H264 or MOV or both?

I submit to a few stock websites. Seems like some websites accept one format and not the other? This means I have to create two sets of files (and double the harddisk space)? Am I getting it wrong? How are you guys managing it? Thanks

Both are containers for the same form of image compression, which is AVC/H.264. It is like putting the same breakfast cereal in a box with different labelling, the contents are still the same. MP4 was created based on MOV. MOV is more suitable for Mac users, is my simple explanation.

Can't quite understand why other sites except only the one format!

Nice wording Brainwave. Cereal simile=most apt.

I've been changing my output extension from .mp4 to .mov when encoding h.264 as a PC user it makes no difference, it may for a Mac user, (at least once it was, not sure about these days) and certainly for a perception of quality standpoint (stemming from the Mac ideology thing) ... but it is no real difference.

At least Shutterstock and Pond5 accept both. Storyblocks only accepts h.264 HD resolution if it has extension .mov ... which is why I started changing mine. (I prefer to output ProResHQ, but h.264 "gits it done" for now.)

I just hate taking a 500 or 800 mb data rate and crushing it in h.264 to a hundred.

I do 200-300. Only issues so far are foggy gradients, even at 300. h,.264 hates gradients. At some point before summer travels I send in a drive with all the ProResHQ versions and replace. Impossible to upload more than a clip per day 1.5GB+ with my internet .. h.264 the only option.

Gene, Curious about this comment:
"Storyblocks only accepts h.264 HD resolution if it has extension .mov"
Are you saying for HD they only accept h.264 but I guess 4k is ok with Prores?

Since I only upload Prores to everyone. Never had a problem with Storyblocks.

Since "some cameras" only output high frame rates in HD resolution, and even the ProRes files I make from those are too big for me to feasibly upload, I tried h.264. However, StoryBlocks rejects these automatically if the resolution is HD and the filename extension is .mp4. So on a lark I tried changing it to .mov and uploading it -- the robot didn't reject it and the curators accepted it too. ProRes is acceptable to them in either resolution.

OK, Understood.

I guess everyone just use one format and submits to the website that accepts that format? (this is what I am doing now).

Keep it as simple for yourself as possible, which is, yes, upload the same format to all websites. They all accept ProRes and that is really the best reasonable quality you can be expected to put out .. so if your internet speed can handle it, do that. As mentioned by Rekindle, it is a shame to offer buyers super compressed 100mb/s h.264 ... so if you DO upload h.264 (in an .mov or .mp4 wrapper, .mov being "more universal") try to keep the bit rate as high as possible (200-300mb/s seems as good as I can do) , and check your skies, gradients, skin tones, etc. for ugly banding.

What are you encoding with?

Oh joy .. my old monitor just started flickering ... there goes more money....