Video file size calculator
How much space will your footage take? Pick the codec, size and frame rate to get the data rate, the size per hour and how much fits on a drive.
Audio is counted as uncompressed 48 kHz, 24-bit. Sizes are decimal, like a drive label.
Every codec at
| Codec | Mbit/s | Per hour | Hours on your drive |
|---|
ProRes and DNxHR are variable bit rate: these are Apple’s and Avid’s target rates, which real files land close to. Grainy or busy pictures come out larger.
Questions
How accurate are the sizes?
ProRes and DNxHR are variable bit rate: the figures here are Apple’s and Avid’s target rates, which real files land close to. Busy, grainy or noisy pictures come out larger and simple graphics smaller. ProRes 4444 with an alpha channel can be up to a third bigger.
Why is my drive smaller than its label?
Drive makers and macOS count in decimal (1 TB = 1,000 GB), but Windows counts in binary (1 TiB = 1,024 GiB), so a 2 TB drive shows as about 1.82 TB on Windows. This calculator uses decimal units, like the drive label and Finder.
Which ProRes should I use?
ProRes 422 HQ is the usual choice for masters and online editing. ProRes 422 or LT suit offline editing and dailies, Proxy is for lightweight proxies, and ProRes 4444 or 4444 XQ are for VFX, graphics with transparency and the highest-quality grading masters.
How much space does audio take?
Uncompressed 48 kHz, 24-bit audio is 1.152 Mbit/s a channel: about 0.5 GB an hour for each channel, so stereo adds about 1 GB an hour and 5.1 about 3 GB an hour. Next to ProRes video that is very little.
How should I plan storage for a shoot?
Work out the hours of footage you expect at the camera codec, then double it for a backup copy on a separate drive, and add room for proxies, renders and exports. Keep at least 10 to 20% of every drive free: full drives slow down.