Wedding Video Delivery Formats Explained: ProRes, H.264, 4K and Vertical

Wedding Video Delivery Formats Explained: ProRes, H.264, 4K and Vertical | MKTRL Wedding

TL;DR: Your wedding film is not one file — it is a suite of formats built for different purposes. The archival master is ProRes 422 HQ (large, lossless quality). Social versions are H.264 (small, compressed, platform-ready). You should receive at minimum: a 4K master, a 1080p social cut, and a 9:16 vertical reel. Delivery method — cloud download, USB, or both — determines how you will access your film in 10 years.

Why Multiple Delivery Formats Matter

Couples frequently ask: "Why can't you just send me the video?" The answer is that there is no single format that is best for every situation. A file optimised for TV playback will be hundreds of gigabytes in size — impractical for sharing. A file optimised for sharing on WhatsApp will look degraded on a cinema screen. Professional delivery means receiving the right format for every context your film will ever appear in.

A complete MKTRL Wedding delivery package includes up to 6 distinct files, each built for a specific purpose.

The ProRes 422 HQ Archival Master

ProRes 422 HQ is Apple's professional intermediate codec. It is not a final viewing format — it is your archival master: the highest quality version of your film from which all other formats are derived.

File size: Approximately 25–50 GB per hour of footage at 4K resolution
Compression: Visually lossless — the human eye cannot distinguish it from raw footage
Use case: Re-editing in 10 years, re-exporting in new formats not yet invented, broadcast use
Playback: Requires a capable Mac or PC; will not play directly on smart TVs or phones
Why it matters: Codecs and platforms change. What YouTube plays today may be obsolete in 2035. ProRes ensures you can always re-derive a new format from source quality

We deliver the ProRes master to you on a USB-C drive (included in all premium packages) and retain a copy in our long-term archive for 10 years.

H.264: The Universal Sharing Format

H.264 (also called AVC) is the most widely compatible video codec in existence. It plays on every device, every browser, and every streaming platform without additional software.

Variant	Resolution	Bitrate	File Size (10 min)	Best For
H.264 Web	1920×1080 (1080p)	10–15 Mbps	~1.5 GB	Email, cloud share, website embed
H.264 Social	1920×1080 (1080p)	5–8 Mbps	~600 MB	Instagram, Facebook, YouTube upload
H.264 Mobile	1280×720 (720p)	4–6 Mbps	~300 MB	WhatsApp sharing, mobile preview

We deliver H.264 in both Web and Social variants as standard. The Mobile variant is available on request at no additional cost.

4K UHD: Future-Proofing Your Film

4K UHD (3840×2160) is 4 times the pixel count of 1080p. If your wedding was filmed in 4K (all MKTRL productions from 2022 onwards), your delivery package includes a 4K H.265 master alongside the ProRes archival copy.

H.265 (HEVC): The 4K-optimised successor to H.264. Same visual quality at roughly half the file size. Plays on all modern devices (iPhone 7+, Android 8+, Windows 10, macOS 10.13+)
4K file size: Approximately 4–8 GB per 10 minutes at H.265 encoding
When 4K matters: Large TV playback (55"+), digital photo frames with video capability, any future display technology
When 4K is overkill: Sharing on WhatsApp, embedding in a website, watching on a phone screen

Vertical 9:16: The Social-Native Format

Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts all favour vertical video. For your 60–90 second social highlight, we create a dedicated 9:16 (1080×1920) cut — not a cropped landscape version, but a re-edited vertical-native version using portrait-oriented compositions from your day.

Duration: 60 seconds (Instagram/TikTok optimum) or 90 seconds (YouTube Shorts)
Composition strategy: Tight face framing, close-up reaction shots, one-subject moments — all of which work better vertically than horizontally
Music: Platform-safe licensed track (different from the main film if required by platform Content ID rules)
Captions: Optional on-screen captions available for silent-viewing accessibility (+£75)

Download vs. USB vs. Cloud: Delivery Method Compared

Method	What You Get	Pros	Cons	Included?
Cloud download link	All H.264/H.265 files	Instant access, shareable, no hardware	Link expires after 90 days; you must download and store	Yes (all packages)
USB-C drive (256 GB)	All files including ProRes master	Physical backup, includes full master	Must be stored safely; can be lost or damaged	Premium packages only
Long-term cloud archive	All files in cold storage for 10 years	Professional redundancy, retrievable any time	Retrieval takes 24–48 hours for cold storage	Yes (we hold a copy)
Private streaming link	Password-protected Vimeo or frame.io page	Share with family without large file transfers	Dependent on platform continuity	Yes, 12 months included

We strongly recommend storing your own copy of the H.265 4K file within 90 days of delivery — do not rely solely on our cloud archive or the USB for primary access.

Red Flags: Common Delivery Mistakes

Only requesting a single format and then discovering it will not play on your TV or phone
Losing the USB drive and assuming we have a permanent copy — our archive is a professional backup, not a permanent library
Uploading the ProRes master directly to YouTube — it will work but the 25–50 GB upload size is unnecessary; use the H.264 version instead
Sharing the cloud download link before downloading your own copy — if the link expires before family members download it, those files are only accessible via archive retrieval
Requesting "just a small version to send on WhatsApp" without specifying quality expectations — WhatsApp compresses video further; start with our Mobile H.264 variant for the best result

FAQs: Wedding Video Delivery Formats

What is the difference between ProRes and H.264?

ProRes is a professional-grade archival format with minimal compression — files are large (25–50 GB per hour) but preserve maximum quality. H.264 uses aggressive compression to achieve small file sizes (1–3 GB per hour) with minimal visible quality loss for normal viewing. Use ProRes for your archive; use H.264 for everything else.

Can I play my ProRes file on my TV?

Most consumer smart TVs cannot play ProRes natively. Use the H.265 4K file for TV playback — it will look identical and play without issues on any TV manufactured after 2018 with a USB port.

How do I share my wedding film with elderly relatives who are not tech-savvy?

We include a private streaming page (Vimeo or frame.io) for 12 months. Send the URL and password — they click and watch in any browser with no downloads required. We can also include subtitles for the speeches if requested (+£75).

Is 4K actually worth it if most people watch on phones?

For phone viewing: no noticeable difference over 1080p. For large-screen TV viewing (65"+): yes, the difference is visible. The real value of 4K is future-proofing — display technology will only improve, and your 4K master will look better on the screens of 2035 than a 1080p file.

What happens to my download link after 90 days?

The link expires. The files are not deleted — they remain in our long-term archive. If you need to retrieve your files after the link expires, we can generate a new link within 48 hours for a £25 retrieval fee.

Can I upload my wedding film to YouTube?

Yes, using the H.264 Social variant. Be aware: if your film contains commercially licensed music (not royalty-free), YouTube's Content ID system may flag it. We recommend using our dedicated YouTube export, which substitutes any restricted tracks with platform-safe versions.

Do I own my wedding film?

Yes. Upon full payment, you receive a perpetual personal-use licence for all delivered files. You may share, screen, and distribute the film privately. Commercial use (licensing footage to third parties, using it in advertising) requires a separate agreement.