RARBG rarely used 2-pass; they used CRF (Constant Rate Factor). CRF gives variable quality. For truly better results, use 2-pass to hit an exact file size.
Use aq-mode=3 and turn off strong intra-smoothing to stop dark scenes from looking blocky and flat.
Even if your source is 8-bit (like a standard Blu-ray), you should .
It is much less prone to "blocky" artifacts in blurred or bokeh areas.
This deep-dive article reconstructs the legendary RARBG x265 encoding settings, explores the science behind them, and provides you with the ultimate blueprint to create releases that are not just as good, but potentially better than the originals. rarbg x265 encoding settings better
The most significant improvement you can make is switching to encoding. Unlike CBR, which forces a specific bitrate regardless of the scene's complexity, CRF varies the bitrate to maintain a consistent quality level. Resolution Recommended CRF RARBG Target Bitrate 720p ~1500 kbps 1080p ~2500 kbps 4K (HDR)
Prevents "blocking" in dark areas and improves complex textures. 0 (Off)
Heavily restricted to meet size constraints.
Superior to fixed bitrate; it allocates data dynamically to maintain consistent quality. RARBG rarely used 2-pass; they used CRF (Constant
cpuid=1173503 / frame-threads=3 / numa-pools=1 / wpp / no-pmode / no-pme / no-psnr / no-ssim / log-level=2 / input-res=1920x1080 / interlace=0 / total-frames=164000 / level-idc=40 / high-tier=1 / uhd-bd=0 / ref=3 / no-allow-non-conformance / no-repeat-headers / annexb / no-aud / no-hrd / info / hash=1 / no-temporal-mvp / no-open-gop / min-keyint=23 / keyint=250 / bframes=4 / b-adapt=2 / b-pyramid / bframe-bias=0 / rc-lookahead=20 / lookahead-slices=6 / scenecut=40 / radl=0 / no-spline / x265-max-to-size-factor=1.0 / zone-count=0 / no-strict-cbr / rc=abr / bitrate=2000 / qcomp=0.60 / qpstep=4 / stats-write=0 / max-au-size-factor=1.0 / aq-mode=1 / aq-strength=1.00 / cbqpoffs=0 / crqpoffs=0 / rd=3 / psy-rd=2.00 / rdoq-level=1 / psy-rdoq=1.00 / no-rd-refine / no-fast-intra / no-tskip / no-tskip-fast / no-cu-stats / no-me-cu-stats / b-intra=0 / ctu=64 / min-cu-size=8 / no-rect / no-amp / max-tu-size=32 / tu-inter-depth=1 / tu-intra-depth=1 / limit-tu=0 / me=1 / subme=2 / merange=57 / temporal-layers=0 / no-hpel / rdpenalty=0 / dynamic-rd=0.00 / ssim-rd=0 / signhide / no-tskip-edge / no-early-skip / rskip=1 / rskip-edge-threshold=0.05 / no-splitrd-skip / no-hme / weightp / no-weightb / analyze-src-pics=0 / strong-intra-smoothing / max-cll=0,0 / master-display=G(13250,34500)B(7500,3000)R(34000,16000)WP(15635,16450)L(10000000,1) / cll=0 / min-luma=0 / max-luma=1023 / log2-max-poc-lsb=8 / vivid-color-hdr=0 / scte35-tonemap=0 Use code with caution. Critical Flaws in the Classic Archetype:
Use AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) or Opus . Opus is highly recommended for modern setups, as a 256kbps Opus track can cleanly deliver 5.1 surround sound that is virtually indistinguishable from the studio master.
Presets like medium or fast take shortcuts to save time. The slow preset enables more advanced motion estimation and sub-pixel analysis, which significantly improves the quality-to-size ratio. 2. Advanced Parameters ( x265-params )
: RARBG encodes often hovered around the equivalent of CRF 23-25. Dropping to 20 or 21 provides a massive jump in clarity for only a minor increase in file size. Use aq-mode=3 and turn off strong intra-smoothing to
If you want (better compression efficiency without blocking), use this:
This is a critical setting for dark scenes. Standard x265 often creates ugly macroblocking in dark areas. Mode 3 biases bit distribution toward dark frames, ensuring shadows remain smooth and free of digital artifacts.
: Retaining high detail (like facial textures and grain) without obvious digital artifacts.