# Choose the quality

> For a video, you pick one of three qualities. They change how much detail each second keeps, so how big the file is; the picture's size stays your video's own.

## The three qualities

| Quality | What the window says | Detail per second, for a vertical Full HD video (1080 × 1920) |
|---|---|---|
| **Smaller file** | For messages and email | 4 Mb/s |
| **Standard** | For social media | 8 Mb/s |
| **Best** | The sharpest, the biggest file | 12 Mb/s |

A bigger picture gets more, in proportion: a 4K video gets four times as much. A smaller one gets less, never under 1 Mb/s. The sound is always the same: AAC, 192 kb/s.

> **The size is shown before you export.** Beside each quality, the window says about how big the file will be, from your video's length.

## Which one to pick

1. **Standard** is picked when the window opens. It is right for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube.
1. **Smaller file** when you send it by message or email, and size matters more than detail.
1. **Best** when you keep a copy, or the video has a lot of movement or fine detail.

## More settings in the Mac app

The app shows presets instead: **Standard**, **Smaller file**, **Best** and **Master for editing** (ProRes 422 HQ). Under **More settings** you choose the format, the encoding, the size, the pictures a second, the quality, the colours and the sound, and save them as your own preset. [Export settings and presets](/docs/desktop/export)

## Questions

### Does Best make my video bigger than I filmed it?

No. Every quality keeps your video's own size; only the detail per second changes.

### Can I choose the quality of a sound or a Premiere Pro file?

No, the quality is only for a video. The sound is always a WAV, and the file for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve points to your own footage.

### Is the size in the window exact?

It is close: it comes from the quality and your video's length, so the file can be a little bigger or smaller.