Convert Video to 60 FPS? Explained

Yes, you can convert a video to 60 fps, and the process is called frame interpolation or motion smoothing. You upload or import your video into software, which analyzes the existing frames and generates new ones in between to double (or otherwise increase) the frame rate. The result is a video that plays back at 60 frames per second, which looks noticeably smoother, especially for fast motion like sports or action scenes.

Why 60 FPS Matters

Standard video is often shot at 24 fps (cinema) or 30 fps (broadcast TV and online). 60 fps is common for sports broadcasts, gaming, and high-end smartphones. The human eye perceives motion differently at different frame rates: below about 30 fps, motion can look choppy, especially when the camera pans or an object moves quickly across the frame. At 60 fps, each frame is displayed for about 16.7 milliseconds instead of 33.3 ms (at 30 fps) or 41.7 ms (at 24 fps). That shorter duration reduces the visible flicker and motion blur, making the video look more fluid.

However, converting a video to 60 fps does not add new information that wasn’t captured. The camera only recorded a certain number of frames per second. Conversion software estimates what the motion between frames looked like and creates new frames that are a blend of the surrounding ones. This is why the result is not identical to shooting natively at 60 fps—it’s a simulation.

How Frame Interpolation Works

There are two main methods to increase frame rate: frame duplication and optical flow interpolation.

• Frame duplication simply repeats each original frame to fill the gaps. For example, to convert 30 fps to 60 fps, you would show each frame twice. This does not add any new motion information; it just reduces the flicker of the display. The video will look the same as the original, just with less perceived stutter on a 60 Hz screen. It’s a fast process but doesn’t create smooth motion.
• Optical flow interpolation is the more sophisticated method. The software analyzes the movement of pixels between two consecutive frames, estimates the direction and speed of that motion, and then creates a new frame that shows the objects halfway between their positions in the two original frames. This creates genuinely new frames that depict motion that wasn’t recorded. The result is much smoother, but it can produce artifacts if the motion is complex, like fast-moving backgrounds or occlusions (when one object passes behind another).

Most modern video editors and dedicated converters (like SVP, Flowframes, or the interpolation features in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Topaz Video AI) use optical flow interpolation for the best quality.

What You Need to Convert

To convert a video to 60 fps, you need software that supports frame interpolation. You do not need a special camera or hardware—the conversion is done entirely on your computer. The requirements are:

• A video file (MP4, MOV, MKV, etc.) that you want to convert.
• Software that can read and write video files and perform interpolation. Free options include Flowframes (Windows), SVP (Windows/Linux), and ffmpeg (command-line, all platforms) with the minterpolate filter. Paid options include Topaz Video AI, DaVinci Resolve Studio (the free version also has some retiming features), and Adobe Premiere Pro (with Optical Flow).
• A reasonably modern CPU or GPU. Interpolation is computationally heavy; a dedicated graphics card (NVIDIA or AMD) will speed up the process significantly.

If you’re using a command-line tool like ffmpeg, the basic command to convert a 30 fps video to 60 fps using motion interpolation is:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -filter:v "minterpolate=fps=60:mi_mode=mci" -c:v libx264 -crf 18 output.mp4

This tells ffmpeg to use motion-compensated interpolation to create 60 frames per second. The -crf 18 is a quality setting (lower is better, 18 is visually lossless). Adjust the input and output file names.

How to Choose the Right Method

Not every video should be converted to 60 fps. The best method depends on the content and your goal.

• For gaming footage or screen recordings: If your game runs at 60 fps but you recorded at 30 fps, converting to 60 fps with optical flow can make it look smoother. However, if the game has HUD elements that move (like a minimap), interpolation might cause them to jitter. Frame duplication is safer for UI-heavy content.
• For film or TV shows: Converting 24 fps film to 60 fps is controversial. It can create the “soap opera effectâ€� because the motion becomes too smooth and loses the cinematic feel. Many viewers dislike this. If you want to watch a movie at 60 fps for a smoother look, you can, but be aware it will change the aesthetic.
• For sports or action videos: These benefit the most from 60 fps because fast motion is captured more clearly. Optical flow interpolation will give the best results, but be prepared for possible artifacts on very fast pans or complex backgrounds.
• For animation: Hand-drawn animation is often done at 12 or 24 fps. Interpolating to 60 fps can make it look unnatural because the artists intentionally used fewer frames. It’s usually not recommended.

