Upscale 1080p Video to 4K | 4K Export Hack! 

Thumbs up if you enjoyed this kind of video! Let me know below :) Thanks guys!

Instructions start at "3:05". 1. Edit your 1080p/720p video. 2. Click on "File/Export/media. 3. Set Format to "H.264" 4. Set Preset to "RU-vid 2160p 4K Ultra HD" 5. Press Export. Done!

The reason 1080p footage does not look as good as say 1440p, or 2160p, is because any video uploaded at 1080p or lower is using the avc1 codec. When you upload a video from 1440p and above, RU-vid will automatically encode your video using the vp9 codec, the best quality codec you can get on your videos here on RU-vid. As for simply upscaling, the problem with just upscaling is that even though the resolution of the output file may be in 4K, it is still using pixels in the video as if it was 1080p. So even though the video has more pixels to work with, they are wasted because 4 pixels in 4K are only using up the same blurry data that is in one pixel of 1080p. MAGIX VEGAS PRO has a filter called "Smart Upscale", and essentially what this does, is it properly upscales videos from lower resolutions to higher resolutions, but utilizing ALL possible pixels and data as if the 1080p was recorded in 4k instead of just stretching it and upscaling it that way. It does it's best to try and make it as close to TRUE 4K or 2160p as possible (outside of obvious Native 4K Recordings), and instead of simply blurring footage because 1080p to 4K without Smart Upscale, does just this, using smart upscale will ADD more pixels which will help give more detail and colors around the edges and within the pixels themselves when it upscales the video. So think of it this way, for every pixel of a 4K video, it can fit 4 pixels of a 1080p video. Because it has more pixels to work with, the image can be sharper, more color and data can be utilized, and less blurring around the edges of pixels as well as within pixels of the video, is caused or seen. Now I don't think Adobe Premiere Pro has a filter or effect like this, hence why many have to utilize Adobe After Effects to do this very same technique that MAGIX VEGAS PRO can do within one program. But maybe Adobe will see the opportunity here, and add a Smart Upscale filter or FX to Premiere Pro so you can do the same thing here. I know this was recorded in 2019 and you may know all of what I mentioned above already, but if not, that is a method you can use for your own workflows and make them ever more clear and sharp. A good way to see if your videos from 1440p to 4K are indeed using the vp9 codec on RU-vid, is to right click, and click on the option under the menu called "Stats for Nerds". It will tell you if the codec is avc1 or vp9. Thanks for the video tutorial though, still learning Premiere Pro and so far utilizing VEGAS PRO and this have helped tremendously.

just found this and never really noticed that even on my 1080p monitor 4k playback looks better... mind blown!!

There is a difference between rendering out low pixel footage to a higher pixel ratio (stretching pixels) and a true 4K upscaling. (creating more pixels for a crisp image)

That is why I am wondering why my videos on youtube are low quality when I rendered it on 1080p. My whole life was a lie!!! :0 thanks for this bro!! you're a genius

Thanks! Helped out a lot. I've always wondered what people were talking about when they do this.

Great Stuff Man this helped me out alot. Much Love Brother!

the issue is when we do this and watch it in 1080p the video looks smudgy it's very worse than native 1080....! I have been doing this for a while... there should be a way to upscale properly!

Thanks man after watching your video I made all the video in 4k even if shoot them at 1080p 30fps

Back at it again with the hackssssss! Turn that air back on my guy!!

Hmmm this is something I think can be useful while doing some heavy editing, will definitely try this out👍

Thanks Mate, this is really helpful...

Amazing intro and content, thanks! I never dared to upload most videos on my channel in 4K (unless the footage is) but now I think I should. The only problem is it takes hella space though 😓

Thank god i found your video. Im shooting my vlogs at 1080 60fps and i render it at 1080 and it doesnt look so good. Im gonna try to render at 4k in my next vlog. Thanks again for this video #lifesaver

Awesome opening video sequence 🌟🌟🌟 and great tutorial!

Thank you for explaination, I was worried on the final video quality reault before, after seeing this, I should give a try

You make the best vids thanks a lot

Thank you! :)

Good tip man. I am doing this from now on.

Good info thx for sharing ; )

It was that easy, I thought there was going to be a big process.

Very informative bro! Very easy to follow! I deffinently learned something that I will be implementing! Would love to see more tutorials scattered in! Haha and nice shot at the end, Michael Scott would be proud 🤣

It's a shame that youtube pull these stunts but thanks for your vid great help!!

I'll try this out thank you

This is interesting dude, I'm literally editing a video right now and I'm going to try it out!

Needed this video in my life bri

Thanks for this video,subscribed

Good stuff brother! Thank you 👊🏼

great video ! thank's for the hack ;)

Great video !!!

Yo! Thank you so much for this great informative video! Now I kinda regret not knowing about this when making my last videos.

I like it. rendering now

Very useful to know thanks ... that's my 4K neurosis gone .

