How To Download Your Own YouTube Videos in 4K.
While it’s always useful to have multiple backups of all your YouTube videos, unfortunately YouTube doesn’t make it easy. YouTube Studio only lets you upload the 720p version of your video, which isn’t a problem if you’re shooting in 720p, but most YouTube users (including us) shoot in 4K or 1080p.
One way to solve this problem is to use Google Archive to download all of your data, including YouTube videos. But there are some problems here too, a couple of problems to be exact.
Problems with Google Takeout
1. It downloads all the videos you have uploaded to YouTube from day one. However, if you only want to download videos for a specific year or month. There is absolutely no way to selectively download videos.
2. Another problem with Google Takeout is that all videos are downloaded in the original format and size that you used when you downloaded the video. This may not be ideal depending on the situation, as 4K videos compressed by YouTube usually take up less space while offering lossless quality.
So, if you are in the same position as me, here are two ways to download your own YouTube videos in full resolution or 4K.
Before we start
Before we begin, I would like to make it clear that uploading and distributing other people’s videos on YouTube is illegal under the YouTube Terms of Service. We do not recommend that you do this in any way. This guide is solely for downloading your own YouTube videos for reuse or personal use.
How to download your YouTube videos in 4K
1. 4K Video Downloader
Ideal for: Downloading individual videos
The name speaks for itself. It allows you to download YouTube videos in 4K (if uploaded in 4K). However, 4K Video Downloader is not an online tool and you will have to download the app to your desktop. It has apps for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu. All you need to do is download the 4K Video Downloader app, copy the link to the YouTube video or playlist, and click on “Paste Link” in the app.
The app will then ask you for the desired download resolution. It only supports 1080p if you download it as MP4. However, if you switch to MKV format, it will support 4K as well as 8K depending on the video download resolution. Most smartphone and desktop apps support MKV and MP4 formats, so the format won’t be a problem. In addition, the app also supports downloading MP3 from videos and subtitles.
Read: How to Stream 2+ People Live Streams to YouTube for Free (It’s Easy)
4K Video Downloader runs on a freemium model. Hence, the free option has several limitations. For example, you cannot download a playlist with more than 24+ videos. The free version also contains ads according to the website. However, I did not notice one. You can upgrade to the premium option by paying a one-time fee of $ 15.
Pros:
- Supports up to 8K resolution.
- Supports loading playlists with 24 or less videos.
- Ability to download subtitles or convert to MP3.
Cons:
- Need a premium option to download playlists with 24+ videos.
Download 4K Video Downloader
2. youtube-dl
Ideal for: the entire playlist
youtube-dl has long been used to download videos for most applications. It is a command line tool but allows you to load an entire playlist with a single command.
In my case, when I need to download videos for a whole year. For example 2017-18. I use YouTube studio to filter my videos uploaded this particular year and add them to a publicly available playlist with a suitable title. Make sure the playlist is public as youtube-dl or any other video downloader doesn’t work with private or private playlists.
First of all, we will have to install youtube-dl on our system. For Windows, you have an installable file, whereas for macOS and Linux, you will need to download it through the terminal. Following are the installation commands:
Linux: sudo curl -L https://yt-dl.org/downloads/latest/youtube-dl -o / usr / local / bin / youtube-dl sudo chmod a + rx / usr / local / bin / youtube-dl
macOS: ruby ​​-e “$ (curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)” brew install wget –with-libressl sudo wget https: // yt-dl. org / Downloads / latest / youtube-dl -O / usr / local / bin / youtube-dl sudo chmod a + rx / usr / local / bin / youtube-dl
We have a dedicated article on downloading youtube-dl on Mac, you can have a better look at it.
After youtube-dl is installed, use the following command to download the video or the entire playlist. youtube-dl -i YouTube video link
youtube-video-link should be replaced with a single video link or a link to the entire playlist.
Read: 7 Places to Find Background Music for YouTube Videos for Free
In addition, youtube-dl also supports extracting MP3 from YouTube videos, selecting video formats, etc. It is beyond the scope of this article and you can check out this youtube-dl cheat sheet.
Pros:
- Free for unlimited use.
- Works on all platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux and even Android.
- Supports downloading the entire playlist.
- Ability to convert video to MP3, adjust resolution, etc.
Cons:
- Some technical knowledge required to set up and use.
Download youtube-dl
Closing words
So these were 3 ways to get your own YouTube videos in full resolution. I prefer the youtube-dl method as it is less expensive and works on my Ubuntu machine. If you have any further questions or concerns, let me know in the comments below.
Also Read: 6 Best Thumbnail Maker Apps for Android Smartphones