How to Fix the Quality of a Video Without Losing Resolution

How to fix the quality of a video without losing resolution? Discover our comprehensive guide to get video editing tips and address issues to enhance quality.

How to fix the quality of a video or how to clear a blurry video - the most asked question among seasonal video editors. The answer is quite simple: address low-resolution video issues first and use advanced tools and techniques to elevate your video’s quality.

Eager to explore more? Walkthrough this step-by-step guide to fix blurry sound effects or pixelated videos like a pro. Let’s dive in!

Why is Video Quality important?

The video quality impacts the viewer’s experience, engagement, and communication effectiveness. Other key benefits are:

Increase user engagement

Good lighting, clear resolution, and well-composed shots are the key elements of a visually appealing video that the audience loves most. The MIT study indicated that the human brain identifies and reacts to images in as little as 13 milliseconds, whereas visuals stick around longer. With a high-quality brand, video engages viewers’ visual and audio senses. Not only that, when a video is memorable and resonates with the target audience, it’s often shared on multiple channels.  

Boost SEO and website rankings

Search engines and social media algorithms value high-quality videos and improve overall brand visibility and ranking. Focus more on properly optimized high-quality videos and rank organically on Google through YouTube, website, blog posts, etc. A higher SERP position is gold to attract potential clients and customers. Online videos are filled with lots of resources and you can repurpose content and share videos to increase the effectiveness of your video marketing campaigns. 

Strong brand presentation

Brnad’s story videos communicate with clients and audiences directly and enhance trustworthiness. Here, high-resolution videos with proper editing reduce bounce rates, and help convey details effectively; product, story, or tutorial. Brightcove states that 62% of consumers are more likely to have a negative perception of a brand that published low-quality videos and 23% hesitate to purchase. 

Harness the power of social media

From advertising campaigns to announcing the new product line, social media platforms, like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok prioritize high-quality video content. With professional-grade videos, you not only build credibility and trust but also boost business sales. It’s proven that brands using vibrant, crisp videos get higher engagement rates compared to low-quality ones. 

Emotional impact

Videos are a powerful medium for storytelling, emphasizing purchase, subscription, and other actions. Sharp visuals and well-balanced soundtracks evoke stronger emotions and trigger the audience to share with larger audiences. However, to enhance the visual and emotional appeal, you can use cinematic techniques, like slow motion or color grading. 

How can you fix the quality of a video efficiently?

Follow professional video editor-suggested video editing tips to fix video quality:

1. Understand Video Quality Issues

High-resolution video requires proper camera settings and attention to the root cause, such as -

• Low light (underexposed footage),
• Blurry videos (out-of-focus or low-resolution recording),
• Grain or noise (happens due to high ISO settings or low light),
• Incorrect colors,
• Distorted audio poor audio sound, and more. 

So, go through manual inspection to avoid those issues. Here’s a step-by-step guide to do manual inspection:

• Choose a controlled environment with consistent lighting.
• Video the video on multiple devices, like a computer monitor, tablet, smartphone, and others to identify errors. 
• Pay attention to resolution and size for more details.
• Focus on sharpness of details, i.e., fine lines, text, well-defined elements, and more. 
• Observe motion smoothness and check stuttering and irregularities of movement. 
• Look for over-compression signs like blockiness or loss of fine details. 
• Assure audio quality is mindblowing. 
• Take notes on any issues and compare them with the industry standards or benchmarks to provide the best quality videos. 

2. Use Video Editing Software

Another effective solution to increase video resolution is using professional video editing software. From improving the clarity and sharpness to making it better when viewed on larger screens or high-definition displays, software is a game changer. Popular software offers advanced features like frame interpolation, color correction, etc. 

The 5 best video editing software are:

• Adobe Premiere Pro (all-in-one professional tool).
• DaVinci Resolve (free, cross-platform option with two workflows).
• Filmora (best for beginners who start with basic editing).
• Blender (3D computer graphics software tool).
• Premiere Elements (desktop editing program with a clean interface and features).

3. Use Online Tools and App

You can use online tools and mobile apps for quick and easy solutions. But with these tools, you can do minor fixes, like trimming, brightness, and others; not professional-level restoration.  

The 4 best online tools and apps are:

• Clideo (best for noise reduction and resizing videos).
• Kapwing (best for adjusting brightness, cropping, and adding effects).
• InShot (mobile-friendly video editing tool).
• Submagic (best for quick AI video editing)

4. Adjust Brightness, Contrast, and Color Balance

Tweaking the brightness and contrast levels improves your footage’s overall clarity and dynamic range. When you adjust these settings, it makes highlights brighter and shadows darker. Also, to achieve accurate color reproduction, use the color grading feature to fix color casts or tinting issues. Remember, to balance between adjusting brightness, contrast, color correction, and color grading.

5. Reduce Noise and Grain

By improving grainy videos, your work isn’t done yet. No matter how HD the visual is, video noise reduction is key to ensuring high-quality video footage. Unwanted noise like hums, clicks, or ambient sounds affects overall production value. You can invest in a professional voice-over or use industry-standard tools like Neat Video, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc.  

6. Upscale Video Smartly

Upscaling increases low-quality footage resolution without introducing artifacts. Different AI video upscaling tools are available in the marketplace, or you can go with video upscaling software, like Adobe Premiere Pro. During upscaling, algorithms go through the existing pixels in the image or video frame and additional pixels to fill the gaps. Remember, excessive upscaling can lead to artificial-looking results or image distortion.  

7. Improve Audio Quality Alongside Video

Pay attention to sound is clear, synchronized with the video, and free from distortions or disruptions. There are many ways to elevate a video:

• Remove background noise with Adobe Premiere Pro’s “Essential sound panel” or Audacity’s “Noise reduction.”
• Balance volume levels and frequencies to ensure clear voices and soothing tones.
• Use external audio clips or foley sound if notice poor-quality sound. 

