Thinkific video upload: 3 GB, H.264 MP4, 5,000 to 8,000 kbps

Thinkific limits each uploaded video to under 3 GB, recommends H.264 in an MP4, 5,000 to 8,000 kbps, a constant 15 to 60 fps, and supports resolutions up to 1080p. Audio is AAC, 44.1 kHz, 2-channel stereo. Any aspect ratio works, and 16:9 is best. Specs are from Thinkific Support, read 2026-10-01.

What does Thinkific recommend?

How do I render a 16:9 1080p lesson?

1920x1080 at 24, 25 or 30 fps is inside Thinkific's 15 to 60 range, and Sume returns MP4. The default output is vertical, so set the size. Timeline 1.0 (POST /v1/timeline-1.0/render) takes output.width and output.height as even integers from 256 to 2160 and output.fps of 24, 25, 30 or 60, or omits fps to match the sources. It needs an Idempotency-Key, accepts only media.sume.com sources, and returns one MP4 at $0.10 per output minute, rounded up. The unbilled POST /v1/timeline-1.0/plan previews the cost first.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/timeline-1.0/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: thinkific-lesson-001" \
  -d '{
    "audio": { "mode": "silence", "duration_seconds": 600 },
    "output": { "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "fps": 30 },
    "video": [
      { "source_url": "https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/shot.mp4",
        "start": 0, "duration": 600, "fit": "cover" }
    ]
  }'

Can I set bitrate, codec or audio sample rate?

Sume's docs list no bitrate or codec field. The render endpoints refuse codec, crf and filtergraph keys with a 400, so you cannot tune the encode from the request. Sume's docs state no audio sample rate, so check 44.1 kHz stereo yourself.

Is a 3840-wide video worth it?

Thinkific lists 640 to 3840 px wide but says it serves up to 1080p, and Sume's width cap is 2160, so 1920x1080 is the practical choice.

How do I check the render?

Probe the finished file with Video inspect 1.0. With frames: false it is a probe only, it is unbilled, and it reports width, height, container, fps and duration_seconds. It does not report file size, codec or bitrate, so check those with a local tool before you upload.