Video File Size Calculator
Calculate video file sizes based on resolution, frame rate, bit rate, and duration. Estimate storage needs for your video projects.
Calculate Your Video File Size Calculator
Understanding Video File Size Calculation
Video file size calculation is essential for filmmakers, content creators, and anyone working with video to plan storage, streaming bandwidth, and project requirements. This calculator helps you estimate file sizes for various video formats and specifications.
How Video File Size is Calculated
Video file size depends on several key factors:
- Resolution: The dimensions of the video frame (width × height).
- Bit rate: The amount of data processed per unit of time (typically measured in Mbps).
- Frame rate: The number of frames displayed per second (fps).
- Duration: The total length of the video.
- Codec: The compression algorithm used to encode the video.
The basic formula for video file size is:
File Size = Bit Rate × DurationFor example, a 10-minute video at 10 Mbps would be approximately 10 Mbps × 600 seconds = 6,000 Mb = 750 MB.
Video Codecs and Compression
Different video codecs provide varying levels of compression efficiency:
- H.264/AVC: The most widely supported video codec, offering good compression and quality balance.
- H.265/HEVC: Approximately 50% more efficient than H.264, meaning the same quality at half the bit rate.
- AV1: A newer codec that can be up to twice as efficient as H.264, though with higher encoding complexity.
- ProRes: A professional codec from Apple that prioritizes editing quality over file size.
- Uncompressed: Raw video data with no compression, resulting in extremely large files but preserving all original quality.
Bit Rate Selection
Bit rate is the most significant factor affecting both video quality and file size. Here are typical bit rates for different resolutions:
- SD (480p): 1-3 Mbps
- HD (720p): 3-6 Mbps
- Full HD (1080p): 8-12 Mbps
- QHD (1440p): 12-24 Mbps
- 4K UHD: 25-50 Mbps
- 8K: 80-160 Mbps
These values can vary based on content complexity (fast motion requires higher bit rates) and desired quality level.
Impact of Frame Rate
Higher frame rates require proportionally more data:
- 24 fps: Standard for film
- 25/30 fps: Common for TV and online video
- 50/60 fps: Used for smooth motion and sports
- 120+ fps: High frame rate for slow motion
Generally, doubling the frame rate requires approximately doubling the bit rate to maintain the same quality per frame.
Practical Applications
Understanding video file size is crucial for:
- Storage planning: Determining how much hard drive space or cloud storage you'll need
- Streaming requirements: Ensuring your internet connection can handle uploads/downloads
- Memory card capacity: Calculating recording time for cameras
- Delivery specifications: Meeting client or platform requirements
- Archiving: Planning long-term storage solutions
Advanced Considerations
For more precise estimates, consider these additional factors:
- Variable Bit Rate (VBR) vs. Constant Bit Rate (CBR): VBR adapts bit rate based on scene complexity
- Audio bit rate: Typically adds 128-384 Kbps per audio channel
- Content complexity: Static scenes compress better than high-motion scenes
- Container format overhead: File containers like MP4, MKV add small additional overhead
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
This calculator provides an estimate based on constant bit rate (CBR) encoding. Actual file sizes can vary due to several factors:
- Variable bit rate (VBR) encoding adjusts the bit rate dynamically based on scene complexity
- Audio tracks add to the file size (typically 128-384 Kbps per audio channel)
- Container format overhead varies slightly between MP4, MOV, MKV, etc.
- Metadata, chapters, and other additional data
- Some encoders apply scene-based optimizations that aren't captured in simple calculations
The calculator provides a good approximation for planning purposes, but actual sizes may vary by ±10-20%.
The optimal bit rate depends on your content, target quality, and distribution method:
For streaming:
- YouTube recommends 8-12 Mbps for 1080p and 35-45 Mbps for 4K
- Netflix uses approximately 5 Mbps for HD and 15 Mbps for 4K
For recording/mastering:
- Standard HD: 15-25 Mbps
- Professional HD: 50-100 Mbps
- 4K: 50-150 Mbps
- Professional 4K: 150-400 Mbps
Complex scenes with fast motion require higher bit rates than static scenes. When in doubt, use a higher bit rate for recording and then optimize for delivery.
Your codec choice depends on your workflow, compatibility needs, and quality/size requirements:
- H.264/AVC: The most universally compatible codec. Good choice for delivery to wide audiences.
- H.265/HEVC: Better compression than H.264 but requires more processing power. Good for 4K content where file size is a concern.
- AV1: Excellent compression but slow encoding. Best for streaming platforms that benefit from bandwidth savings.
- ProRes/DNxHD: Professional editing codecs. Larger files but optimized for editing performance.
- RAW: Highest quality for capturing and professional color grading.
For most use cases, H.264 provides a good balance of quality, compatibility, and size. Use ProRes/DNxHD for editing, then export to H.264/H.265 for delivery.
Storage requirements vary widely based on project type, but here are some estimates:
- Social media video (1-3 minutes, 1080p): 1-2 GB including raw footage
- Short film (10-15 minutes, 4K): 50-100 GB including raw footage and project files
- Feature film (90+ minutes, 4K): 500 GB to several TB
- Documentary with lots of footage: 1-5 TB
For professional work, a common guideline is to have 3-5 times your final delivery size available for the project, including raw footage, intermediate renders, and final exports.
Frame rate selection depends on your content and purpose:
- 24 fps: Traditional film look, good for narrative content
- 25/30 fps: Standard for TV broadcast and most online content
- 50/60 fps: Smooth motion for sports, action, or gaming content
- 100/120+ fps: For slow-motion sequences
Most content is viewed at 24-30 fps. Higher frame rates create smoother motion but require more bandwidth/storage and may create a "video" look rather than a "film" look for narrative content.
Constant Bit Rate (CBR) maintains the same bit rate throughout the entire video. This is predictable for file size calculations but inefficient, as simple scenes get the same data allocation as complex ones.
Variable Bit Rate (VBR) dynamically adjusts the bit rate based on scene complexity, allocating more data to complex scenes and less to simple ones. This results in better overall quality at the same average bit rate.
For most purposes, VBR is preferable for quality and efficiency. CBR is mainly used when consistent streaming performance is critical or for broadcast applications. The calculator provides estimates based on average bit rate, which works well for both CBR and VBR videos.
Audio typically adds a relatively small amount to the overall file size compared to video, but it's not negligible:
- Standard stereo audio (AAC/MP3): Approximately 128-256 Kbps (0.128-0.256 Mbps)
- High-quality stereo: 320 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps (lossless)
- 5.1 surround sound: 384-640 Kbps (compressed)
- Professional audio: 2-6 Mbps for multichannel PCM audio
For a typical 10-minute video with standard stereo audio at 192 Kbps, the audio would add about 14 MB to the file size. While this is small compared to the video portion of a high-resolution file, it can be significant for lower-resolution videos.
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