<p>I know that in exporting images, if I use an indexed color format when I save (such as GIF or PNG with indexed color mode), I can dramatically reduce the file size of the resulting export.  My question is if I have a video file that is full of color and filter it so it contains less unique hues, will the resulting file be smaller?  (I have heard that some video compression methods will compress black and white video <em>less</em> than color video.)</p>

<p><strong>Context</strong></p>

<p>I am creating a video for a company's website and they are using it as a video background.  They want it to look as good as possible but be as small a file as possible.  If I limit the colors to their brands colors and a couple necessary ones, I'm wondering if that will help.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-12T18:19:47.853Z
In theory, yes, but you could also just increase the quantizer i.e. increase CRF.
Gyan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-14T02:07:38.680Z
You would be better off spending the time eliminating things that cause artifacts, especially macroblocking, like fast motion and sharp edges than limiting your color palette. If you don't induce artifacts, you can increase the compression ratio and maintain quality.
Michael Liebman
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-14T13:31:27.473Z
a useful technique is to drop the resolution of the video, but to add a higher resolution semi-transparent overlay to help give an impression of sharpness. Have a look at https://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/ to see this technique in action
stib
<file-formats><compression><filter><adobe-media-encoder><export>
If I limit the color spectrum of a video, will it compress to a smaller file size?
David Rhoderick
# If I limit the color spectrum of a video, will it compress to a smaller file size?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-12)

I know that in exporting images, if I use an indexed color format when I save (such as GIF or PNG with indexed color mode), I can dramatically reduce the file size of the resulting export. My question is if I have a video file that is full of color and filter it so it contains less unique hues, will the resulting file be smaller? (I have heard that some video compression methods will compress black and white video *less* than color video.)

**Context**

I am creating a video for a company's website and they are using it as a video background. They want it to look as good as possible but be as small a file as possible. If I limit the colors to their brands colors and a couple necessary ones, I'm wondering if that will help.

**Tags:** file-formats, compression, filter, adobe-media-encoder, export

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: In theory, yes, but you could also just increase the quantizer i.e. increase CRF.  
> **username_2**: You would be better off spending the time eliminating things that cause artifacts, especially macroblocking, like fast motion and sharp edges than limiting your color palette. If you don't induce artifacts, you can increase the compression ratio and maintain quality.  
> **username_3**: a useful technique is to drop the resolution of the video, but to add a higher resolution semi-transparent overlay to help give an impression of sharpness. Have a look at https://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/ to see this technique in action  

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## 0 answers

