Prepare an iPhone MOV or HEVC recording for upload
iPhone recordings are MOV containers usually holding HEVC. Both are accepted in some places and rejected in others, which is why the same file works on one platform and fails on another.
The decision that matters: Container or codec. MOV is widely accepted, so a rejection is more often the HEVC inside it than the wrapper. Converting the container alone will not fix a codec rejection.
Step by step
- Check what you actually have
Read the dimensions, ratio, duration and size off the file before deciding anything. Most bad exports come from assuming the source rather than looking at it.
Inspect the file - Check whether the destination documents MOV
Several platforms accept MOV directly, in which case converting is unnecessary work and an extra generation of quality loss.
Platform specs - Convert to MP4 if you need the safest option
MP4 with H.264 is the most widely documented combination. This re-encodes, so keep the original.
Convert MOV to MP4 - Check the size
iPhone 4K recordings are large; confirm the file is under the destination limit before uploading.
File size calculator
What this path cannot do
- The browser cannot read the codec inside your file - it reads the container and dimensions only. Codec is inferred from where the file came from, not measured.
- Converting is lossy. Archive the original iPhone file.
Koldflux runs this whole sequence automatically from one source recording.
Automate this in Koldflux