It depends. It all depends on what you care about.
This article says that a standard sized video on
YouTube is 320 X 240 pixels:
YouTube Video Formats
I don't think the article is current as of this
writing (September 9, 2011). I've written about
the current recommendation for video screen sizes
here:
Choosing the Best
YouTube Video Size
YouTube currently seems to have 2 recommendations
for video sizes. For videos that have a 4:3 aspect
ratio, YouTube recommends one thing. For videos
with a 16:9 aspect ratio, YouTube recommends something
else.
Here's the current recommendation as of this writing
(September 9, 2011):
- Upload a 4:3 video
at its original aspect ratio (640x480 recommended) - Upload a 16:9 video
at its original aspect ratio (1280x720 recommended)
Here's the article where YouTube makes these
recommendations:
Optimizing your video uploads
As you read the above article, you'll note that the
big emphasis is on uploading your video in its original
format, whatever that is. In other words, you cannot
improve on the original. Hence the plea for
Originals, Please!.
What is the best standard size for a YouTube video?
Ideally it is whatever size the original video was
shot in. In other words, Originals, Please!
However, not all videos are shot with a video camera.
Some videos are created from scratch using computer
software.
For example, you might be a musician who has written
some music you'd like to place on YouTube. Furthermore,
you might want to have a slide show of still photos you've
taken accompany the music. What is the best video size
in this case? The answer to this question is much
more complex.
Currently, in September 2011, you have 5 basic sizes to
choose from:
- 240p
- 360p
- 480p
- 720p
- 1080p
Here's a video that makes use of all 5 sizes:
Big Buck Bunny (1080p HD)
Here's my theory as to why these sizes exist.
The basic video sizes that we used for TV are:
- 480p
- 720p
- 1080p
Ed Abbott
