie Maker

4. Free MP4 reducer for Mac users: iMovie

iMovie from Apple is another decent tool to reduce video file size mac, which can be used to mitigate different file formats, including MP4, AVI, MOV, and MKV. The selected file can be compressed by changing the frame rate, bit rate, output format, and resolution.

iMovie

Conclusion: No matter which way you choose to reduce MP4 file size, finally, Wondershare UniConverter proves to be the full solution on how to reduce video file size. Just download it to have a free trial now.

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