Footage Storage Calculator — ProRes, H.264, H.265 estimates

How much hard drive space do you need for 3 hours of 4K ProRes 422? Pick a preset or enter any bitrate to get total GB/TB.

Inputs

Bitrate:

Optional: set your own bitrate; clears the preset value.

Estimated storage

0 GB
0 TB
Per hour:

Quick tip

For separate audio (e.g., 1.5 Mbps stereo), add it to the custom bitrate to cover both video and sound.

Common 4K UHD bitrates (approx.)

PresetBitrate (Mbps)Notes

How to use this calculator

This calculator makes it easy to budget storage for a shoot or edit without digging through codec whitepapers. Choose a preset for ProRes 422 variants, H.264, or H.265—or enter any custom bitrate. Then set your duration to see total GB/TB, per-hour usage, and the bitrate being used. Because the math is simple (bitrate × time), the tool runs entirely in your browser with no uploads.

The preset table gives quick reference values for common 4K UHD workflows. If you’re shooting proxies and camera originals simultaneously, run the calculation twice and add the totals. Custom bitrate input is helpful when a camera offers variable bitrate modes or when you want to include audio or metadata overhead—just enter the combined figure.

Use the per-hour readout to plan drive swaps or card offloads on set. The tool also works for lower resolutions; enter the appropriate bitrate (e.g., 1080p H.264 at 10 Mbps) and you’ll get the same clear totals. Everything works offline once loaded—ideal on location with spotty connectivity.

5 quick facts about footage storage

ProRes HQ is hefty

At 4K/30p, ProRes 422 HQ sits around 707 Mbps—roughly 318 GB per hour of footage.

~318 GB/hr

Frame rate doubles size

Going from 30p to 60p often doubles bitrate for intra codecs, so storage needs can jump 2×.

30p → 60p

HEVC saves space

H.265/HEVC can cut storage roughly in half versus H.264 at similar perceptual quality.

Efficiency

Audio is tiny

Stereo 48 kHz/24-bit adds about 1.5 Mbps—small compared to video, but worth adding to totals.

+1.5 Mbps

SSDs stay consistent

Hard drives slow down across the platter; SSDs keep steadier speeds for long record times.

Sustained speed

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