Deliver a high-quality master file, then export platform versions to each platform’s current recommended settings: H.264 video and AAC audio in an MP4 container is the common baseline, with aspect ratio, resolution and file size set per destination. Specs change often, so the reliable method is a checklist you re-verify against the platform’s own page before every delivery.
All values below are from the platform pages named, read at the time of writing (November 2026). Treat them as a starting point and check again before you export.
Why masters and deliverables are separate
A master is the best version you can make: highest practical resolution, minimal compression, full-quality audio, clean graphics, no burned-in platform labels. Platform versions are derived from it. This avoids repeated re-compression and lets you reframe without re-finishing. If your piece includes AI-generated shots, finish and upscale before mastering; see upscaling, grading and finishing AI video.
Keep with the master:
- Captions or subtitle files, and a transcript.
- Clean audio stems if music or voice may be swapped.
- A version without text overlays for localisation.
- A short note listing the project’s frame rate, colour space and any AI-generated elements.
What two platforms specify
YouTube
YouTube’s recommended upload encoding settings list:
- Container: MP4, with the moov atom at the front (fast start).
- Audio: AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio, stereo or stereo plus 5.1, at a 48 kHz sample rate.
- Video: H.264, progressive scan, High Profile, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling.
- Frame rate: encode at the frame rate you recorded, and deinterlace interlaced footage first.
- Colour: BT.709 for standard dynamic range.
- Recommended standard dynamic range bitrates: 1080p at 8 Mbps and 720p at 5 Mbps for standard frame rates; 4K at 35 to 45 Mbps.
TikTok
TikTok’s in-feed video ad specifications list, for non-Spark ads:
- Aspect ratios: vertical 9:16 (recommended, at least 540 by 960 pixels), horizontal 16:9 (at least 960 by 540) or square 1:1 (at least 640 by 640).
- File formats: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp and .avi.
- Duration: up to 10 minutes.
- File size: 500 MB maximum, and a bitrate of at least 516 kbps.
- Safe zones: depend on the aspect ratio and caption length, and TikTok supplies safe zone files. Its preview may differ slightly from the live ad.
Notice how different the questions are: YouTube is mainly about encoding quality, TikTok about format, size and on-screen safe zones. Other platforms, including Meta placements, publish their own pages that vary by placement. This article does not list their numbers because they differ across placements and change; take them from the current ad guide for the placement you buy.
A delivery matrix to fill in
Build a table for each project and complete it from the live platform pages:
| Destination | Aspect ratio | Resolution | Codec and container | Max length and size | Safe zones | Source page checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website hero | 16:9 | Per design | H.264 MP4, plus poster image | Keep small | Not needed | Date |
| YouTube | 16:9 | Up to 4K | H.264 MP4 | Per channel limits | Not needed | Date |
| TikTok ad | 9:16 | At least 540 by 960 | MP4 or MOV | 500 MB, 10 min | Use TikTok files | Date |
| Meta placements | Per placement | Per placement | Per placement | Per placement | Per placement | Date |
| Broadcast or cinema | Per spec sheet | Per spec sheet | Per spec sheet | Per spec sheet | Title safe | Date |
The last column is the discipline that matters. A spec without a checked date is a guess.
Reframing is a creative job
Moving from 16:9 to 9:16 is not a crop. Subjects move, text relocates and shots may need re-composing. Plan for it at storyboard stage; see reframing for vertical, square and widescreen, and keep important action inside the safe zone from the start. For paid short-form, short-form video ads covers creative structure.
Pre-delivery checks
- Play the exported file start to finish on a phone and a desktop.
- Confirm audio is present, in sync and not clipping.
- Check captions render and are inside safe zones.
- Check file size and duration against the platform page.
- Check the file name, version number and date.
- Verify the platform page has not changed since you built the matrix.
Limits of any spec list
Platforms change recommendations, add formats and apply their own re-compression after upload. Some pages also differ by account type or region. A list like this one will age; your matrix, checked and dated per project, will not.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Studio covers short-form and social video, post-production, and voice and sound, including versions prepared for different platforms. See /studio or send details through /contact.
Sources
- Recommended upload encoding settings, YouTube Help
- TikTok auction in-feed video ad specifications, TikTok Ads Help
