Different platforms and purposes require different file formats and codecs. This lesson covers common choices like H.264 (widely compatible, good for web/social media, smaller file size) versus ProRes or DNxHD (higher quality, larger file size, used for further editing or archival). It also covers container formats like MP4 and MOV, and how to balance quality against file size depending on whether the video is going to YouTube, a client, or back into another editing project.