Video

  • Video Standards and Choosing a Camera

    What are Udemy’s minimum standards around video quality?

    In order to publish your course, you must have at least 30 minutes of video content in your course. Additionally, Udemy requires that video content is HD quality, with a resolution of at least 720p.

    Learn more about our requirements and recommendations for course videos in our Course Quality Checklist.

    What kind of camera should I use to record my course?

    If you’re filming video for your course, here are several different types of cameras that have been used to record published Udemy courses:

    • Your iPhone (iPhone 4 models and above)
    • Your iPad (iPad 2 models and above)
    • Many webcams
    • HD Flip cameras
    • Go Pro cameras
    • Most DSLR cameras

    If you have a camera already, check your system preferences or do a quick internet search to check that your camera can shoot in 720 HD or higher. Simply search for the name of the product and the resolution it shoots. If it can shoot in 720p HD or higher, it will produce video that meets our video quality standards.

    If you have any questions about your video quality, our Test Video service can provide personalized assistance and feedback before you start working on our course (Learn more about test videos).

    What software do I need to produce videos for my course?

    If you’re making screencast recordings for your course, or if you’re looking for a tool to edit and export your videos, here is a list of tools that instructors have used to produce published Udemy courses:

    • PC or Mac
      • Camtasia, Screenr, Snagit
    • Mac only
      • Quicktime, iMovie, Screenflow
    • PC only
      • CamStudio, Microsoft Expression

    What are the recommended export settings for video files (codec settings and video file types)?

    When using video editing software you’ll need to export your recordings to a video file. Udemy strives to support as many video and audio settings and codecs, but for the most seamless upload experience, we recommend these settings:

    Quality: Best (if available)

    Codec: H.264, HEVC, ProRes

    Resolution: 1920x1080 or better

    Note: The minimum resolution required for video lectures is 1280x720 (*resolutions below this are rejected)

    Minimum Resolution: 1280x720 (*Resolutions below this are rejected)

    Aspect Ratio: 16:9

    Note: Videos exceeding an aspect ratio of 16:9 will automatically be re-modified to 16:9 by our system. If the resulting quality of the video is poor, the video may be rejected by our Quality Review Team.

    Picture Orientation: Landscape (not Portrait)

    Frame rate: 25 to 60 fps (*Currently all outputs are resampled to 30 fps)

    Bitrate Recommendations:

    H.264

    • 1920x1080 @ 10 Mb/s
    • 1280x720 @ 5 Mb/s

    HEVC

    • 1920x1080 @ 6 Mb/s
    • 1280x720 @ 3 Mb/s

    ProRes

    • Automatic

    Audio Track: Required (*If no audio track is found, video is rejected)

    Audio Codec: AAC (256 kb/s or better) or PCM

    Audio Channels: 2 (Stereo)

    Multimedia Container: MP4 or MOV

    Maximum File Size: 4 GB

    Maximum Duration: 4 Hours

    Using the site uploader you can upload files as large as 1.5 GB. If you need to load bigger files, or want to upload multiple files to your course at a time, however, use the bulk uploader.

    Files smaller than 4 GB can be uploaded using the bulk uploader. When a file is uploaded using the bulk uploader, it will appear in your library.add_file_from_library.jpg

    • Learn more about our requirements and recommendations for Udemy courses in our Course Quality Checklist.
    • Additional tips for recording video content for your course are available in the Teaching Center.
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