Video editing is fun, as it helps you transfer great ideas into high-quality content. The latter consists not just of the mere information that a video passes on to the viewer, but also of the quality of reproduction when being played. 4K and Full HD are the standard video formats in most devices nowadays, which is great as it allows for detailed records and edits – but the higher the quality of a video, the more storage space is needed. If you edit videos on a regular basis, you should consider getting an extra storage option.
What Type of Storage is Better for Video Editing? HDD or SSD?
The more videos you record, the more editing you will do. In order to get quick and high-grade results, you should go for editing software that convinces with easy handling and great outcome. Check out https://www.movavi.com/ for more information. When it comes to saving edited videos, most people are unsure whether to get an HDD card or an SSD card. Both have their pros and cons: While SSD cards are extremely fast, the biggest ones are limited to 7 TB. Even though many people prefer this technology, the limited storage space dissuades many. HDD cards on the other hand seem a little cumbersome, but offer storage space up to 12 TB. That makes HDD a better choice for people who edit tutorials, clips, or stories for social media for a living.
How Much Space Do Most Common Video File Formats Occupy on Your Storage Drive?
As premium quality videos need a lot of space, most people chose to get special hard drives for video editing. Some of them offer more than 10 TB of video editing storage and convince with reliability. But do you even know how much storage space common video files occupy? What is the 1 hour 1080p video size? It´s hard to grab because files seem so abstract to most people. The H264./AVC creates a file of 34,7GB – that equals a one-hour 1080p video size. Now imagine having 100 of those files – that would consume 3 TB of storage space. That´s why people who love creating great content in video usually don´t come around purchasing reliable video editing storage.
What About 4K Video Size?
4K is the new standard and comes in the formats HEVC (H.265), ProRes 422, and Phantom Flex 4K Raw. Depending on the quality you achieve by editing your 4K videos, a 24 fps Video will occupy this much storage space:
- 33GB for 1 hour HEVC
- 266GB for 1 hour ProRes422
- 1.500GB (1,5TB) for 1 hour of Phantom Flex 4K Raw content
The better the reproduction of your video, the more space it will consume. If you post tutorials or videos on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or Tik Tok, you should use the highest quality available – hence, you will need a lot of storage space.
How Much Storage Space Do You Need to Install in Your System to Make Video Editing Convenient?
There is no universal answer to this question. If you are looking into hard drives for video editing, you should elaborate on some kind of content plan first. That way, you´ll be able to estimate your demand for video storage. On top of that, you should give a decent buffer so as to make sure that it will be enough no matter what.
Let´s say you will save up to 100 videos on your device in both common formats, HD and 4K. One hour of content in Full HD quality will occupy around 35 GB. An hour if 4K content uses 33 GB of storage space. If you add that up and multiply it times a hundred, that means you will need more than 3.380 GB to cover your demand. Make sure to get a storage device that can handle your files fast and reliable enough to give you the safety you need – think long term.