LinkedIn 30-minute video ad at 500 MB: 2.2 Mbps average, $3.00 render

A 30-minute LinkedIn video ad has to average no more than about 2.2 Mbps to stay inside the 500 MB cap, and Sume can render a 30-minute file with the timeline for $3.00. LinkedIn's page allows lengths from three seconds to 30 minutes and file sizes from 75 KB to 500 MB (LinkedIn page, read 2026-10-09). Sume's timeline accepts audio.duration_seconds from 1 to 1,800, which is exactly 30 minutes (Sume Timeline docs, read 2026-10-09).

The bitrate ceiling

500 MB is 500,000,000 bytes, or 4,000,000,000 bits, if MB means 1,000,000 bytes. Divided by 1,800 seconds that is 2,222,222 bits per second, about 2.22 Mbps. With binary megabytes (524,288,000 bytes) the figure is about 2.33 Mbps. The LinkedIn page does not say which definition applies, so plan for 2.2 Mbps average, audio included.

What Sume can do at 30 minutes

Two surfaces matter. Video trim takes a source up to 1,800 seconds but outputs at most 900 seconds, so one trim cannot produce a 30-minute file. Timeline 1.0 takes up to 1,800 seconds of audio and up to 200 video slots and returns one MP4. It costs $0.10 per output minute, rounded up: 30 x $0.10 = $3.00.

Sume has no bitrate field. The docs say callers never send codec, crf or filtergraph fields. So you cannot ask for 2 Mbps. You render, read the file size, and decide. A 30-minute render that lands over 500 MB cannot be uploaded to LinkedIn as is.

Practical options

If the file is too large, shorten the ad. LinkedIn recommends 15 to 30 seconds for all placements, and in-stream placements run up to 90 seconds (LinkedIn page, read 2026-10-09), so a 30-minute ad is an unusual choice. The usual fix is a shorter cut, rendered at a smaller size. A 720x1280 or 1280x720 file is lighter than 1080p. If you must keep the length, lower the size first, since Sume gives you no quality knob.

Also plan the time. A timeline render is a job: the default mode is async, you poll GET /v1/jobs/:id/status, and mode: "sync" waits at most 30 seconds before returning 202. A 30-minute render will come back as a job, not a sync response. See the longest ad lengths post for the other platforms and average bitrate ceilings for a wider table.