If you‘ve ever tried to email a video or upload one to a website, you‘ve probably run into file size limitations. Raw video, especially at high resolutions, results in very large files that can be difficult to share or store. Thankfully, there are several ways to compress a video on your Mac to make the file size much smaller.
Compressing a video means re-encoding it in a way that removes some of the data to save space. The amount of compression depends on the output settings you choose. More compression means a smaller file size but it does come at the cost of some quality loss. The goal is to find the right balance to maintain good visual quality while making the file small enough to easily share and store.
In this article, I‘ll walk through several methods for compressing videos on macOS including:
- Using built-in apps like iMovie and QuickTime
- Compressing into a ZIP file with Finder
- Converting to compressed formats with HandBrake
- Adjusting bitrate and resolution with Permute
- Using online video compression services
I‘ll explain the pros and cons of each approach and provide step-by-step instructions. By the end, you‘ll know exactly how to shrink down any large video file on your Mac. Let‘s get started!
Using iMovie to Compress Videos
iMovie is Apple‘s free video editing app that comes bundled with macOS. In addition to letting you cut together video projects, it also has built-in exporting tools for compressing videos.
Here‘s how to compress a video using iMovie:
- Open iMovie from your Applications folder
- Drag and drop the video you want to compress into the iMovie window
- Select the video in the timeline, then click the Share button
- Choose "File" from the sharing options
- Click the "Resolution" dropdown and select a lower resolution, like 720p
- Click "Next…" and choose a location to save the compressed video file
iMovie will re-encode the video at the selected resolution, which reduces the file size compared to the original. Exporting at 720p usually results in a reasonable file size while still looking good for playback on most devices. If you need even more compression, you can export at an even lower resolution like 480p.
The advantage of using iMovie is that it‘s already on your Mac and walks you through the process with a simple interface. The drawback is that you don‘t get many advanced options for fine-tuning the compression.
Compressing Videos with QuickTime
QuickTime Player is the default app for playing video files on macOS. What many people don‘t know is that it also has some hidden options for exporting compressed videos.
To compress a video with QuickTime:
- Open the video you want to compress in QuickTime Player
- From the File menu, select "Export As"
- In the Format dropdown, choose a lower resolution like 720p
- Click "Save" and choose a location for the output file
Just like iMovie, exporting at a lower resolution with QuickTime will result in a more compressed file that takes up less space. You can experiment with different resolutions to see how much you can compress the file before seeing a noticeable dip in quality.
The QuickTime method is fast and convenient since it‘s built right into the app you likely already use to play videos on your Mac. But it doesn‘t provide as much control over the finer details of the compression compared to some other tools.
Creating a Compressed ZIP Archive
You‘re probably used to compressing files and folders on macOS by turning them into ZIP archives. Did you know you can actually do the same thing with video files?
The Finder app makes it easy:
- Locate the video file you want to compress in Finder
- Right-click the file and select "Compress" from the menu
- After a few moments, you‘ll see a new ZIP file appear in the same location
This method doesn‘t actually re-encode the video or change the resolution at all. Instead, it simply compresses the existing file to remove redundant data and make it take up less space. How much compression you get will depend on the specific codec and contents of the video.
Putting the video in a ZIP archive is a quick and dirty way to shrink the file size a bit. It‘s handy if you need to squeeze a video under an email attachment size limit, for example. But it likely won‘t compress the video nearly as much as re-encoding it with something like HandBrake.
Converting Videos with HandBrake
HandBrake is a powerful open-source app for converting videos between different formats. It‘s completely free and works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. With it, you can compress videos by exporting them in more efficient codecs and containers.
Here‘s how to compress a video using HandBrake:
- Download HandBrake from the official website and install it on your Mac
- Open HandBrake and click the "Open Source" button to load your video
- In the "Presets" sidebar, scroll down to "Web" and choose "Gmail Medium 5 Minutes 720p30"
- Click "Browse" and choose a name and save location for the compressed video
- Click "Start" to begin encoding the video with the selected compression settings
HandBrake has a huge library of presets for different compression scenarios. The "Gmail Medium" preset is a good place to start – it encodes the video using the x264 codec and targets a file size that‘s generally small enough to attach to an email.