8. Save in the Right Format and Codec

To fix the quality of a video, you need to ensure the right format and codec, such as -

Formats:

• MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) - a versatile, universally compatible format that works best for streaming and sharing videos online. It is compatible with different devices and social media platforms. MP4 pairs well with H.264 codec for HD-quality videos.
• MOV (QuickTime Movie) - high-quality format suitable for storing video, audio, and effects. But the files can be large and work well for TV viewing. It also supports Facebook and YouTube.
• WMV (Windows Media Viewer) - Microsoft developed WMV file format is large enough and suitable for Windows Media Player. Also, YouTube and Apple users can view these videos. 

Apart from those, there are other file formats like AVI (audio video interleave), AVCHD (advanced video coding high definition), and more. 

Codec:

• H.264 - a widely used codec good for stock videos and is available for different platforms and mobile devices.
• VP9 - an open-source codec developed by Google offers efficient compression for high-quality video at lower bitrates. It is suitable for online streaming. 
• MPEG-2 - want to burn your video to a DVD? MPEG-2 with an H.262 codec is the best way to go. 

9. Record Better to Minimize Post-Editing

Don’t forget to use a tripod or gimbal for stable and high-quality video footage. Also, ensure proper lighting if you shoot in natural light or studio setups. Set the camera to the right resolution (i.e., 4K) and frame rate to minimize video editing. Always consider the viewer's point of view and recheck camera settings. 

10. Test and Repeat Your Edits

Who doesn’t want to stand out in online content and make a recognizable brand? With high-definition video editing, you can keep your content top-notch. Outsource video editing services from a reputed agency and invest your time in further business planning. From complex edits to advanced editing tools access, delivery on time, and other benefits you explore. 

What Are the Main Causes of Poor Video Quality?

The main causes of poor video quality are as follows:

Issue 1: Low resolution

The higher the video resolution, the more realistic and sharp the images. Vice versa, poor quality or low resolution causes blurry videos and lack of detail. When images are unclear, viewers become frustrated and lose interest in watching more. 

Solution: 

• Use an ideal file format for videos, i.e., MP4 (.mp4) format which guarantees HD video quality.
•  Maintain 1080p and 720p dimensions of screen resolution to record HD videos.

Issue 2: Low frame rate

A low frame rate makes choppy or jerky videos frustrating to watch. It may happen due to recording on devices with limited processing power, slow internet speeds during live streaming, saving at the expense of frame rate, and more.

Solution:

• For capturing audio/cinematic look set a 24 fps frame rate.
• For shooting slow motion set a 60 fps frame rate.

Issue 3: High compression

Compression refers to reducing video file size by removing redundant data. However, high compressive degrades video quality, loss of detail, visible artifacts, and reduced clarity in high-motion scenes. 

Solution:

• Use a balanced compression setting, like H.264 codec to maintain quality.
• Use smaller dimensions and thoughtful captures.
• Shoot footage at the highest possible codec.

Issue 4: Encoding errors

Encoding is a process of converting video into a digital format for streaming. However, encoding errors can result in visual glitches or audio-video sync problems. It happens due to inappropriate encoding settings, using buggy encoding software, and so on.

Solution: 

• Use advanced and feature-rich software like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, or others. 

Issue 5: Improper camera settings

Incorrect camera settings, such as white balance, exposure, and focus, can lead to uneven colors or blurry images. For example, a video scene must be warm and inviting but not appear too cool or overly saturated. 

Solution:

• Shutter speed - 1/48 or 1/50 shutter speed for 24 fps, 1/120 shutter for 60 fps, and for the bright area video shooting increases shutter speed rate. 
• Aperture - low aperture (f/2.8) helps to emphasize your subject and create a professional blurry background. However, to focus your scene as much as possible, use a high aperture like f/10 or f/22.
• ISO - the higher the ISO number, the more grain you’ll introduce into your footage. So, set ISO by considering shutter speed and aperture rate.
• White balance - shoot Kelvin for consistency.

Issue 6: Incompatible video codecs

The term “codec” is a combination of the words “encoder” and “decoder.” Video codecs are software or hardware used to compress or decompress digital video to make it easier to stream, distribute, and store. Incompatible video codecs are the reason for reduced playback quality.

Solution:

• Try to use widely supported codecs (H.264) or ensure device compatibility.

Issue 7: Unstable internet connection

Unstable internet connection affects video quality during streaming, video calls, or live broadcasts. It may happen due to insufficient bandwidth, network congestion or interference, using outdated devices, and so on.

Solution:

Set a stable and fast internet connection (min. 25 Mbps for 4K streaming) and use wired connections if possible.

Is Professional Video Editing Worth it?

Yes, professional video editing is worth the investment, especially in maintaining high quality across different marketing channels. Outsource video editing now and get different benefits, including:

• Customized dimensions, authentic copywriting, royalty-free music, and more in one platform.
• Get expert video editors with work experience in diverse industries.
• Expertly handles raw video footage, such as over or underexposure, inconsistency white balance, color, noise, and more.
• Monitor and retest before publishing. 
• Deliver faster and fulfill urgent requirements.
• Cost-friendly pricing structure.
• Ensure the protection of intellectual property, like logos, music, scripts, and others. 

Investing in professional video editing can make a significant difference in enhancing the quality and impact of your videos. By leveraging expert tools and techniques, you can achieve polished results that elevate your content and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Final Verdict

Having the right tool in your hands and addressing the key issues can help you enhance video quality. Remember to implement different tips that are mentioned earlier and trust your creativity. Good luck!