Best Final Cut Pro Transcode Media

I have to say you are completely off the mark, here.

Creating proxies has nothing to do with upscaling.

It is meant to create smaller, easier files to edit inside FCP, not to export or convert anythings.

Once editing is done, one typically deletes these files, they are never used outside, and they are never bigger than the originals.

It seems to be that you are under the incorrect impression that 4K will be somehow "better". Most users on youtube will never see it. Youtube serves different versions depending on the device and network connection.

Even if you produce a marvelous 4K or 8K, no user on a phone or tablet will ever see them, and even those on a computer with a huge screen may or may not see them.

That aside, you could simply put the files in FCP in a 4K timeline, and export that. That would probably be good enough. Or you can spend money on software that tries to cleverly upscale, but that would be ill advised unless you really know what you are doing.

There is no "best" transcode.

It all depends on what you want.

Your video is 1080x1440, so in a vertical, 3:4 aspect ratio.

"4K" is usually 3840x2160, horizontal.

You have to clarify exactly what you want to do.

Optimizing files is used for source video files that are not easily edited within FCP. Certain codecs (H.264 and H.265) are great for delivery of good looking, low data rate files, but not always the best for the editing process. FCP's Optimize can convert these source video files into (very, very large) ProRes files that are easier to edit.

Proxies are used when the source video files are either too large, too data intensive, or there are too many to playback simultaneously in realtime. Proxies are low-resolution copies of the original source videos that reduce the load on the processor and drive system to be able to play them back in real-time.

If you're looking to upscale your video, first try what Luis suggested by copying and pasting the project into a 4k timeline. If that's not sufficient you can look at tools like Fidelity Fuze or Topaz for upscaling.

FCP or Compressor from Apple.

Or use HandBreak for free.

In addition to what Luis said, for "normal" videos about people doing things I usually export 720p as it provides all the sharpness most people need.

The only exceptions are FCP etc. tutorials showing the computer desktop where 720p would not result in the small letters being sharp . . . in that case I would use 1080p.

4K is simply overkill . . . the main advantage of shooting 4K is during the editing process as you can crop into the image without losing noticeable quality.

If a video is shot in 4K and played back, even on YouTube, in 4K it will look better than native 1080, which is absolutely noticeably better quality than native 720 (which is IMHO obsolete today). I've run many tests over the years to come to this conclusion.

If you have footage that is 1080 or smaller, the only real way to upscale it is with Topaz Video or something similar. But you're paying for that power. I use Topaz to upscale and clean up (it does both) old video weekly. It's amazing, but expensive.

In FCP you'll want to stick with editing in your native resolution, then upscale after export, period.

I have to disagree with Luis, which is unusual for me. I know plenty of folks who are watching 4K on tablets and phones, and can see a difference between the image quality over native 1080 video. It's not just clarity and sharpness, but color and contrast quality, also.

Your mileage may vary...

Ben, perhaps I should clarify.

Thank you for saying that you rarely disagree with me - I take it as a compliment; I know enough to understand that you know a lot more about video than I do.

I am not saying you can't discern any quality difference between 4K and 1080 - I am sure you can!

When you say lots of people watch 4K on tablets and phones, that can't be literally true, is it? As far as I can tell, there is no iPhone with a 4K display, and not even the iPad Pro has enough pixels to fully display 4K.

Now that does not mean that an original 4K may not look better on it. I really can't say, and I defer to you on that.

(Full disclosure: I own no device actually capable of fully display 4K - not the iPhone 16, an older iPad, my MBP, not even my living room tv)

On the other hand, like most music listeners are not audiophiles, and won't distinguish between a good m4a audio and a lossless one (though there is certainly a difference), also most video watchers are unlikely to notice every fine detail - though I'm sure that a professional like you will certainly notice.

So, to summarize, the point is that, even though there is a difference, most casual viewers are likely to be completely oblivious to it.

I just did an experiment: I uploaded a nice 4K video to youtube and then played it back on my iPhone 16.

Youtube by default provided 1080p on the Mac, but only 480p on the iPhone. I could opt for 4K on the Mac, but on the iPhone the largest it would give me was 1440p. So there was no way for me to even force youtube to display my video from the 4K version, scaled or not.

Do you think most users even know that youtube may provide them with several different versions, maybe even a miserable 240p, even though the original was submitted at 4K? Do they know how to change the version of the video that youtube serves? I am convinced that most people just consume whatever youtube provides, and are oblivious to these technicalities.

What are you ultimately trying to accomplish? I'm not clear on why you're creating proxies.

Yup.