A video's file size is determined by a number of factors including its frame rate, bit rate, resolution, duration, the video codec and audio codec in use.
When you edit a video in Clipchamp and export the finished file, sometimes the output video's file size can be larger than the size of input videos you used in the project, even if you reduced the length of the overall video, e.g. by trimming parts of it.
Possible reasons for why this can happen
This can happen if:
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Your input video is already compressed efficiently and cannot get compressed further through the output settings in Clipchamp, for instance if your input file is encoded with a video codec that is more efficient than the output settings Clipchamp offers.
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You selected an output resolution that is higher than your input video's original resolution, e.g. you're exporting a Clipchamp project at 1080p but all your input videos are 480p.
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You've created a more complex video during editing that combines several videos, images, audio tracks, motion titles, and other elements that can add to the overall size.
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Clipchamp's default output frame rate and bit rate are higher than the fps and bit rate of your input video.
How to make your video's file size smaller
If you encounter these situations and would like to reduce the file size of your video, here are some steps you can try:
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Convert your source media files in applications that offer this kind of capability. If you search for video, audio, or image converters and compressors, there are a number of free services available. These include open-source options such as Handbrake for video files and Audacity for audio files. It's best to convert videos to MP4, audio files to AAC or MP3 and image files to JPG or PNG. Even if your source files are already of these file types, converting them can still lead to smaller file sizes at no visible or audible quality loss.
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Use the resulting smaller file versions in your Clipchamp editing project and test if the exported video file size gets reduced.
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Select a different output resolution when exporting a video in Clipchamp.
