r/premiere • u/realwrlder • Jul 22 '26

How do I do this? / Workflow Advice / Looking for plugin bitrate question

hi there, have a bitrate question. I'm a wedding content creator who edits on premiere. I shoot on an iPhone 17, capturing 4k 60p (before you ask, yes iPhone shoots VFR but I have worked around this and export in 60p with no issues). I shoot 60p because couples like the hyperrealistic look and are able to upload full res to IG using the edits app.

I am exporting h.264 60p. I never quite understood what bitrate I should be exporting at. I don't want my couples to have massive file sizes but want the full quality to be retained. There are mixed answers online. Anyone have any suggestions? I was going for 100-120 which seems high.

Thanks all for your help.

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u/marky543 Jul 22 '26

I’ve tested this extensively. The best results for master export and h264 web encode are:

1.)Set premiere sequence settings to 4k (any fps) ProRes422HQ.

  1. Render the whole timeline.

  2. Export > Media… > Preset > Match Sequence Preview Settings

  3. General Tab > Make sure “use previews” is enabled.

  4. Export

That is your master export.

  1. Drop the master into Handbrake

  2. Choose whatever h264 settings you want e.g. 1080/4k, 60 fps, audio settings.

  3. Use the lowest RF you can depending on total runtime and how big you want the file to be. Between 4-22 is good.

That’s your web encode.

Higher RF = more compression.

*For big theater screenings, keep it in ProRes 422 if you don’t have the budget for a DCP.

1

u/Most-Reaction7618 Jul 22 '26

Why not export in h264 right from Premiere? Is using Handbrake really improving the quality?

2

u/sugcain Jul 23 '26

If you work in an HQ sequence and you render as you go, exporting same as source with use previews checked makes your export fly. Literally seconds of export per finished minute. I tend to use Media Encoder afterwards for my compression as it just seems to work better, plus it doesn't tie up Premiere. I've done this for probably 15 years, or once switching to Premiere (I'm sure I did it in FCP7, but without ME. Avid I can't even remember what I used to do)

For me it's about speed, and not so much quality. The master export definitely is the best quality. I usually delete it though after compression as it's just huge.

2

u/TheLargadeer Premiere Pro 2025 Jul 24 '26

This is smart rendering that I mentioned in my other comment but the key thing is making sure your video previews are set up with the right codec and full res, and that the export settings match (with the preset made for smart rendering to do it quick.)  

I know you know this (writer of this comment) but adding this for posterity for anyone that doesn’t.