You can also use HandBrake to compress videos for other purposes like uploading to social media or saving on a mobile device. It has presets optimized for YouTube, Instagram, iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, and more.
While HandBrake provides a lot of power and flexibility, it can be a little intimidating for beginners with its many advanced options. Take some time to explore the app and experiment with different output settings to dial in your compressions.
Adjusting Video Bitrate with Permute
Permute is a multi-purpose media converter app for macOS. Among its many talents is the ability to compress video files by adjusting parameters like resolution and bitrate.
To compress a video using Permute:
- Buy and install Permute from the Mac App Store
- Open Permute and drag your video file into the app window
- Click the "Settings" icon on the video thumbnail
- Use the "Video Bitrate" slider to select a lower bitrate for more compression
- Close the settings and click the "Play" button to start the conversion
Bitrate controls how much data is allocated per second of video. A lower bitrate means more compression since less data is being used to encode each frame. Permute makes it easy to see how changing the bitrate affects the estimated output file size.
In addition to bitrate, you can also manually adjust parameters in Permute like the resolution, frame rate, and audio quality to further compress the video. This makes it a great choice for advanced users who want fine-grained control over their output.
Permute is a paid app, but it offers a free trial so you can see if its compression tools meet your needs before buying. Many users find it worth the price for its wide range of useful media conversion and editing features.
Using Online Video Compressors
If you search around the web, you‘ll find a variety of websites that offer free online tools for compressing videos. Examples include VideoSmaller, YouCompress, and Clipchamp.
Using an online video compressor is fairly straightforward:
- Go to the website and click its "Upload" or "Choose File" button
- Select the video file from your Mac that you want to compress
- Choose your desired output resolution, format, and quality
- Click the "Compress" or "Convert" button
- After a few moments, a link will appear to download the compressed video
The obvious advantage of this method is that you don‘t need to download or install any extra software on your computer. The compression is handled entirely on the website‘s servers. This can be convenient if you only need to compress a video occasionally and don‘t want to bother with a dedicated app.
However, there are some significant drawbacks to consider. Uploading a large video file to a website can be very slow, especially if you have a poor internet connection. There‘s also the question of privacy and security – you have to trust that the website isn‘t doing anything malicious with your video file in the background.
Ultimately, I only recommend using online video compressors if the convenience outweighs the risks for your situation. For the best results, safety, and control, I suggest sticking with tools that run directly on your Mac.
Choosing the Right Compression Method
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to compress a video on macOS, each with its own advantages and limitations. Which method you should choose depends on your specific needs and level of technical knowledge.
If you‘re a casual user who just needs to quickly make a video file a little smaller, using iMovie or QuickTime to export a lower resolution version will likely be fine. More advanced users who frequently work with video compressions will probably prefer the added control of an app like HandBrake or Permute.
Whichever method you use, keep in mind that you should always retain the original full-quality version of a video if you have the storage space for it. Compress a copy of the file so that you can go back to the high-quality original if needed later.
It‘s also a good idea to test out your compression settings on a short sample of the video before committing to crunching a massive file. That way you can check that the output quality is acceptable before invested a lot of processing time.
Wrapping Up
We‘ve covered a lot of ground in this article, exploring several ways to compress video files on a Mac. To recap, your main options are:
- Using iMovie or QuickTime to export at a lower resolution
- Making a ZIP archive of the video file in Finder
- Converting to a more compressed format using HandBrake
- Adjusting quality settings like bitrate with Permute
- Using a web-based tool to compress the video online
No matter which method you choose, compressing videos is a great way to save storage space and make it easier to share files online. Just remember that compression is always a trade-off between file size and quality. The more you compress a video, the more detail you‘ll lose.
By understanding the different compression tools and techniques available on macOS, you‘ll be able to pick the ideal option for your needs. With a little practice, you‘ll be crunching down gigantic video files to manageable sizes in no time!