DaVinci Resolve export settings for WhatsApp chat.

Resolution

720 x 1280

Frame rate

30 fps, constant

Codec

H.264, profile High, level 3.1

Bitrate

Restrict to (max data rate): target 1.9 Mbps (1923 kbps), max 2.1 Mbps

Keyframes

Every 2 s = 60 frames, 2 B-frames, closed GOP

Audio

AAC-LC, 128 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo

Colour

Rec. 709 (BT.709), 8-bit 4:2:0, limited (TV) range

Container

MP4 with Fast Start (moov atom at the front)

Sized so a 1:00 clip fits the 16 MB limit with 4% headroom.

Estimated size: 15.5 MB for 1:00.

• 1080p is above what WhatsApp chat supports here, so this uses 720p.

Step by step in DaVinci Resolve

1. 1Open the Deliver page (rocket icon at the bottom of the window).
2. 2In Render Settings choose Custom Export, then set Filename and Location, and choose Single clip.
3. 3Video: Format MP4, Codec H.264. Pick the hardware encoder if your GPU offers one, else Native.
4. 4Resolution 720 x 1280, Frame rate 30.
5. 5Quality: choose Restrict to and type 1923 Kb/s (Resolve takes kilobits, so 1.9 Mbps = 1923).
6. 6Encoding Profile: High. Key Frames: choose Every and type 60 frames.
7. 7Advanced Settings: Data Levels Auto, Color Space Tag and Gamma Tag Same as Project (Rec. 709 (BT.709), 8-bit 4:2:0, limited (TV) range).
8. 8Audio: Codec AAC, Data Rate 128 kb/s, Sample Rate 48000.
9. 9Click Add to Render Queue, then Render All.

WhatsApp chat upload limits

Each value links to where it was published.

Common mistakes

• Exporting a 16:9 timeline for WhatsApp chat. Build the edit at 720 x 1280 (9:16) from the start, or WhatsApp chat adds bars or crops your edges.
• Exporting at YouTube quality and then sending it to WhatsApp chat. Set the bitrate for the length of the clip (here 1923 kbps for 1:00) so WhatsApp chat does not refuse or squash it.
• Typing 2 into DaVinci Resolve's keyframe field. It counts frames, not seconds: at 30 fps that is 60.
• Entering 1.9 in a Kbps field. DaVinci Resolve takes kilobits: 1.9 Mbps is 1923.
• Uploading HDR (10-bit PQ/HLG) to WhatsApp chat. There is no published HDR path, so colours can look washed out; export SDR Rec. 709.
• Restrict to is in Kb/s, not Mb/s: 20 Mbps is 20000.
• Key Frames are counted in frames, not seconds: multiply seconds by the frame rate.

Shinel Studios

Rather send the footage and get WhatsApp chat-ready edits back?

Our editors cut, caption, colour and export to each platform's spec, with 2 revision rounds. Shorts come back in 48-72 hours, long videos in 5-10 days.