HandBrake Tutorial: How to Convert 4K to 1080P with HandBrake

There are several reasons to convert 4K to 1080p, including but not limited to compressing videos for faster sharing, downscaling videos to fit for the electronic device, media player or video editor we use, releasing space for our hard drive, flash drive, cloud storage, etc.If you want to downscale a 4K UHD video to HD 1080p with a free and open-source video converter, HandBrake is a practical option.

Can HandBrake convert 4K to 1080p? Yes. HandBrake can downscale a 4K video (3840×2160) to 1080p (1920×1080). The basic process is to load your 4K video, choose a 1080p preset or set the output dimensions to 1920×1080, adjust the video quality and encoder settings if needed, and click Start Encode.

A More Powerful HandBrake Alternative - Winxvideo AI

• Accept 4K @ 24/25/30/50/60 videos in almost any format, including H.264, H.265, VP9, MP4, MKV, MXF, WebM, etc.
• Convert 4K to 1080p to fit for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows device, Web, etc.
• Make most use of Intel QSV and NVIDIA CUDA/NVENC level-3 hardware acceleration to quicken compression speed remarkably and keep balance among speed, quality and file size.

For Windows and Mac only. If you are a mobile user, please click here.

Part 1. How to Downscale 4K (2160p) to 1080p with Free HandBrake?

If you haven't installed HandBrake on your computer, firstly you should download the setup file from HandBrake.fr - the only official place where HandBrake can be downloaded from and then install it following the on-screen instruction. Once installed, let's follow the steps below to downscale 4K to 1080p on HandBrake.

Step 1. Launch HandBrake and load the 4K video you want to compress.

Click "File" under "Source Selection", and then you can open target 4K video in MP4/MKV/MXF encoded with H.264, H.265, VP9 or other formats. Alternatively, input source 4K video via drag-and-drop. Then, just wait for it to scan the file. It normally takes a few seconds. Once done, you will see the file information in "Source" section.

Step 2. Choose output preset and modify output settings.

Click the right arrow of "Presets", and then you should see dozens of presets that HandBrake offers. In the table below, we list the native 1080p presets and other information to help you decide which preset you should choose.

If you still can't find a desired 1080p preset, you can click "Save New Preset" button in the bottom to create 1080p preset manually based on your own needs.

Set the output resolution to 19020x1080

After selecting a preset, check the Dimensions or picture settings and make sure the output resolution is set to 1920x1080.

For a standard 16:9 4K source, 3840×2160 will be downscaled to 1920×1080. Keep the aspect ratio enabled to avoid stretching or distorting the video. You can also adjust other output settings, such as the container format, video/audio codec, frame rate, and bitrate, if necessary.

Tips for faster 4K to 1080p compression

1. Choosing "H.264 (Intel QSV)" as the video codec is a feasible way to speed up compression and take a big weight off CPU, because it will activate Intel QSV (Quick Sync Video) hardware acceleration. Please be noted that Intel QSV is only available on Windows.

Note: Since version 1.2.2, Handbrake is built with x265 encoder for transcoding videos to HEVC with Intel QSV, Nvidia Nvenc or AMD GPU acceleration as well.

2. Disabling "2-Pass Encoding" in Video tab can also quicken the compression process greatly (nearly twice faster), but it will degrade your output quality.

3. Choose an appropriate quality setting. HandBrake uses Constant Quality (RF) for many encoding workflows. A lower RF value generally means higher quality and a larger file, while a higher RF value produces more compression and a smaller file. For 1080p H.264 encoding, an RF value around 20–23 can be a reasonable starting range, but the best value depends on the source video, encoder, and your preferred balance between quality and file size.

Step 3. Click "Browse" to specify the save path and file name for the output 1080p video.

Step 4. Hit "Start Encode" (the green round button) in the top bar. Then, HandBrake will begin compressing your 4K videos from iPhone, GoPro, DJI or other devices to 1080p immediately.

Check the detailed tutorial on how to use Handbrake tutorial to to compress video >>

Our 4K to 1080p HandBrake Test

• Equipment for testing: Windows 10 Pro; Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz; 8GB RAM; 64-bit OS
• Source file: 4K (3840x2160) @ 30fps; bitrate: 33297kbps; WebM (VP9+Vorbis); length: 00:06:24; size: 833 MB
• HandBrake preset: Fast 1080p30 [MP4 (H.264 + AAC)]

Test results:

Situation 1. 2-Pass Encoding: checked; Intel QSV: unchecked

• Output Bitrate: 10624kbps
• File size: 486 MB
• CPU usage: 95%-100%
• Avg FPS: 10
• Time elapsed: 20.55 min

Situation 2. Intel QSV: checked

• Output Bitrate: 17528kbps
• File size: 802 MB
• CPU usage: 87%-100%
• Avg FPS: 15
• Time elapsed: 13.47 min

The test shows that hardware encoding can significantly reduce encoding time, although the output file size and bitrate can vary depending on the encoder and quality settings. In this test, QSV completed the conversion faster, but it produced a larger output file.

Is there quality loss after compressing 4K to 1080p?

Yes, technically, the video quality will be degraded after compression. However, if the resolution of your player device can only reach 1080p or lower, you won't see much difference between 4K and 1080p video. After our testing, we played the original 4K video and the 1080p video compressed from 4K on a 1050p display. As a result, we didn't see much quality loss.

Our video tutorial shows how to use HandBrake to reduce video file size, including when and how to downscale 4K to 1080p, choose the right encoder, and adjust Constant Quality (RF) for a good balance between quality and file size.

Part 2. Best HandBrake Alternative - Downscale 4K to 1080p much Faster

HandBrake does work when we need to convert 4K video to 1080p. However, we also notice that HandBrake is such a CPU-heavy program always using over 90% and even 100% CPU and runs very slow, even with the help of Intel QSV hardware acceleration. If you need a faster 4k video converter, you can give hardware-accelerated Winxvideo AI a try.

Superior to HandBrake supporting Intel QSV encoding only (level-1 hardware acceleration), Winxvideo AI supports Intel QSV and NVIDIA CUDA/NVENC powered hardware decoding, processing and encoding (level-3 hardware acceleration). That is to say, the whole process is assisted by dedicated hardware, including video processing step. Therefore, it can not only speed up compressing but also minimize loss in quality. In addition, this program also embraces MMX-SSE, Hyper-threading and AMD 3DNow! tech.

Below is the testing result we made on Winxvideo AI using the same general output target.

• Intel QSV: checked
• Output preset: 1080p30 [MP4 (H.264 + AAC)]
• Bitrate: 11401kbps
• File size: 522 MB (280 MB smaller than the result from HandBrake)
• Avg FPS: 35 fps (20 fps faster than HandBrake)
• Time elapsed: 6.53 min (6.94 min faster than HandBrake)

In this test, Winxvideo AI completed the conversion faster and produced a smaller output file than the HandBrake QSV result. Actual results will vary depending on your hardware, source video, encoder, and output settings. This 4K video converter is also designed for a simpler workflow: import the 4K video, choose a preset, set the output resolution to 1920×1080, and start the conversion.

If you want to try other Handbrake alternatives, check the video tutorial and learn how to change video resolution from 4k to 1080p using other feasible tools.

Looking for an easier way to reduce video size? If you don't want to adjust codecs, RF values, bitrate, and other encoding settings manually, a dedicated video compressor can simplify the process. See our guide to the best video compressors that make it easier to reduce video size while maintaining good visual quality.