YouTube media guidelines

YouTube accepts one video for each post. A Short has additional limits. The Asset kind is always video. Set destination_options.youtube.kind to video for a regular upload or short for a Short. Read Media guidelines for the general rules.

Media per post

A YouTube post needs exactly one video. It does not accept an image.

Video limits

Property	Limit
File type	MP4, MOV, or WebM. YouTube accepts more containers, but OpenPMM uploads only these three.
Duration	12 hours maximum
File size	500 MiB. YouTube permits more, but the OpenPMM limit is lower.

Short limits

A Short is a post with destination_options.youtube.kind set to short.

Property	Limit
Shape	Square or vertical. The width must not be more than the height.
Duration	3 minutes maximum

Select a thumbnail frame

Set destination_options.youtube.thumbnail_timestamp_ms to select a video frame. The value is an integer number of milliseconds. It must be less than the video duration. OpenPMM extracts the frame and sends it to YouTube as a custom thumbnail. This setting works with a regular video or a Short. Omit the field or use null to let YouTube select the thumbnail. For example, use 1000 to select the frame at 1 second:

{
  "youtube": {
    "kind": "short",
    "privacy_status": "private",
    "category_id": "22",
    "self_declared_made_for_kids": false,
    "contains_synthetic_media": false,
    "notify_subscribers": false,
    "thumbnail_timestamp_ms": 1000
  }
}

YouTube can reject a custom thumbnail when the channel does not have permission. OpenPMM retries a temporary failure up to three times. Thumbnail failure does not block the video. OpenPMM records the video as published.

Recommended encoding

YouTube recommends these values. OpenPMM gives advice for a different value, but it does not block the post.

MP4 container with fast start
H.264 video codec
YUV 4:2:0 pixel format
Progressive scan
Closed group of pictures (GOP)
AAC audio at 48 kHz

Limits that OpenPMM cannot check

YouTube needs a verified account for a video that is longer than 15 minutes. OpenPMM cannot read the verification status of your channel. Verify the channel in YouTube before you publish a long video.

Provider documentation

YouTube supported formats, recommended encoding, and thumbnail requirements

Get started

Core concepts

Publishing guides

Product feedback

Media guidelines

YouTube media guidelines

Media per post

Video limits

Short limits

Select a thumbnail frame

Recommended encoding

Limits that OpenPMM cannot check

Provider documentation

​Media per post

​Video limits

​Short limits

​Select a thumbnail frame

​Recommended encoding

​Limits that OpenPMM cannot check

​Provider documentation

Media per post

Video limits

Short limits

Select a thumbnail frame

Recommended encoding

Limits that OpenPMM cannot check

Provider documentation