How do I make a video file smaller without losing quality?

Three moves shrink files with little or no visible loss: re-encode old or camera-native footage into an efficient codec (H.264, or H.265 where supported) — camera files are often far larger than they need to be; trim everything you don't need before exporting, since the cheapest megabytes are the ones you delete; and match resolution to destination — a 4K file is wasted on a platform that will serve it at 1080p.

What to avoid: repeatedly re-compressing an already-compressed file (each generation stacks artifacts) and crushing bitrate until motion smears. The clean workflow is one edit and one export at sensible settings — in EseCut, trimming your cut and exporting 1080p H.264 typically lands a fraction of the original camera file size with no visible difference.

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