HandBrake
Video converter
open sourceMedia
HandBrake is the reference video converter: presets for iPhone, web, and Telegram, batch folder processing, subtitles, and chapters. Squeezes maximum quality per megabyte out of H.265. Indispensable for screencasts and family archives.
// Install
Your MacHomebrew in /opt/homebrew
brew install --cask handbrake// What it is for
- Shrinks video several times over with no visible quality loss — essential before sending a screen recording
- Device and platform presets: you get a decent result without learning bitrates
- A batch queue: a dozen files start overnight with one button
- Free, open source, with hardware acceleration on Apple Silicon
// Common questions
Which preset should I use for a screen recording?
Start with a fast 1080p preset and check the result: screencasts have little motion, so they compress unusually well. If on-screen text goes soft, raise the quality a couple of steps.
Why does encoding take so long?
Software encoding gives the best quality per bit but hammers the CPU. On Apple Silicon, switch to the VideoToolbox hardware encoder — several times faster for a slightly larger file.