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The free export preset

Save your money. You don't need to pay an editor or a service to "prepare" your wedding films for us. Export once, the way we describe below, and Fairywren does the rest — we make the web-ready 1080p and 720p versions and the thumbnail automatically.

The one-minute version

Export your finished film at its native resolution (1920×1080 or higher) and its native frame rate, as an MP4 (H.264) with "web optimized" ticked. Send us that one high-quality file. That's genuinely it — the rest of this page is just the exact settings.

Option A — HandBrake (free, easiest)

HandBrake is a free app with a friendly interface. Download it from handbrake.fr (Windows, Mac and Linux).

  1. Open HandBrake and drag your finished video in — the export straight from your editor (a big ProRes or high-bitrate MP4/MOV is perfect).
  2. On the right, under Presets, pick General → Fast 1080p30 (or HQ 1080p30 Surround for maximum quality). Then match the tabs below:

Summary tab

  • Format: MP4
  • Tick Web Optimized — this lets the film start playing before it fully downloads. This one matters.
  • Tick Align A/V Start.

Video tab

  • Video Encoder: H.264 (x264)
  • Framerate: Same as source, and choose Constant Framerate.
  • Quality: Constant Quality, RF 18 (lower = higher quality; 18 is visually lossless). If the file is getting very large, RF 20 is still excellent.
  • Encoder Preset: Slow (better quality per MB — use Medium if you're in a hurry).
  • Encoder Profile: High. Encoder Level: Auto.

Audio tab

  • Codec: AAC, Bitrate 192 or 256 kbit/s, Samplerate 48 kHz (Auto is fine).

Set the destination filename, click Start Encode, and send us the resulting MP4.

Option B — ffmpeg one-liner (for the technical crowd)

Already have ffmpeg installed? This single command produces a master that matches our ingest spec exactly — H.264 High profile, faststart, AAC:

ffmpeg -i "INPUT.mov" \
  -c:v libx264 -profile:v high -preset slow -crf 18 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -c:a aac -b:a 192k -ar 48000 \
  -movflags +faststart \
  "OUTPUT-master.mp4"

Replace INPUT.mov with your file. A few notes:

  • -crf 18 is the quality dial (16–20 is the sweet spot; lower is higher quality and a bigger file).
  • -movflags +faststart moves the index to the front so the web player starts instantly — please keep this.
  • -pix_fmt yuv420p guarantees it plays in every browser.
  • Keep your native resolution and frame rate — don't downscale. We generate the 1080p and 720p web versions for you.

What you don't need to worry about

  • You don't need to make multiple sizes. We generate 1080p and 720p automatically.
  • You don't need a thumbnail or poster image. We grab one for you.
  • Don't over-compress. Give us the highest-quality single file you can — more quality in means a better-looking gallery out. A large file is completely fine; you're only sending it to us once.

Or let us do it — $25

Don't want to touch any of this, or up against a deadline? Send us the master straight off your timeline and we'll convert it to spec for $25, added to that wedding. It's openly the lazy / rush path — the free preset above always stays the recommended way. Details on the pricing page.

Questions? Just reply to your Fairywren email, or get in touch and we'll help.