If you just want to watch a video at 60 fps on your TV (which is already 60 Hz), you can use frame duplication to avoid flicker, but you won’t get the smoothness of true 60 fps. For genuine motion smoothness, use optical flow.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

One common misconception is that converting a video to 60 fps will make it look like it was shot in 60 fps. It won’t. The original video has a certain amount of motion blur and temporal resolution. Interpolation can’t recover that. It can only estimate motion. The result is a smoother video, but it may have a “video-likeâ€� look that some people find distracting.

Another issue is artifacts. Optical flow algorithms can fail when:

• Objects move very fast across the frame (e.g., a bird flying by).
• There is occlusion—when one object passes behind another, the algorithm doesn’t know what’s behind it and may create ghosting or warping.
• The video has heavy noise or grain, which the algorithm might interpret as motion.
• There are cuts or scene changes. Interpolation should be disabled at cuts, but some software may still interpolate across them, causing a brief morph effect.

To minimize artifacts, use high-quality software that has options to detect scene changes and adjust the interpolation strength. You can also pre-process the video to reduce noise.

Costs and Hardware Considerations

The cost of converting video to 60 fps varies:

• Free tools: Flowframes (Windows) and SVP (Windows/Linux) are free and open-source. ffmpeg is also free. These are excellent for basic conversions.
• Paid tools: Topaz Video AI is a popular paid option that uses AI to enhance video, including frame interpolation. It can produce very high-quality results but costs money. DaVinci Resolve Studio (paid) also has advanced retiming features.
• Hardware requirements: Interpolation is CPU/GPU intensive. A high-end GPU (NVIDIA RTX or AMD Radeon) can process video several times faster than real-time. A mid-range CPU can still do it, but it will take longer. For a 10-minute 1080p video, you might expect conversion times of several minutes to an hour, depending on your hardware and the complexity of the motion.

There is no additional cost for the conversion itself beyond the software and your electricity. You don’t need to pay for any online service if you’re comfortable using desktop software.

Alternatives to Converting

If you want 60 fps video, the best way is to shoot it natively. Many smartphones, cameras, and screen recorders can capture at 60 fps. If you already have a 30 fps video, converting is the only way to get 60 fps, but you could also consider:

• Re-recording: If it’s a screen recording, you can re-record the action at 60 fps.
• Using a player with interpolation: Some media players (like MPC-HC with SVP) can interpolate on the fly, so you don’t have to convert the file—you just watch it at 60 fps in real-time. This is great for personal viewing but not for sharing the video.
• Accepting 30 fps: For many types of content, 30 fps is perfectly fine. If the video is mostly static or slow-moving, converting to 60 fps may not be worth the effort or risk of artifacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will converting to 60 fps make my video look better?

It depends on the content. For fast action, sports, or gaming, 60 fps can look significantly smoother and more detailed. For movies or slow-moving content, it may look unnatural and cause the “soap opera effect.� Try it on a short clip first to see if you like the look.

Can I convert 24 fps to 60 fps without ruining the cinematic look?

Technically yes, but the result will have the smoothness of 60 fps, which removes the traditional cinematic judder. If you want to keep the film look, you might prefer to keep it at 24 fps or convert only to 48 fps (which is a compromise). Some software allows you to adjust the interpolation strength to reduce the effect.

Does converting to 60 fps increase file size?

Yes, generally. A 60 fps video has more frames per second, so it requires more data to store. The file size will increase proportionally to the frame rate increase (e.g., converting 30 fps to 60 fps will roughly double the bitrate if you keep the same quality per frame). However, you can adjust the compression to keep the file size similar, but that will reduce quality.

Is there a free way to convert video to 60 fps?

Yes. Flowframes (Windows) is a free, open-source tool that uses SVP’s interpolation engine. ffmpeg is also free and works on all platforms, though it’s command-line only. These tools are capable of high-quality conversions, though they may require some tweaking to get the best results.

Why does my converted 60 fps video have ghosting or warping artifacts?

This is usually due to complex motion that the interpolation algorithm can’t handle correctly. Fast-moving objects, occlusions, or camera shake can cause the algorithm to make errors. Try using a different interpolation mode (e.g., “mciâ€� vs. “blendâ€� in ffmpeg), or reduce the frame rate difference (e.g., convert 30 to 60 instead of 24 to 60). Some software has artifact reduction settings.

Can I convert a 60 fps video back to 30 fps?

Yes, you can, but it’s not recommended. Converting 60 fps to 30 fps simply drops every other frame, which is lossless in terms of information (the original 30 frames are preserved). However, if you converted 30 to 60 first, the extra frames are interpolated, so converting back will not restore the original 30 frames exactly—you’ll get the original 30 frames plus some interpolated ones that are dropped, but the original frames are unchanged. So it’s safe but pointless.

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