Maximum length ( or size ) for video uploads to SmugMug sites? Also - share settings ?

WinsomeWorks

Could someone refresh my memory on the latest requirements for maximum length on video uploading here? I have SmugMug PRO. Or if there's a maximum number of megabytes on videos, of course I'd need to know that too. Thanks! Oh, & if I want a friend to be able to download some videos from my gallery but I need the gallery itself to be non-public, what settings would I choose?

leftquark

You can see the video requirements at our help page here: http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/84563?b_id=1644

You should set your gallery to Unlisted and share the gallery URL with your friend.

WinsomeWorks

Ok, thanks! I guess video hasn't changed since last time I did this. I mainly asked here because when changes happen, "help" edits have sometimes lagged. I'm not sure about the "share" settings either. In other words, should I still allow the "Download All" button to show? And/or what's the best place for an unlisted gallery visitor (who has the URL) to look in order to download a couple of my videos at full resolution? (They're HD - 1080x1920 or whatever) One way would be the "Download all" button, right? But if they want to do them individually..? How do I make sure they get full res?

leftquark

Downloads are always the original full resolution version and turning on "Download Buttons" enables both the Download All and the individual download button.

Allen

I thought video downloads are the converted originals that are highly compressed mp4's. Your original is lost and not preserved.

I uploaded a 330meg file and got 30meg back on download.

WinsomeWorks

@Allen said:
I thought video downloads are the converted originals that are highly compressed mp4's. Your original is lost and not preserved.

I uploaded a 330meg file and got 30meg back on download.

I can't remember the last time I downloaded a video or what I ended up with when I did. Al -- Did you download it to desktop or phone? (Not that I'm saying that should really matter, just wondering...)

Allen

I downloaded it to my desktop.

WinsomeWorks

@Allen said:
I thought video downloads are the converted originals that are highly compressed mp4's. Your original is lost and not preserved.

I uploaded a 330meg file and got 30meg back on download.

Gosh, You're right, Al-- A lot of weird stuff happens with sizing. I just did a few experiments & investigations. I have pics & videos auto-uploading directly to a SmugMug gallery from my phone 2 ways (because sometimes one way fails, & the 2nd is back-up). All my stuff is supposed to auto-upload thru the SmugMug app over Wi-Fi. It also auto-uploads thru the "Instant SmugMug" app over Wi-Fi but only while charging. Ok, so I had a video on my phone which is 266 MB on the phone (looking at the file info). When I download that video directly from my phone to desktop folder, it remains at 266 MB. Now for 2 scenarios of uploading it to SmugMug:

Upload Scenario 1 When that 266 MB Video auto-uploaded thru Instant SmugMug, it showed up in my SmugMug gallery as only 512 KB ! Same result using SmugMug app: Shows up as only 512 KB.
Upload Scenario 2: When I manually uploaded that 266 MB Video directly from my Desktop folder instead, it showed up in my SmugMug gallery as even more compressed-- 93 KB ! (And in viewing it there in my gallery, this poor quality shows.)

OK, but what about downloading those same videos, after the various methods of uploading them? Here's what happened, using the Download icon that's to the lower right when you're on a video:

Download Scenario 1 When I downloaded (to my Desktop folder) the video that had been auto-uploaded thru my Instant SmugMug app (& appeared as 512 KB in the gallery), it became a 118 MB file in my folder!
Download Scenario 2 When I downloaded (to my Desktop folder) the video that had been earlier uploaded directly from my Desktop Folder (& appeared as only 93 KB in the gallery), it became a 139 MB file in my folder!
Download Scenario 3 When I downloaded (to my Desktop folder) the video that had been earlier uploaded thru the SmugMug app (& appeared as 512 KB in the gallery), it became a 118 MB file in my folder!

So it appears you get a less-compressed video download by originally uploading directly from your desktop instead of auto-uploading thru a phone app, even though that video shows up as lower quality in your gallery....and even though the downloaded quality is still only perhaps half what it was originally. It's all odd & confusing as far as I'm concerned. I would like to know if there's a way to get truly full quality in both directions -- Uploading & Downloading. Aaron, if you know, I hope you will comment.
I also don't know if some different gallery settings would change things. Here's what my current settings are, on the gallery in question: Aaron or Al -- If you think these settings affected my results on way or another, please LMK!

Security Unlisted ; Access: with Link ; Web Searchable: No ; SmugMug Searchable: No
Photo Protection Maximum Display Size: ORIG ; Right Click Protection : ON ; Watermarks: OFF ; Download Buttons: OFF

One last note on all this: Before downloading each video. I hit the start button so the choces of size would appear. That frustratingly defaults to "Auto". I changed it to the highest HD setting, then paused the video & hit the download icon. I have no idea if any of that matters. I'd guess that only matters in the actual display. Why oh why don't those options appear before you view a video though? OK, hope someone can shed some light on all this.

WinsomeWorks

Ugh, folks.... I have no idea what happened in my long post above, with all those colors & white boxes & ugly serif font. I didn't try to do any of that. Sorry; I don't know how to fix it either. ( ETA: Figured it out, partly- If you indent a paragraph in your post, it becomes a white box & some of the text inexplicably turns green or blue, with no discernible rhyme or reason. )

leftquark

@Allen said:
I thought video downloads are the converted originals that are highly compressed mp4's. Your original is lost and not preserved.

I uploaded a 330meg file and got 30meg back on download.

Video's do get converted, yes, since we have to re-encode them into a format that will stream/play over the internet, on any device, and many video files uploaded are specific to camera manufacturer and specific playback software.

Allen

I should have mentioned it, but my original point was you have to save your originals elsewhere if you want to keep them as Smug does this conversion. Videos can be huge and for them trying to save all the originals would not make sense. You do kinda get your "original" back, just in another format.