The Tool Desk
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Check the video before changing the command
- Identify whether the intended output is SDR or HDR. YouTube’s live guidance recommends Rec. 709 and 8-bit for SDR. Its separate HDR instructions describe a 10-bit HEVC workflow with 4:2:0 settings. Don’t apply an SDR conversion blindly to HDR material; see YouTube’s live encoder guidance and HDR streaming instructions.
- Check the format the encoder actually produces. FFmpeg’s
-pix_fmtoption requests an output pixel format, but the encoder may not support the requested format. FFmpeg can warn and select a supported alternative; use the strict+prefix to make an unsupported format an error instead. See the FFmpeg documentation. - Confirm the ingest protocol and codec. YouTube’s live guidance covers RTMP/RTMPS with H.264, H.265 (HEVC), or AV1, while the HDR instructions also describe HLS ingestion. The right settings depend on the workflow you selected.
Convert SDR H.264 video to yuv420p
For a standard SDR H.264 output, this command is a useful starting point:
ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4It transcodes the input video with the H.264 encoder and requests the widely compatible yuv420p pixel format. It also encodes audio as AAC at 128 kb/s. This is a file-conversion example, not a complete live-stream command. Preserve or deliberately set the source’s dimensions, frame rate, and color characteristics; don’t assume the example is right for an HDR source or every encoder.
Place the format in a filter chain if needed
If you need to specify format within a video filter chain, FFmpeg also documents this form:
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ffmpeg -i input -vf format=pix_fmts=yuv420p -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4The format filter requests a pixel format at that point in the filtergraph. FFmpeg documents the filter and examples in its filters reference. Choose either approach to fit your command; applying both is not necessary just to request yuv420p.
Keep the surrounding stream settings appropriate
Pixel format is only one part of stream compatibility. YouTube’s current live encoder guidance recommends progressive scan, square pixels, constant bitrate (CBR), a two-second keyframe frequency that does not exceed four seconds, frame rates up to 60 fps, and AAC or MP3 audio. For SDR it lists Rec. 709 and 8-bit. Check the current YouTube settings for the selected protocol before going live; codec support and recommendations can change.
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Don’t substitute YouTube’s upload recommendations for live-ingest instructions. Its recommended upload encoding settings are for uploaded videos, not a specification for YouTube Live ingestion.
Verify the output and test the live stream
- Run the FFmpeg conversion and read its output for warnings about pixel format or encoder support. A requested format alone does not prove that the encoder selected it.
- Inspect or probe the resulting file or stream to confirm the codec and pixel format actually produced. If the format differs from the request, check encoder support and any conversion filters in the command.
- Test the stream before the intended broadcast, then check YouTube Live’s stream-health feedback and messages. YouTube recommends testing and monitoring stream health.
- If YouTube still rejects the stream, recheck codec, bit depth, frame rate, protocol, and whether the source is intentionally HDR. A pixel-format error can point to an incompatibility without proving pixel format is the only cause.
For HDR, use the separate workflow
Don’t convert HDR material to SDR yuv420p merely to silence a rejection unless you deliberately intend to produce SDR and have handled the color conversion. YouTube’s HDR live instructions specify an HEVC-based, 10-bit workflow with 4:2:0 settings and describe HLS ingestion. Preserve HDR by matching color primaries, transfer characteristics, and matrix to the source, and follow YouTube’s HDR instructions. The general live page’s SDR recommendations are not a replacement for those HDR requirements.
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Common causes and fixes
| What you see | What to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| FFmpeg warns that the requested pixel format is unavailable or changes it | The selected encoder may not support the requested format. | Check encoder support and inspect the produced output. For SDR H.264, try -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p; use strict -pix_fmt +yuv420p when you want FFmpeg to fail rather than choose a fallback. |
| YouTube rejects an SDR H.264 stream for pixel format | Confirm the actual output format, codec, and color settings rather than relying on the command’s requested values. | Transcode to yuv420p, verify the resulting stream, and review YouTube’s live settings. |
| An HDR stream fails after an SDR-oriented conversion | Check whether the intended workflow is HDR and whether the codec, bit depth, chroma settings, and color metadata match it. | Follow YouTube’s HEVC/10-bit HDR guidance and preserve source color characteristics, or make a deliberate SDR conversion. |
| The pixel-format change does not resolve the rejection | Other factors may be involved, including codec, bit depth, frame rate, or ingest protocol. | Check YouTube stream-health messages and test each stream-level setting against the guidance for the selected protocol. |
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