adding video (MP4) to story map fails

Question

I am trying to upload a 20 mb MP4 file to storymap, but the upload fails. I have tried several times and with different videos. What am i doing wrong?

oevans_storymaps · Answer

@KimberlyK -- The maximum size for uploaded videos is 50MB. If you try to upload the video you described you should see a message like this in the top right corner of the screen.

I should also mention that since the cover is the first thing that your readers see, it is highly recommend that you use a much smaller video file on the cover (ideally <1MB) so that it loads fast and isn't too long. Here are some tips to reduce the file size (some of these you have already done):

* Resize to 1920px wide (max)
* Reduce kilobytes per second; Keep range between 4,000-10,000 kbits/sec
* Convert to MPEG-4 (H.264)
* Reduce frame rate to 30fps (max)
* Trim unnecessary parts of the video

And here are some great examples of cover videos.

* Smokejumpers
* Seeing through the trees for a sustainable cocoa
* Living Color
* What's that bug?

KimberlyK · Answer

@ShaneONeill_144 Was there ever any follow-up to this issue? I am having the same error attempting to add a .mp4 video to the cover section of my storymap. This section doesn't allow links so the file is saved to my hard drive and I am using the "Browse" function to retrieve it. The video is encoded with the h.264 video codec and AAC audio. It is 1920x1080 to fit the screen width and 102MB.

ShaneONeill_144 · Answer

Hi there, i'm sorry to hear that you are having issues!

* Are you seeing this issue with other mp4 files?
* Are you trying to add the video directly to a Storymap or are you embedding it?
* Are you seeing this issue in a new Storymap?
* Are you able to share the mp4 file with us so that we can test?