Great video!

Doesn't it downgrade the quality of the video ?

I thought we need put 1080p footage in 4k timeline and set to frame size. And then do the same editing and then export to 4k.

First, I am an idiot haha, second this video is awesome, third love you haha

I was looking to see if this works and it should for me. My Sony FDR X3000 action shoots 4K but, as you said, you need a lot of space for it. Beeing that I travel a lot, it's not ok for me to carry tons of external drives and miniSD cards. My travels usually spans to 3-5 weeks in a row. I'm gonna test it. I belive my 1080p is at 50 Mbs in MPEG-4 and 100Mbs in XAVC S, but I have to check.

Great video! Do you have a similar hack for IG video uploads? What export settings do you recommend for best quality?

I knew how to do it. But once you learn something, you start having more questions. So, what's the point of shooting 4K 24fps at first place, if you can shoot in 1080p 24fps and then just render it.?

watching from india

sorry but thats wrong, you should upscale your videos in 4k on a 4k timeline to maximise quality. Also your videos looks better on 4k on youtube because of the better codec VP09 that YT use when you upload in 4K. So at the end with this "HACK" your video is still not 4k...

Thnks bro

Bro. What about "High Quality 2160p 4K" ??

Thanks! Would there be any compromise in quality in doing so?

Great video, very helpful. A very strange question: what font do you use? causa I really like it

Cool video

Can i directly convert my old youtube videos to 4k which is of 720p quality???

aaaaaah ,he's hot🤣🤣,bro good work there keep up,u've helped me alot

Hey how can I convert 2k black magic raw clips to 4k

lmao imagine if this video was made in 1080p

how about 1080p to 1440 p (2.5k video) ? how come nobody talks about that.

ight thanks

can you prove what you've claimed here with some visual comparisons?

Make your shots boiii. I’ll take all the hacks I can get lol

Bro will it run in 60fps in 1080p in youtube

So would you recommend Shooting HD video with the Sony A6000 which has no S or C log And then upscale the HD to 4K

My monitor is 1080p and it’s so blurry do you know anyway to fix it ?

Had a ? I record in 4k, but I had to render my video to 1080p and then render back to 4k because my computer couldn't render some graphic effects in 4k. Do I lose quality if I do that?

I’m using Sony a6000 will I loose quality since I’m technically zooming in 100% of the original file to get the 4k upscale

Hello can you please tell me that is this able to convert a 2k video shot on Arri Alexa Classic to 4k without any decrease in quality .... Wanted to know about this professionally since some a project which was to be shot in 4k was actually shot in 2k due to the DOP error. The video needs to be played on Netflix and professional 4k cinema. Looking forward to your kind reply thanks.

4k videos on youtube are codec by *vp09* lower than this is *avc1.* end of mistery xD

Did youtube change anything all your videos are 1080 for me I cant get any of your videos higher then that...

was that a budlight?

can i export it as 1080p then put back on a 1080p timeline for substle then export it out as 4k. will it diminish the quality? or it will still maintain the same quality.

Would using this "RU-vid" export be okay for posting to other social media or sending off to clients?

You look like Ryan Gosling

TLDR: just export it as 4k

I'm using canon c100 from a 4k sensor to 1080p. Does it upscale back when export to 4k?

Hi JHAWK i just wanted to know if you know another tip on premiere to improve even more your footage, like maybe sharpness or something similar that you use. Will be great to know, thanks for the video!!

Do I have to create for each clip?

If everything was shot 1080 and 720, edited in 1080, and then exported to 4K, what happens if the video is shown on a larger screen, and was assumed to be 4K setting? The reason I ask is that we have short film being screened in a film festival, and the 1080p export has some grainy noise. Will this help (exporting to 4K)?...and would it be a problem at the festival screening if they screen it assumed as true 4K? (I'm a novice at the editing process--any information will help; I'm mostly involved in other aspects of the filmmaking process). Thanks! Please let me know what you think...

So you gain a 4k badge while your video still looks fuzzy on my 70" screen. Where's the gain? Certainly you're not trying to convince me your fuzzy video looks better because it's badged as 4k are you? Because it didn't work.

What is the hack then?

i tried that and i lost a lot of my quality! how can I fix that?

Can proper tell this video isn't in true 4K. Doesn't make a difference when you upscale your videos, to be honest!

Damn, that loud music in the background, shit.

Why is it like this, I don't understand. Is there more in depth information as to why bit-rates or quality exported videos act like this? #ggz

Is it available on android?

Considering I'm uploading mostly on instagram ,where ppl see the videos trought small smartphone screens, would u recomend doing this? I mean, will I notice any difference upscaling 1080p to 4k on instagram videos? Or tis there specific render settings for instagram?

Not a real upscale it’s a render not the same

that could have been just a reel

How much time it took to upscale???

You youngman why you're not getting to point

Apple trash

Is that a Budlight your drinking??