Cinema RAW Light storage requirements
One hour of Cinema RAW Light in UHD at 25p takes 412 GB. The table below runs the numbers for every common resolution and frame rate — including how many cards and how much backup volume a shoot day actually needs.
Footage Storage Calculator
- Footage per day
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- With all copies
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- Cards needed
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- Offload time (1 copy)
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Data rates: ProRes/DNxHR are per-frame constants from the Apple/Avid specs; RAW derives from resolution × bytes/pixel (nominal). Details further down this page.
Cinema RAW Light: GB per hour
Cinema RAW Light is a RAW format: data volume follows from resolution × 0.565 bytes per pixel per frame (nominal, derived from the manufacturer spec) × frame rate. Content-adaptive compression can land slightly below — you budget the nominal value, because the card has to survive the busiest take.
| Resolution | 24p | 25p | 30p | 50p | 60p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD 1920×1080 | 99 | 103 | 124 | 206 | 247 |
| UHD 3840×2160 | 395 | 412 | 494 | 824 | 989 |
| 4K DCI 4096×2160 | 422 | 439 | 527 | 879 | 1,054 |
| 6K 6144×3240 | 949 | 989 | 1,186 | 1,977 | 2,372 |
| 8K 8192×4320 | 1,687 | 1,757 | 2,109 | 3,515 | 4,218 |
From GB to a shoot day
A typical shoot day produces 2–4 hours of footage per camera. At Cinema RAW Light in UHD 25p that is 824–1,648 GB per camera — before copies. With 3-2-1 backup (three copies) it multiplies to 3.6 TB per three hours of material. The table runs three full shoot-day scenarios:
| Footage | Raw data | 1 TB cards | 3-2-1 volume | Offload per copy (400 MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 h | 824 GB | 1 | 2.41 TB | 35 min |
| 4 h | 1.61 TB | 2 | 4.83 TB | 1 h 10 min |
| 8 h | 3.22 TB | 4 | 9.65 TB | 2 h 21 min |
Planning offload and backup
Cards are the second calculation: the calculator on the main page derives card count from daily volume and card size — including the spare that stays locked while offloading.
In the schedule this number belongs in two places: as a card budget on the equipment list and as an offload window in the day plan. TillyGen keeps both in the same plan — change the shooting hours and the offload window moves with them.
Frequently asked
How much storage does 1 hour of Cinema RAW Light need?
In UHD at 25p: 412 GB. At 50p, double that. Every resolution is in the table above.
Are the numbers exact?
RAW rates are manufacturer nominal values; content-adaptive compression can land slightly below. For capacity planning, use the nominal value plus 10 % headroom.