What does video metadata tell you?
Every video file has two kinds of information. Technical metadata describes how it is encoded: container, codec and profile, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, colour and audio format. It explains why a file won’t play on a device, why it is so large, or why an editor shows the wrong speed.
Descriptive metadata is added by the camera or app: title, date and time, GPS coordinates, phone make and model, software version, sometimes the owner’s name. It is useful for organising footage — and a privacy risk when you share the original file.
The structure view shows how the file is built. In MP4 and MOV files, the “moov” atom holds the index; if it comes before “mdat” (the media data) the file is web-optimised and can start playing before it is fully downloaded.
Key values explained
| Field | Meaning | Typical values |
|---|---|---|
| Codec / profile | How the video is compressed | H.264 High, HEVC Main 10, AV1, VP9 |
| Frame rate | Pictures per second; VFR = varies | 23.976, 25, 29.97, 30, 60 |
| Bitrate | Data per second → quality & size | 1080p: 5–12 Mbps |
| Bits per pixel | Bitrate ÷ (pixels × fps) | 0.05–0.15 for H.264 |
| Rotation | How players should turn the picture | 0°, 90°, 180°, 270° |
| HDR / transfer | Brightness encoding | SDR (BT.709), PQ, HLG |
Tips
- Found a GPS location? Remove it with the Video Metadata Cleaner.
- Frame rate shows VFR? Convert to constant frame rate with the Video FPS Converter.
- Use the bitrate to estimate sizes with the Video File Size Calculator.
- Wrong rotation? Fix it with the Video Orientation Fixer.