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Choosing a video file format

For many video projects, you’ll save ASND or WAV audio files from Soundbooth, and then combine those with related video in an application like Adobe Premiere Pro. If the flexibility of separate audio and video files isn’t necessary, however, save to a video format directly from Soundbooth. Choose a format optimized for the output type:

  • For hard disk playback, choose uncompressed AVI or QuickTime.

  • For the web, choose compressed Flash Video, MPEG1, QuickTime, or Windows Media.

  • For standard resolution DVDs, choose MPEG2-DVD.

  • For high-definition video, choose H.264 (MPEG4).

Here are details about each video format:

Adobe Flash Video (.flv)

FLV format lets you present video in Adobe Flash Player, a free, widely available browser plug‑in. Adobe Flash Player can play either standalone FLV files, or those you embed into Flash animations in SWF format.

Microsoft AVI(.avi)

The Windows version of Soundbooth supports AVI, Microsoft’s standard video file format. AVI is a container format that supports both uncompressed video and a variety of codecs.

H.264 (.mp4, .m4v)

Like other variations of MPEG4 format, H.264 offers better compression and lower file size than MPEG2, while maintaining the same perceptual quality. The H.264 codec is supported by the Blu-ray and HD-DVD standards.

MPEG1 (.mpg)

The Windows version of Soundbooth supports MPEG‑1, a compressed format commonly used on CD‑ROM and the web. This format produces picture quality comparable to VHS at quarter-screen frame size.

Note: Due to their keyframe‑based compression and variable bitrate, MPEG formats require significant processing power and time to generate.

MPEG2 (.mpg, .m2v)

MPEG2 format delivers SVHS picture quality, much higher than MPEG‑1. A variation of this format is part of the original DVD specification, but MPEG‑2 is also supported by the Blu-ray and HD‑DVD standards.

QuickTime (.mov)

QuickTime is the standard video format for Mac OS, though its use isn’t limited to that platform. However, Windows users must install QuickTime for Windows to view and work with MOV files. In addition to full-resolution video, QuickTime supports streaming video and many different types of compression.

Windows Media Video (.wmv)

The Windows version of Soundbooth supports Windows Media Video, Microsoft's format for compressed, streaming video. Typically, WMV files are viewed in Windows Media Player, but other applications and plug‑ins also support this format.

Though the formats above are primarily used for video output, you can specify audio-only output in the Export Settings dialog box.