If you are using the version that comes with the AMVapp, try to get a newer version from
here.
I'd say get the beta version, but remember to disable the Auto-VAQ in the advanced tab if you want to make a Constant Quality encode (which I'd suggest).
Also, some suggestions as for which Constant Quality values to use depending on your resolution:
- For SD content (480p and 576p): 18~20
- For HD-Ready content (720p): 20~22
- For Full-HD content (1080p): 22~24
Generally, those values are what you should refer to, though you might want to lower if the quality isn't good enough, or increase if you think you can still retain quality will sensibly decreasing the filesize.
Another suggestion I have is to get the latest x264 version from
here and replacing it to the x264.exe that you find the in the zarxgui folder after the install.
Default settings of the gui should be fine, auto-vaq aside, but if you feel confident enough, you can make a bat and change settings following
this list to decide what you should change (if you want to give it a try, I'd suggest not toying around with ipratio, bratio, deadzones and qpstep - on the other hand I'd suggest you try to set trellis to 2, subme to 10, bframes to 8 and ref to 10).