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What is Compressor?
Compressor is an application that transcodes media les into a variety of formats. You can use
Compressor to create les for many uses, including:
•
Viewing on Apple devices such as Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, iPod, or iTunes using high-denition
(HD) or standard-denition (SD) formats (including H.264)
•
Publishing to video-sharing websites including Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube using
QuickTime
•
Burning to DVD or Blu-ray disc using H.264, MPEG-2 for DVD, and Dolby Digital formats
•
Podcasting using H.264, AAC, and MP3 formats
Compressor comes with built-in settings that you can use to transcode les into the most
common media formats. Compressor also provides precongured destinations that transcode
les and then perform actions on the transcoded les. For example, if you transcode a source
le using the built-in “Publish to Vimeo” destination, the destination outputs a high-quality
QuickTime movie le, and then automatically publishes the movie le to your Vimeo account.
In addition to transcoding source les, you can use Compressor to:
•
Create custom settings and destinations: You can use a variety of formats to build custom
settings and destinations tailored to your unique transcoding workows. For example, you can
create a custom setting with specic frame dimensions or with video and audio lters applied.
And when you create a destination, you can apply a job action that is performed after the le
is transcoded—such as sending an email message or running an Automator workow.
•
Create settings to transcode Final Cut Pro X and Motion projects: You can create a custom setting
in Compressor and then use it to transcode Final Cut Pro or Motion projects. For example, you
can create a setting that outputs a le with the bit rate of your choice.
•
Transcode les using a network of shared computers: If you need more processing power and
shorter transcoding times, you can create a group of shared computers to distribute and
speed the transcoding process.
•
Create Compressor droplets: If you need to provide a very simple workow for yourself or other
users, you can create a Compressor droplet, a standalone application that lets you transcode
media les in the Finder, by dragging and dropping.
Compressor basics
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