Uploaded August 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
This is a re-upload of my original 720p video from yesterday in full 1080p. It uses the same compression codec(h264) and settings, just at a higher resolution. It looked ok but had far too many artifacts in some areas and it didn't do well with transparency and blurred objects in the distance. This is strictly for comparison to the other video that I compressed with a different codec and got much better results.
To see the differences pay close attention during these time frames:
0:55-1:08 - Pay attention to the sky and mountains in the background. Both codecs seem to handle the foreground fairly well, but the h264 has noticeable artifacting in the sky and mountain area as I pan across. The x264 version however has far less of it. For whatever reason the x264 codec can handle the transparency of the fog and clouds better as well as motion blur effects.
2:00-2:20 Notice the trees in the background during the snowstorm. In the h264 version they are heavily pixelated but the x264 renders them sharper. When the scene changes to the orange colored sky, notice the h264 has major pixelization in the coulds while the x264 handles it much better. It's not perfect, but it's so much better that it's hardly noticeable without calling it out.
3:03 Pause at this time frame and look at the detail between the 2. The h264 looks good on it's own, but the x264 renders a lot more detail in the mountains and trees. I can make out the pine needles on the trees much better in the x264 version and the color seems more natural. This single frame is very telling overall as it shows that I'm getting far more overall detail with x264 during the entire video.
Note: The reason I have to upload these is that Youtube always does it's own re-compression of whatever file you give it, so you can't judge how good a video will look until it's actually uploaded. I usually leave these private to not clog up my channel, but I set them public this time in case others that have an interest in making their own videos may find it interesting.
Video compression can be very complex, especially for someone new to video making. It can seem easy if you just use pre-made settings, however the trick is getting the absolute highest quality out of the lowest file size and that takes a bit of tweaking. The h264 and x264 videos are both similar in file size, but the x264 is noticeably superior.
This is a re-upload of my original 720p video from yesterday in full 1080p. It uses the same compression codec(h264) and settings, just at a higher resolution. It looked ok but had far too many artifacts in some areas and it didn't do well with transparency and blurred objects in the distance. This is strictly for comparison to the other video that I compressed with a different codec and got much better results.
To see the differences pay close attention during these time frames:
0:55-1:08 - Pay attention to the sky and mountains in the background. Both codecs seem to handle the foreground fairly well, but the h264 has noticeable artifacting in the sky and mountain area as I pan across. The x264 version however has far less of it. For whatever reason the x264 codec can handle the transparency of the fog and clouds better as well as motion blur effects.
2:00-2:20 Notice the trees in the background during the snowstorm. In the h264 version they are heavily pixelated but the x264 renders them sharper. When the scene changes to the orange colored sky, notice the h264 has major pixelization in the coulds while the x264 handles it much better. It's not perfect, but it's so much better that it's hardly noticeable without calling it out.
3:03 Pause at this time frame and look at the detail between the 2. The h264 looks good on it's own, but the x264 renders a lot more detail in the mountains and trees. I can make out the pine needles on the trees much better in the x264 version and the color seems more natural. This single frame is very telling overall as it shows that I'm getting far more overall detail with x264 during the entire video.
Note: The reason I have to upload these is that Youtube always does it's own re-compression of whatever file you give it, so you can't judge how good a video will look until it's actually uploaded. I usually leave these private to not clog up my channel, but I set them public this time in case others that have an interest in making their own videos may find it interesting.
Video compression can be very complex, especially for someone new to video making. It can seem easy if you just use pre-made settings, however the trick is getting the absolute highest quality out of the lowest file size and that takes a bit of tweaking. The h264 and x264 videos are both similar in file size, but the x264 is noticeably superior.
