CRF Quality Scale — Quick Reference
| CRF 0 | Lossless — massive file |
| CRF 18 | Visually lossless — editing masters |
| CRF 23 | Default — great quality for web (recommended) |
| CRF 28 | Smaller file, acceptable quality — social media |
| CRF 35+ | Small file, visible artifacts — streaming only |
Format-Specific Recommendations
- H.264 (MP4): CRF 23 is the sweet spot for most use cases
- VP9 (WEBM): Add +3 to the CRF value (e.g., CRF 26 instead of 23)
- H.265/HEVC: Subtract -3 from the CRF value for similar quality