What this Video File Size Calculator does
The Video File Size Calculator estimates how much storage the image data in a video would occupy before compression. It uses five values: duration in seconds, image width and height in pixels, frame rate, and color depth in bits per pixel. Together, those inputs describe how many pixel bits are produced over the clip's duration.
The result is an uncompressed estimate in decimal gigabytes. It is useful for understanding why resolution, frame rate, and duration affect a video file's data volume. It does not predict the size of a typical exported MP4, MOV, or other compressed deliverable. Compression changes the amount of data, and the calculator does not model a codec, bitrate, audio track, metadata, or container overhead.
This distinction matters in media production. A camera original, editing proxy, intermediate file, and final web export can represent the same footage at very different sizes. Use this calculation as a baseline for pixel data, then check actual project or export settings when estimating storage for a real production.
How to use the Video File Size Calculator
Enter the clip's duration, frame dimensions, frame rate, and bits per pixel. Use values that describe the video stream you want to estimate. The defaults describe one minute at 1920 by 1080 pixels and 30 frames per second, with 24 bits per pixel as the assumed color depth.
- Duration is the number of seconds in the clip.
- Width and height are the frame dimensions in pixels, such as 1920 by 1080.
- Frame rate is the number of frames represented each second, such as 24, 30, or 60.
- Color depth is the assumed number of bits used per pixel. The default of 24 represents an illustrative three-channel, 8-bit-per-channel model.
For example, a 60-second clip at 1920 by 1080, 30 frames per second, and 24 bits per pixel produces this calculation:
60 × 1920 × 1080 × 30 × 24 ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000,000 = 11.20 GB
The estimate counts the uncompressed pixel data under those assumptions. It is not a prediction that an exported one-minute video will occupy 11.20 GB. A compressed export may be much smaller, but its size depends on settings the calculator does not request.
How the Video File Size Calculator formula works
The formula multiplies duration by width, height, frames per second, and bits per pixel. This produces a total number of bits for the modeled image data. Dividing by eight converts bits to bytes. Dividing by one billion converts bytes to decimal gigabytes, where one GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes.
In equation form, the estimate is:
Size in GB = seconds × width × height × frames per second × bits per pixel ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000,000
Each input has a direct effect. Doubling the duration doubles the estimate. Doubling either frame dimension also doubles it, while doubling both dimensions makes the estimate four times as large because each frame contains four times as many pixels. Doubling the frame rate or color depth doubles the modeled data as well.
The formula treats every frame as a full frame with the same pixel count and color depth. It does not account for chroma subsampling, variable frame rate, alpha channels, image sequences with missing frames, or compression. Its value is in making the relationship between image parameters and raw data transparent.
Use cases for the Video File Size Calculator
This calculator can help production teams compare uncompressed data volumes across planned formats. For example, a producer can see how moving from 30 to 60 frames per second affects the raw image-data estimate while leaving duration and dimensions unchanged. An editor can also compare the scale of a short high-resolution sequence with a longer lower-resolution one.
It can support early storage conversations for camera tests, motion graphics, archival scans, and image-sequence workflows. Teams might use the result to understand why working with high-resolution, high-frame-rate source material can require substantial storage and bandwidth. The figure can guide questions for a more detailed estimate based on camera specifications, codec, bit rate, number of camera angles, and retention plans.
Use the calculator for a clearly defined stream or clip. If a project has several cameras, calculate each stream separately and add the results for a rough combined uncompressed image-data total. That sum still excludes audio and operational storage needs such as duplicates, backups, renders, and project files.
Other factors to consider when calculating video storage
Most delivered video is compressed, so its actual size is usually better estimated from bitrate and duration. A bitrate-based calculation needs the video and audio bitrates and a consistent unit conversion. Since those inputs are not part of this calculator, its result should not be treated as the expected export size or as a storage purchase target.
Codec choice and export settings affect how much data is retained. Constant or variable bitrate, quality targets, encoder profiles, chroma sampling, bit depth, and scene complexity all influence compressed output. Audio contributes additional data, while subtitles, captions, metadata, and container structure add smaller amounts that vary by workflow.
For practical planning, check the size of a representative test export made with the intended settings. Multiply that observed size by the number of clips or total runtime, then account for versions and backups according to the production's workflow. Keep source media, proxies, project files, and final masters distinct in the estimate because they may use different formats and sizes.
Frequently asked questions
Does the result show the size of an MP4 export?
No. It estimates uncompressed pixel data using the supplied dimensions, frame rate, duration, and color depth. An MP4's size depends on its codec and export bitrate or quality settings, along with audio and other included data.
Why does resolution increase the estimate?
A frame's pixel count is its width multiplied by its height. More pixels mean more image data per frame under the same color-depth assumption. Increasing both width and height increases the pixel count by the product of those changes.
Why is color depth listed in bits per pixel?
The formula needs a single bit count for each pixel. The default of 24 is a simple model for three channels at 8 bits each. Actual video formats can use different bit depths, sampling schemes, and channel arrangements, so use a value that matches the intended model and treat the result as an estimate.
Are gigabytes and gibibytes the same?
No. This calculator uses decimal gigabytes, with one GB equal to one billion bytes. A gibibyte uses 1,073,741,824 bytes, so the same byte total has a lower numerical value in GiB.
How should I estimate a compressed deliverable?
Use a representative export or calculate from the planned average bitrate and duration, adding audio data when relevant. Then verify the estimate against the editing or encoding software because actual output can vary with content and settings.