When you start to create content on YouTube, it could be a challenging process to navigate. You could encounter hitches like figuring out how to edit your videos properly, how long HD processing takes during an upload, or even worse, your video getting stuck in processing. Don’t be deterred, though; these are just YouTube preliminaries, and there are ways to work around them.
When you upload a video to YouTube, many things happen to it. YouTube compresses the original video file and processes it in low quality first to speed up the upload process and make it available for a wide range of low-quality devices.
After this is done, YouTube processes it in higher quality, like 1080p or 4K. While this is going on, your video won’t have high-quality options for a few hours. Once the process has been completed, the higher quality options will be available for your video.
Essentially, YouTube makes copies of it in different resolutions and qualities. You could watch the video in 240p, 360p, 720p, 1080p (HD), 1440p (HD), all the way to the maximum, 2160p (4K). So even when you download your uploaded file from YouTube, it’s not the same size.
YouTube processes your videos to ensure your viewers enjoy a good viewing experience, depending on their internet quality and screen resolution, so they don’t have to go through the frustrations of buffering.
How long does HD processing take on YouTube?
On average, for every one minute of uploaded video, it can take about 30 seconds to 1 minute to finish the processing of HD videos. This means that it could take around 5 to 10 minutes for a 10-minute long video to finish processing.
A 4K video with a 30fps frame rate and a length of 60 minutes can take up to 4 hours to finish HD processing, and a 4K video with a 60fps frame rate of the same length would take longer. 4K videos are about four times larger than 1080p videos, so a 60-minute video in 1080p at 60 fps could take about an hour to complete processing.
A 20-minute HD video can take around 10 to 15 minutes to process completely; in comparison, a 4K video of 20 minutes could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 80 minutes or more, depending on its frame or bit rate.
A higher frame rate factors in how long HD processing takes on YouTube.
Things that will affect how fast or how slow your video uploads:
The processing time for your video depends on many conditions like the video format and codec, video length, the frame rate (amount of frames per second), and the video’s quality.
The best resolution for YouTube
The best resolution for your YouTube video depends mainly on your screen resolution and the kind of device you are using. The best resolution for a YouTube video is 1080p. Its video quality is high and detailed enough regardless of your device’s resolution, and it doesn’t consume much of your device’s storage and data.
How long does it take for YouTube to process 4k?
A 4K video with a 30fps frame rate and a length of 60 minutes can take up to 4 hours to finish HD processing, and a 4K video with a 60fps frame rate of the same length would take longer. This is because 4K videos are about four times larger than 1080p videos, so a 60-minute video in 1080p at 60 fps could take about an hour to complete processing.
How to make your YouTube video 1080p?
Open YouTube and open the video that you want to watch. Settings are at the bottom of your screen when the video opens, which isrepresented with a gear icon. Click on it, and a list of options will show. Pick 1080p HD to watch your video in HD.
How to continue an upload on YouTube?
If you’ve somehow paused an upload on YouTube and wish to resume, you have only 24 hours to continue your upload from where you left off. Go back to youtube.com/upload and select the same file from your device to continue.
How to find out what time a YouTube video was uploaded?
YouTube videos only show the upload date and not the exact upload time of the upload. This can prove helpful when trying to find the original poster of the video and correct claims about the upload date. There are various methods to find the exact time a video was uploaded:
Use a YouTube Data Viewer
A YouTube Data Viewer allows you to get the exact time a video was uploaded and other details like thumbnails. Copy the YouTube video link you want to check and paste it into the Data Viewer field.
Converting the UTC to your local time zone
YouTube timestamps are in Coordinated Universal Standard Time (UTC), and they have to be converted to your local time zone to get the exact video upload date. You can do this using a simple time zone converter.
Get the YouTube Upload Time Chrome Extension
If you use a Chrome browser on your pc, you can install an extension that lets you provide accurate timestamps.
Step 1: Open your Chrome browser, and in the upper part of your screen, click Extensions; it is represented by a piece of a jigsaw puzzle icon. When a drop-down list appears, click on Manage extensions at the bottom of the menu, represented by a gear icon.
Step 2: Click on the 3-step drop-down at the top left corner of the screen. A menu should appear. Click Open Chrome Web Store at the bottom of the menu.
