Toolvana: production-ready media tools platform (CodeIgniter 4)

- 134-tool registry with programmatic SEO (unique titles/H1/descriptions,
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- DB-backed job queue (SKIP LOCKED) with drivers: Ffmpeg, Images (GD),
  Pdf (qpdf/gs/poppler), Youtube (thumbnails), Qr (server-side PNG)
- Security: SSRF guard, MIME validation, rate limits, API-key auth,
  bcrypt admin login, security headers
- Admin panel: dashboard, tools/categories/guides CRUD, SEO audit,
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- Docker deployment (nginx + web/api FPM pools + scalable workers),
  PHPUnit suite (19 tests / 1139 assertions), PWA manifest + service worker

content/guides/how-to-reduce-video-size.md

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+---
+slug: how-to-reduce-video-size
+title: "How to Reduce Video Size for Email, Discord and Uploads"
+excerpt: "Platform size limits decoded — email attachments, Discord uploads, WhatsApp and Loom caps — with the exact settings to hit each one."
+seo_title: "How to Reduce Video Size – Hit Every Upload Limit"
+seo_description: "Shrink videos under email, Discord and WhatsApp limits. Resolution, bitrate and codec settings that cut file size without wrecking quality."
+date: "2025-11-28"
+tools: ["video-compressor", "video-cutter", "video-resolution-converter"]
+---
+
+Every platform has a ceiling. Here are the current common limits and the fastest way to get under each.
+
+## The limits that matter in 2026
+
+| Platform | Limit | Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| Gmail / Outlook | 25 MB attachment | Drives most compression needs |
+| Discord (free) | 10 MB per file | Brutal for video |
+| WhatsApp | 16 MB (status), 2 GB (document share) | Document route is generous |
+| Telegram | 2 GB free | Rarely a constraint |
+| Loom free tier | 5 minutes / 25 MB-ish effective | Compress or trim |
+
+## Strategy 1: trim before you compress
+
+The cheapest megabytes are the ones you delete. Cutting a rambling intro from a screen recording saves proportionally more than any codec trick. Use the [Video Trimmer](/video-trimmer) first — it copies streams when possible so quality stays untouched.
+
+## Strategy 2: match resolution to destination
+
+Nobody needs 4K inside an email:
+
+- **Chat apps** — 720p is plenty on phones.
+- **Email previews** — even 540p reads fine.
+- **Documentation embeds** — 1080p keeps text crisp.
+
+Our [resolution converter](/video-resolution-converter) scales while preserving aspect ratio automatically.
+
+## Strategy 3: compress last
+
+With content trimmed and resolution matched, run the [Video Compressor](/video-compressor):
+
+- **Balanced preset** handles most cases.
+- **Smaller** preset suits static screen recordings — they compress spectacularly.
+- **Sharper** preset only when fine text must stay readable.
+
+## Worked example
+
+A 340 MB, 8-minute 4K screen recording destined for email:
+
+1. Trim to 6:40 of actual content → ~280 MB
+2. Scale to 1080p → ~95 MB
+3. Compress balanced → **18 MB** ✓ under the 25 MB limit
+
+Total time: about three minutes including processing.
+
+## FAQ
+
+**Why does my compressed video look blocky during motion?**
+The quality target is fighting fast movement. Step one preset sharper, or reduce resolution instead — smaller frames hide artifacts better than starved bitrates.
+
+**Does compressing remove metadata?**
+Re-encoding drops most container metadata naturally. For guaranteed stripping, run [Remove Metadata](/remove-metadata-from-video) afterwards.