Forum Discussion
Best Video Dimensions and Export Settings for Articulate Storyline (Premiere Pro)
Hi everyone,
I'm creating videos in Adobe Premiere Pro for use in Articulate Storyline and would appreciate some advice on best practices.
Currently, I'm exporting videos at 960 × 540 px, which seems to match the size of the video area in my course. However, I'd like to ensure I'm getting the best possible quality while keeping file sizes reasonable.
My questions are:
- Is 960 × 540 px still the recommended export resolution for Storyline?
- What export settings in Premiere Pro have you found work best for Storyline projects?
- Are there any best practices for maximizing video quality and avoiding blurry text, graphics, or screen recordings after publishing?
- Have you noticed any limitations or compression issues in Storyline that I should account for when exporting videos?
Thanks in advance for your recommendations!
3 Replies
Interested in others' opinions, but I don't think I've ever seen 960x540 as any kind of recommended resolution so much as it's just a historical default. The widescreen default was actually upped to 1080p recently, but some designers have audiences that may lose out with large course files. I like 4k resolutions as much as the next person, but I think the course dimensions should be determined by things like audience ethernet bandwidth.
I don't think I have any tips personally from using Premiere to publish for Storyline. I simply try to use the Export modal's preview tab to get a good idea of how the video will look before publishing. If it's clear there, it'll be clear when I've officially exported it, so I just tweak bitrate and things until it looks acceptable.
For Storyline, be aware that mp4s and webms you import will be given a "Yes" toggle for a compression setting. This will recompress the video to a level you will undoubtedly find unsatisfactory, so just make a mental note to turn off compression for each video you import unless of course it's something you want.
We use Handbrake to compress videos, due to having a widespread workforce who often have bandwidth limitations. HB does a fantastic job of compressing and maintaining good quality.
Hi AnnaSagrista,
Is 960 × 540 px still the recommended export resolution for Storyline?
1920x1080 is the ideal resolution in most cases.
What export settings in Premiere Pro have you found work best for Storyline projects?
Custom, H.264, 1920x1080, 30fps, Progressive, Square Pixels, High, 4.2, VBR 2-Pass, 5Mpbs on the low end and 10Mbps on the high end especially if you are screen recording with small text where detail is required, AAC, 48 kHz, 192 kbps. This should give you a good starting point.
Are there any best practices for maximizing video quality and avoiding blurry text, graphics, or screen recordings after publishing?
Disabling Storyline's compression on a per-video basis. There is no project-wide setting. Record in a resolution that matches the output resolution. Use zoom animations to increase the size of what you are actively demonstrating.
Have you noticed any limitations or compression issues in Storyline that I should account for when exporting videos?
No, but one thing I would be aware of is making sure you keep a manageable file size. If you are including many video clips, you might want to check that you're not approaching the size limit of your LMS.
Hope this helps!
- Frankie
