YouTube Destroys Quality, What Should I Do?

[xstarxcrossedx]

I have been working on this animation for hours at this and nothing is working. I've been trying repeatedly to do everything I can. I have it saved as a .mov file, which I then compressed to an .mp4 file, and when I check it, it's perfect. However, when I upload it to YouTube, it makes a couple of the frames blurry. Mostly the parts where it shows text, where it's either pixelated or low quality. It confuses me, because at some points, it's completely clear. 
Also, what's the recommendation for audio settings? I tried Raw 44 hz but it was hurting my ears so I tried something else. It made the volume quality better, but it doesn't sound as clear as the original source. I will provide screenshots or information if needed. I'm fairly new to this software so any kind of help is greatly appreciated. 

[xstarxcrossedx]

Something I also forgot to mention, I'm doing this using Adobe Animate CC

[Mario_CR]

Pixelation on parts of the video indicate a low bitrate, when transcoding to MP4 use a high quality preset like H.264 > Match Source Adaptive High Bitrate on Media Encoder.

If you're not using Media Encoder and you have to set the bitrate manually for some reason, here's my recommendation for a 24-30fps MP4 video:

• For 1080p video, bitrate should be around 10mbps.
• For 4K video it should be four times as that so around 40 mbps.
• Audio Codec: ACC 48000 Hz - 320 kbps.

There's also a full list of recommended settings by Google for more detailed information:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en

[xstarxcrossedx]

Thank you for your answer. I tried to put in the exact settings you used, but the pixelated text hasn't cleared up. Could it be because it's against a lighter background? Here is the video I'm working on:

https://youtu.be/WAGpJbdtbKo

The problem starts between 0:46 - 0:52 
I'm glad that the graphics are working at least. I'm just wondering if there's any possible way I can make the text smoother at that specific part. 

[Mario_CR]

What font is it?

[xstarxcrossedx]

Here are all the settings I have it set to. I did have it as "Anti-alias for readability" for awhile but nothing changed. 

[Mario_CR]

Wait it still looks like a bitrate issue, compare the frame at 0:47 to the frame at 0:48, where it says the word "one", the entire screen is more pixelated at 0:47 not just the text, so it's definetely not a text issue. You said earlier that the MP4 looks fine, so it might just be the terrible compression YouTube does.

[xstarxcrossedx]

Yeah, I've been trying to come up with different ways to get it right, but it just refuses to cooperate with me. I've even tried putting it in Premiere Pro but it just comes out with the same result. I know that there's gotta be a way, since I've seen many animations on YouTube that are used with Adobe Animate and come out clear. Is there anything else I can do or should I just resort to screen recording? 

[Mario_CR]

I found this video recommending to upload videos in 2K or 4K to force YouTube to transcode them using a better codec (vp09) instead of the default (avc1). Supposedly it benefits all resolutions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1pRz4qTuXs&ab_channel=GlenReed

[n. tilcheff]

YT does recompress uploads and there is nothing that one can do after a certain point, as far as I know.

h.264 in general (just like JPG) has issues with solid colour high-contrast transitions (edges), esp. in the red area of the spectrum.

[xstarxcrossedx]

I see. I've tried 4K but it has same results as regular. I'm going to try and find a way to screen record the file I have and hopefully it'll work. Thank you guys for going out of your way to help, I appreciate it. 

[Animatrr]

Did you upload it through Media Encoder?  I always export my animations through that.

[Animatrr]

Wait nvm