Custom Settings
Go beyond presets. Adjust CRF quality, resolution, frame rate, and audio settings to get exactly the output you want.
When the built-in presets don't match your needs, JuicePress gives you full control over every compression parameter.
CRF (Constant Rate Factor)
CRF is the single most important setting for controlling the quality-to-size tradeoff. It tells the encoder how much quality to preserve.
| CRF Range | Quality Label | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 18-20 | High Quality | Near-lossless. Hard to distinguish from the original. |
| 21-24 | Balanced | Excellent quality with meaningful size reduction. |
| 25-28 | Compact | Good quality. Minor artifacts in complex scenes. |
| 29-32 | Small | Noticeable quality loss in detailed areas. Fine for backgrounds. |
| 33-35 | Smallest | Visible compression. Best for previews or extreme size limits. |
Rule of thumb: Start at CRF 23. Go lower only if you notice quality issues. Go higher if you need smaller files.
Each +6 CRF roughly halves the file size. So CRF 29 produces a file roughly half the size of CRF 23.
Resolution (Width)
JuicePress scales video by width while maintaining the original aspect ratio. The height is calculated automatically.
Width Snap Points
The slider snaps to common web-friendly widths:
| Width | Common Name | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 360px | Mobile | Thumbnails, tiny previews |
| 480px | SD | Mobile-first, maximum compression |
| 720px | 720p | Background videos, GIF replacements |
| 900px | Web Standard | Blog content, inline videos |
| 1280px | 720p HD | General purpose |
| 1440px | Large | Wide content areas |
| 1680px | Extra Large | Large displays |
| 1920px | 1080p | Full HD, primary content videos |
Tip: You don't need 1080p or 4K for background videos. Most users can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p behind an overlay.
Source Width Cap
The slider never goes above your source video's resolution. Upscaling would add file size without improving quality.
Frame Rate
Controls the maximum frames per second in the output. Lower frame rates mean smaller files.
| FPS | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Original | Keep the source frame rate (default for HQ and Custom) |
| 24 | Cinematic content, maximum compression |
| 25 | PAL standard, European broadcast content |
| 30 | General web use, smooth motion |
| 60 | Gaming content, fast motion (rarely needed for web) |
For most web videos, 24-30fps is plenty. 60fps doubles the frame data compared to 30fps with minimal perceptual benefit for typical website content.
Audio
Toggle between keeping or stripping the audio track entirely.
Keep Audio. Preserves the audio at 128kbps AAC. Use for product demos, tutorials, or any video where sound matters.
Strip Audio. Removes the audio track from the file completely. This is different from muting. Stripping saves 10-20% file size because there's no audio data at all. Use for background videos, hero sections, and GIF replacements.
If the source video has no audio track, JuicePress will indicate this and the toggle has no effect.
Estimated Output Size
JuicePress shows a real-time estimate of the output file size as you adjust settings. The estimate is based on:
- Source file size and bitrate
- Selected CRF (quality factor)
- Resolution scaling ratio
The actual output may vary depending on video content complexity. Fast-moving, detailed scenes compress less efficiently than static or simple content.
Settings Interaction with Presets
When you select a preset (Web, Video-GIF, etc.), the settings are locked to that preset's values. The moment you change any individual setting, JuicePress automatically switches to the Custom preset to reflect your manual adjustments.
You can switch back to a named preset at any time. It will reset all settings to that preset's defaults.