LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media platforms for professionals to network and share content. However, many users have noticed that the video quality on LinkedIn often looks pixelated, blurry, or otherwise degraded after posting. There are a few key reasons why LinkedIn video quality can suffer.
LinkedIn’s Video Compression
One of the main culpirts behind LinkedIn’s poor video quality is the compression they apply to videos uploaded to their platform. To save on storage space and bandwidth, LinkedIn automatically compresses videos uploaded by users. This compression shrinks the video file size, but it also leads to reduced image quality, especially at higher resolutions.
LinkedIn states that they use H.264 video encoding for compression. This is a standard and efficient compression technique, but the strength of the compression can vary. It appears LinkedIn utilizes a relatively high level of compression. While this lets them host more videos, it comes at the sacrifice of quality.
The amount of compression also seems to depend on the original video specs. Higher resolution source files appear to undergo stronger compression, likely because LinkedIn scales them down to standardized resolutions. This extra processing introduces more artifacts and quality loss.
Maximum Video Resolution
In addition to compression, LinkedIn also enforces limits on the maximum video resolution they will host. Whereas other social platforms like YouTube allow uploads in 4K and beyond, LinkedIn caps video uploads at a much lower 1080p resolution.
If you upload a video in a higher native resolution, LinkedIn will automatically scale it down to 1080p. This downscaling leads to noticeable quality reduction, including softening, blurring, and pixelation. Essentially, you lose quality from both the compression and the forced resolution downscaling.
1080p is still a decently high resolution for small screens. But on larger modern displays, a 1080p video can start to look pixellated and fuzzy. This resolution restriction compounds the compression artifacts.
Optimized for Web, Not HD
LinkedIn’s video encoding settings seem optimized for efficient online streaming over quality. The videos are encoded in formats like mp4 using codec settings tailored for web playback rather than preserving fidelity.
Parameters like bitrate, chroma subsampling, GOP length, and others are selected to balance quality with fast loading and smooth playback rather than maximizing how sharp and detailed the videos look.
This priority makes sense given LinkedIn’s focus on quick video content consumption in news feeds. But it comes at the cost of having heavily compressed and artifact-ridden videos compared to platforms like YouTube or Vimeo that better optimize for video quality over streaming bitrates.
Focus on Mobile and Small Screens
Another factor impacting LinkedIn’s video appearance is that their platform is designed heavily around mobile and small screen viewing. As a social network, LinkedIn expects most video watching to occur on phones or narrow desktop windows embedded in feeds.
With this in mind, LinkedIn tunes its video encoding and platform layout to favor these smaller screen sizes. The lower resolutions and compression levels may be less noticeable on a 5-inch iPhone screen compared to a 27-inch monitor.
However, this mobile-centric optimization means videos suffer when expanded to higher resolutions monitors. The encoding just isn’t tailored to look as crisp and detailed on desktop or tablets compared to dedicated video platforms.
Solutions for Better Quality
Given theResolution Restrictions inherent in the LinkedIn video platform, what can you do to improve video quality?
Upload Max Resolution
First, ensure you are uploading the highest resolution version possible, even if LinkedIn will scale it down. Uploading a 4K or 1440p source file will look better after compression compared to a lower resolution file like 720p. The extra detail in the source gives more room for compression artifacts before it starts looking too fuzzy.
Use High Bitrates
Export your video with a relatively high bitrate, like 10-20 Mbps for 1080p resolution before uploading. Again, this gives extra quality headroom to withstand LinkedIn’s compression. Avoid ultra-low bitrates like 5 Mbps.
Minimize Editing
The more you edit and re-encode a video before uploading, the more generational quality loss it will experience. Try to limit editing to essential color correction, crops, etc. Avoid overcompressing during the editing process.
Shoot Professionally
Videos shot properly on professional equipment tend to withstand compression better than amateur footage from phones or entry-level cameras. Invest in quality video production for corporate use cases.
Focus on Content
At the end of the day, video content generally has a bigger impact than ultimate image quality on LinkedIn. Worry less about getting the perfect image and instead ensure your video has compelling content for your audience.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s video platform applies heavy compression and resolution limits that degrade video quality compared to the source files. This results in fuzzy, pixelated looking video, especially noticeable on large screens. The priorities are streaming efficiency and mobile optimization rather than video fidelity.
Uploading the highest quality source content possible and focusing on compelling content over perfection can help maximize quality. But some compromise of quality is inevitable given LinkedIn’s infrastructure and priorities. At least for now, platforms like YouTube or Vimeo are better options for hosting high quality video content, while LinkedIn works better for compressed social media video sharing.