The Tool Desk
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Before encoding: make one 24-hour input file
A YouTube playlist is a collection of videos on the site. Encoding does not assemble those videos into a YouTube playlist or schedule a broadcast. This workflow treats “24-hour playlist” as source clips already combined into a single, intended 24-hour video file.
Check that you have the rights to use every source clip and that the final video is suitable for YouTube. The encoding commands cannot establish those rights or determine whether a channel meets YouTube’s rules on copyright or reused content. Also confirm that your account and upload workflow can handle the intended video; the official encoding guidance does not establish a maximum duration for every account.
Inspect the assembled file
Before choosing settings, identify the input’s duration, video and audio streams, resolution, frame rate, progressive or interlaced scan, audio channel layout, and color characteristics. You can use an FFmpeg build’s ffprobe to inspect media; the exact output depends on the file. Make sure the video is actually 24 hours long and that its frame rate and dimensions are the ones you intend to upload.
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If you need scaling, frame-rate conversion, deinterlacing, or color handling, decide that before encoding. Apply material video filters and settings consistently in both passes. YouTube recommends uploading at the frame rate at which the material was recorded and deinterlacing interlaced content.
Choose a bitrate for the resolution and frame rate
YouTube says its upload encoding settings are recommendations, not mandatory bitrate limits. For SDR, its reference bitrates include the following values; choose the row that matches the output resolution and frame-rate group. These are YouTube recommendations on its page accessed in 2026, not independent quality measurements.
| SDR output | Standard frame-rate group | High frame-rate group |
|---|---|---|
| 360p | 1 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps |
| 480p | 2.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
| 720p | 5 Mbps | 7.5 Mbps |
| 1080p | 8 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
| 1440p | 16 Mbps | 24 Mbps |
| 2160p (4K) | 35–45 Mbps | 53–68 Mbps |
For HDR, YouTube’s reference bitrates differ: 1080p is 10 Mbps for the standard group and 15 Mbps for the high group; 1440p is 20 and 30 Mbps, respectively; and 2160p is 44–56 and 66–85 Mbps. Do not use an SDR target for HDR by default.
The standard and high frame-rate groupings follow YouTube’s guidance for the relevant frame rates; consult the official table for the full resolution, frame-rate, and HDR/SDR context: YouTube recommended upload encoding settings. The same page recommends MP4, H.264 video, progressive scan, High Profile, two consecutive B frames, closed GOP, CABAC, variable bitrate, and 4:2:0 chroma. These are upload recommendations, not requirements that every file must meet.
Estimate the storage requirement
At an 8 Mbps video bitrate, 24 hours of video payload works out to about 86.4 decimal GB: 8 megabits per second × 86,400 seconds ÷ 8 bits per byte. That arithmetic excludes audio, container overhead, and any intermediate or working files, so the finished MP4 may be larger. Leave room for the original source, assembled input, pass logs, output, and any intermediate files. No estimate can guarantee the final file size exactly.
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Run FFmpeg’s two passes
The template below uses the libx264 software encoder and targets 8 Mbps for video. That target matches YouTube’s SDR reference for 1080p at standard frame rates only; select another bitrate if your output has a different resolution, frame-rate class, or HDR status. FFmpeg’s bitrate option is in bits per second, so 8M means 8 megabits per second.
Linux or macOS
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Run the analysis pass. It reads the input and writes encoding statistics, but does not create a playable output file:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0:v:0 -c:v libx264 -preset medium -b:v 8M -pass 1 -passlogfile encode_stats -an -f null /dev/null -
Run the second pass to create the MP4. This example encodes the first video stream and any available audio stream as AAC at 384 kbps and 48 kHz:
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The 384 kbps audio rate is YouTube’s stereo audio upload reference, not a universal requirement. Confirm your source’s audio layout and choose an appropriate output. The example re-encodes audio; if the source audio already has a suitable format, copying it or encoding it separately may be preferable.
Windows
Use the same two-pass structure, but replace the first pass’s /dev/null with the Windows null device, NUL. Output muxer handling can differ, so check the installed FFmpeg version and available encoders if the command fails.
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Keep pass settings aligned
Both passes should use the same input, selected video stream, encoder, target bitrate, and material video filters or options. Use a distinct -passlogfile prefix for each simultaneous job or separate input; otherwise, jobs can interfere with each other’s statistics. FFmpeg documents pass-based rate control and the pass-log prefix in its general documentation, with libx264 options covered in its codec documentation.
Do not add -crf casually to this bitrate-targeted template. CRF is a quality-oriented rate-control mode; two-pass bitrate encoding is for allocating bits toward a target average bitrate and a more predictable approximate size. The second full analysis-and-encode workflow takes more processing than a single pass, and actual speed depends on the hardware, source, filters, and encoder settings. There is no universal completion time or speed multiplier.
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YouTube’s guidance recommends MP4, H.264, progressive video, High Profile, two consecutive B frames, closed GOP with a GOP duration of half the frame rate, CABAC, variable bitrate, and 4:2:0 chroma. It also says: “Content should be encoded and uploaded in the same frame rate it was recorded.” YouTube Help does not show a named individual author or publication date on the accessed page.
For audio, YouTube lists AAC-LC, Opus, or Eclipsa Audio at 48 kHz, with stereo, stereo plus 5.1, or stereo plus Eclipsa channel combinations. Its SDR color guidance recommends BT.709. Preserve or correctly signal the source’s color characteristics rather than applying color tags by rote: inaccurate or unsupported metadata can affect how color is interpreted or converted. See YouTube’s upload encoding guidance for the recommendations and color notes.
Check the output before uploading
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Confirm that
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Play representative sections, including the beginning, middle, and end, to check for missing segments, broken transitions, unexpected silence, or audio/video sync problems.
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Check that the final file has enough available disk space around it for upload and any required working files.
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Review YouTube’s current account-specific upload interface and channel requirements before relying on a particular duration or file-size limit; the encoding recommendations alone do not guarantee account eligibility or processing outcomes.
Troubleshooting common two-pass problems
The second pass fails or behaves unlike the first
Check that both commands point to the same input and video stream, use the same encoder and target bitrate, and apply the same material video filters. Confirm that the pass-log prefix is identical between the two commands and is not being reused by another running job.
The file is much larger or smaller than expected
Recheck the target bitrate and the duration, then account for audio and container overhead. Two-pass bitrate control targets an average video bitrate; it does not promise an exact final file size. Make sure you did not select a reference bitrate for the wrong resolution, frame-rate class, or SDR/HDR type.
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Audio is missing, unwanted, or in the wrong layout
The sample command maps any available audio stream with -map 0:a? and re-encodes it. Inspect the source’s audio streams and channel layout, then adjust the mapping and audio options deliberately. A source with no audio will not gain audio from this command.
The image looks washed out or colors change
Verify that the output preserves or correctly signals the source’s color characteristics and that any conversion matches the actual source. Do not assume a generic color-tag command is correct for every input; compare the source metadata and YouTube’s color guidance.
The command runs out of space or takes too long
Check free space for the assembled input, pass logs, final output, and intermediates. Encoding time depends on the machine, source complexity, selected preset, and filters; test a representative shorter segment if you need to estimate your own workflow, without treating that result as a guarantee for the full 24 hours.
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