Snapchat and Imovie/FCP question that no one can answer.

Four of a kind

Probably not the correct place to post this, but I reckon this group may be able to know the answer to this.


I've tried to figure this out for the past few weeks and I still haven't found the answer.

Basically, I'd like to how the likes of Mplatco on snapchat is able to upload content to his snapchat account with music playing in the background.

I know how you have music playing in the background, but he's obviously using something else in order to upload his snaps to snapchat.

Someone on twitter asked him what he uses to edit his content to which he replied:

"I edit everything on my iphone s6 using only imovie and perfect video app.

Now, I've tried this approach by taking a few videos using the snapchat app, but downloading them straight to the phone...not uploading them to snapchat.

I then export them to imovie on my mac, add a music track, and then pop the finished file back onto my camera roll.

However, when I use a third-party app snapchat app to upload the clips in 10 second segments...the clips are very grainy and pixelated.

This happens after the third party app uploads them to snapchat....so the app is obviously compressing the clips.

I've tried this using the ios app like he mentioned (perfect video app) and the same thing happens, with the video showing up in snapchat as very grainy.

Now, anyone that watches Mplacto on snapchat will see that his content is crystal clear...but is where I'm stuck.

How does he maintain perfect video quality when he uploads his snap content?

Myself and a few others have tried to replicate his process (to upload externally edited content) to snapchat but the resulting video/image quality has always suffered.

Any help would be very much appreciated as no one can give a logical explanation to this.

ScumLord

Can you upload directly from your desktop?

I haven't used snapchat but the more apps you use the likelihood of one of those apps making a mess is increased. It would seem obvious that if you can remove the last third party app from the process you should be ok. The fact you're going over mobile means that files are going to get compresses in some sense.

It could be that you're just compressing the file at every stage. When you record it on your phone the phone is applying compression, when you export it from imovie it's getting compresses again, and then using your mobile app it's getting compressed again but it's compressing a file that's already had a load of data removed.

If there's a desktop app you'll have much more control. Compression can be a bit of a dark art where so much can go wrong, you need to remove as many variables as you can and reduce the amount of programs applying their own form of compression.

Four of a kind

THanks for the reply.

Now, you can't upload via desktop.

It's a complete mystery as to how it's done tbh.

It's definitely the third party app that's causing the compression though, but there's no other way around uploaded it to snapchat after doing some editing externally.

ScumLord

I'd look into it a bit more. There may be some more professional desktop programs that will allow it, maybe even plug ins for more mainstream programs like imovie, or the adobe suite. I'm sure that app can't be the only way of doing it.