Step 3: At the top left is a search bar; enter “YouTube Upload Time” The extension will show. Click Add to Chrome at the bottom of your screen, and the extension will be installed on your browser.
How to make YouTube screen normal size on iPhone?
- Open the YouTube app on your iPhone and tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner of the app.
- In the menu that pops up, select Settings.
- Scroll to General, open it and turn ON the Zoom to full-screen option.
Now the videos you watch will fill up your entire iPhone screen.
Read also: Comments Not Loading On YouTube? Best Fixes
How to fix YouTube’s slow upload time and make uploads faster- Tips
Sometimes, trying to upload a video on YouTube can take a lot of time, and it could be due to reasons like your internet network being slow or using a file format not supported by YouTube or a heavy file. Here are some tips to help speed the processing time it takes to upload a video on YouTube:
1# Faster internet connection
A faster internet connection would reduce the time spent on your video upload. Therefore, a faster broadband speed greater than 500kb per second is recommended if you want to upload videos quicker on YouTube.
2# Video compression
Convert the video to a smaller format like FLV, WEB, or MP4. They are smaller and are quicker for uploads on YouTube.
3# Using a supported browser
You can watch YouTube videos on any internet browser, but not all browsers are designed for YouTube uploads. Using YouTube Upload-supported browsers like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Firefox can reduce the time to upload a video.
4# Clearing browser cache
Your internet browser regularly collects packets of information about web pages you’ve visited, and this takes up a generous amount of storage space when accumulated. Clearing it to free space would speed up your YouTube uploads.
5# Deactivate your web accelerator
Chrome’s web accelerator only speeds up the loading of web pages, but it makes video uploading slower. Therefore, you should deactivate or disable the Web Accelerator for quicker YouTube uploads.
6# Free hard disk space and quit other online activities
Freeing your hard disk space by deleting unnecessary files and uninstalling unwanted programs could increase your internet broadband and computer speed. Closing other online activities would strengthen the internet connection and quicken the upload process.
How to turn ON and OFF comments on YouTube videos?
- Open your YouTube video in the app or browser, and click on your profile in the top right corner.
- On the left side, beneath the drop-down, click Your videos. This opens YouTube Studio.
- Once YouTube Studio opens, click Settings at the bottom left corner.
- In the pop-up window, click Community and select Defaults.
- In Defaults, select Disable comments, then click Save at the bottom right to save your changes.
How to make YouTube videos automatically play in 1080p?
- Open the YouTube app on your iPhone and tap on your profile icon on the top-right corner of the screen.
- In the menu that pops up, click Settings.
- Open Video quality preferences and select your preferred video quality for mobile data and Wi-Fi networks.
How to upload multiple videos to YouTube from iPhone: Step-by-Step
- First, make sure you have a Gmail account. If you do, open the YouTube app and sign in.
- At the top of the app is a video camera option. Tap it.
- Here you can select a video on your phone or record a new video.
- Add a description and a title to your video; then you can then proceed to edit it if you like; trim it and add things like music or visual filters.
- When you’re satisfied, you can upload your video.
You can also upload a video from your iPhone’s Photos app.
- Ensure you have a Google account or a Gmail.
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone
- Go to the video you want to upload and tap the share.
- When the list of apps to share comes on, tap the YouTube icon.
- Add your video title and description. You can also edit it like in the previous step.
- When you’re done, upload.
Best time and day to drop a YouTube video
Fridays and Saturdays are days that show the highest level of engagement on YouTube, Wednesday too. Sundays are also favorable, especially early in the morning, like between 8 am to 11 pm, or in the evening after 5pm. So try to take advantage of the weekends to boost your reach. The best times to post a video are from 5pm until about 9pm.
Best YouTube alternatives for uploading videos and growing a community online
There are also other alternatives for creating video content besides YouTube. Like TikTok, Instagram TV (IGTV) has also grown popular since the addition of Reels. In addition, Vimeo, Twitch, Twitter video, DTube, and Dailymotion are good alternatives to YouTube.
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John follows everything happening in the tech industry, from the latest gadget launches to some of the big-name moves in the industry. He covers opinionated pieces and writes on some of the biggest names in the industry. John is also a freelance writer, so he shares articles on freelancing every now and then. email: john@tekpip.com Learn more about tekpip and the team here on our about us page.