diff --git a/4-seasons.sh b/4-seasons.sh
index b53df3b..58595a0 100755
--- a/4-seasons.sh
+++ b/4-seasons.sh
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ done > "$temp_file"
 echo "Step 1/2: encoding raw video..."
 ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
     -f concat -safe 0 -i "$temp_file" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 28 -vsync 2 -an \
+    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_SEASONS_RAW" -vsync 2 -an \
     -y "$temp_video"
 
 raw_duration=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$temp_video")
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ final_file="$output_dir/${yesterday}_Mvt${MVT_NUM}-Day${DAY_OF_MVT}of${DAYS_IN_M
 ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
     -i "$temp_video" \
     -vf "setpts=PTS/$speed_factor" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 26 \
+    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_SEASONS_FINAL" \
     -t "$target_per_clip" -an \
     -y "$final_file"
 
diff --git a/daily_sunrise_video.sh b/daily_sunrise_video.sh
index da5bf51..8289109 100644
--- a/daily_sunrise_video.sh
+++ b/daily_sunrise_video.sh
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ first_movie="$output_dir/$current_date-sunrise-day.mp4"
 
 # Create the first movie at the default frame rate (no speed adjustments)
 echo "Creating video at default frame rate..."
-ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i "$temp_file" -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 28 -vsync 2 -y "$first_movie"
+ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i "$temp_file" -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_SUNRISE" -vsync 2 -y "$first_movie"
 
 # Check the duration of the created video
 video_duration=$(ffmpeg -i "$first_movie" 2>&1 | grep "Duration" | cut -d ' ' -f 4 | sed s/,//)
diff --git a/fullday-video.sh b/fullday-video.sh
index a627b5e..c2df80a 100755
--- a/fullday-video.sh
+++ b/fullday-video.sh
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ echo "Creating: $output_file"
 
 ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
     -f concat -safe 0 -i "$temp_list" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 28 \
+    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_FULLDAY" \
     -an -y "$output_file"
 
 actual_dur=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$output_file")
diff --git a/montage-mvt.sh b/montage-mvt.sh
index dfcd52a..c22d6dc 100755
--- a/montage-mvt.sh
+++ b/montage-mvt.sh
@@ -31,9 +31,11 @@ base_dir="$BASE_DIR"
 music_base_dir="$MUSIC_DIR"
 [ ! -d "$music_base_dir" ] && music_base_dir="$SCRIPT_DIR/music"
 
-FADE_DUR=2.0   # video + audio fade in/out (seconds)
-ATTR_DUR=6     # attribution overlay duration (seconds from start)
-ATTR_FADE=1    # attribution fade in / fade out duration
+# Fade/overlay durations come from sky-cam.conf (MONTAGE_FADE_DUR,
+# MONTAGE_ATTR_DUR, MONTAGE_ATTR_FADE).  Alias for shorter local use.
+FADE_DUR="$MONTAGE_FADE_DUR"
+ATTR_DUR="$MONTAGE_ATTR_DUR"
+ATTR_FADE="$MONTAGE_ATTR_FADE"
 
 # ── Season / movement info ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 DATE_ARG="${1:-}"
@@ -100,7 +102,7 @@ ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
     -f concat -safe 0 -i "$concat_list" \
     -vf "scale=${VIDEO_W}:${VIDEO_H}:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,\
 pad=${VIDEO_W}:${VIDEO_H}:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2,setsar=1" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 26 -an \
+    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_MONTAGE" -an \
     -y "$temp_concat"
 
 # ── Step 2: Speed-adjust to match music duration exactly ──────────────────────
@@ -112,7 +114,7 @@ temp_sped=$(mktemp --suffix=.mp4); TMPFILES+=("$temp_sped")
 ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
     -i "$temp_concat" \
     -vf "setpts=PTS/$speed_factor" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf 26 -an \
+    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_MONTAGE" -an \
     -t "$music_duration" -y "$temp_sped"
 rm "$temp_concat"
 
@@ -156,7 +158,7 @@ ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
 "[0:v]fade=t=in:st=0:d=${FADE_DUR},fade=t=out:st=${fade_out_start}:d=${FADE_DUR},${DT}[vout];\
 [1:a]afade=t=in:st=0:d=${FADE_DUR},afade=t=out:st=${fade_out_start}:d=${FADE_DUR}[aout]" \
     -map "[vout]" -map "[aout]" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 192k \
+    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a "$AUDIO_BITRATE" \
     -t "$music_duration" -y "$output_file"
 rm "$temp_sped"
 
diff --git a/sky-cam.conf b/sky-cam.conf
index 2046e92..9d0f3e2 100644
--- a/sky-cam.conf
+++ b/sky-cam.conf
@@ -209,6 +209,32 @@ SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS=10
 FULLDAY_FPS=5        # frame rate of the timelapse video
 RETENTION_DAYS=10    # delete full-day videos older than this many days
 
+# ── Video encoding quality ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# FFmpeg CRF: lower = higher quality / larger files.  Typical range 18–30.
+#   18 ≈ visually lossless     23 = ffmpeg default     28 = smaller/lower
+# Different scripts use different defaults by design — intermediate/draft
+# encodings use a higher CRF (smaller files, quality less critical), while
+# final "polished" outputs use a lower CRF for better quality.
+# Each is independent — changing one does NOT change the others.
+#
+CRF_SUNRISE=28        # daily_sunrise_video.sh   — daily Mattermost upload
+CRF_FULLDAY=28        # fullday-video.sh         — full-day timelapse
+CRF_SEASONS_RAW=28    # 4-seasons.sh             — raw concat before speed-adjust
+CRF_SEASONS_FINAL=26  # 4-seasons.sh             — final daily clip (goes into montage)
+CRF_MONTAGE=26        # montage-mvt.sh           — concat and speed-adjust and final
+AUDIO_BITRATE=192k    # montage-mvt.sh           — music track on movement montages
+
+# ── Montage attribution overlay ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+# A translucent bar across the top of each movement montage, naming the
+# music source ("The Four Seasons — Antonio Vivaldi ...").
+# Appears for MONTAGE_ATTR_DUR seconds from the start, with ATTR_FADE-second
+# fade in and fade out.  FADE_DUR controls the video/audio fade in/out at
+# the very start and very end of the montage.
+#
+MONTAGE_FADE_DUR=2.0   # video + audio fade in/out (seconds)
+MONTAGE_ATTR_DUR=6     # attribution overlay total duration (seconds)
+MONTAGE_ATTR_FADE=1    # attribution fade-in and fade-out length (seconds)
+
 # ── Mattermost — daily sunrise upload ─────────────────────────────────────────
 mattermost_url=https://your-mattermost-server.example.com
 access_token=your-access-token-here