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What's the desired file size for HD edits (in mkv or mp4)?

Dwight Fry

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A newbie question from a veteran, I guess... Now that the physical format thing is already pretty much obsolete, and pretty much everyone prefers to get edits in mkv or mp4 over full Blu-ray authoring, the question is: what file size should one aim for? In the old days one did a 4.5GB DVD and called it a day, but with HD I'm seeing 12GB releases and the likes. What size would you prefer your edits to be?
 

DigModiFicaTion

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Your question appears to be geared towards those who are transferring to physical media, as it doesn't so much matter if the physical format thing is already pretty much obsolete ;)

Personally I prefer 1080p files that are 10+ gb in size. That way you get a good mix of visual and audio quality. For edits that I want to save, I prefer the highest quality. TM2YC has a great release method that offers a 720p, 1080p and BR sized mkv files. I'm lazy and just go with the highest quality I can push for iTunes sourced edits (6mbps) or encode at 16mbps for Blu Ray sourced edits.
 

Dwight Fry

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Not necessarily to those who want physical media. It's just that after a long time away from this I feel like editing again, and since the old ways aren't cutting it anymore, I'd like to know people's preferences in order to do things properly. Thanks for the reply!
 

Gaith

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I personally get antsy about downloading files larger than 20GB, even when I of course Own the Source and all that. (I know I Own the Source, but anything else watching my online movements doesn't.)

I think 4GB is a reasonable minimum for a ~2hr movie, especially if it's an older flick that might not have the highest-quality sources to begin with, and appreciate file sizes in the 7-8GB range for modern flicks.
 

Last Impressions

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I'll still take a high quality authored Bluray (as at least a choice) of "my new go to" edits but with an option of around a 8-10GB preview file before i commit to printing the covers and burning the discs but i'm probably a rarity. When a bluray isn't offered a large MP4 /MKV is helpful so i can author the bluray myself. It gives me comfort to have my favourite edits physically - i have a phobia about HD crashes - but then again i'm an old fart and old school.
 

Gieferg

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My preferable size is something around 22 GB and in form of Blu-ray.iso ready to burn.
Not mkv or mp4s. Yes, I'm physical media guy. Always was, always will be.

12-14 GB is usually not a quality I'd like to watch. Releasing edits only in that form is a waste.
I released my last edit in that form but it's just because I know others would like that, I don't. My edits are all gonna take form of full DVD or Blu-ray.
 

SIUse

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To hold it ambiguous: it should be so large that a noticeable difference between compressed and quality is neglected depending on the source. e.g. 85% of the original filesize where no quality loss is noticeable for the cineastic eye (not common eye because i think most of the people couldn’t tell any difference between a file that has 85% and 65% quality).
My own take: MP4 for the sake of editing or bluray quality
 

Dwight Fry

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Thanks for all your replies, fellas! Thanks from me, of course, not from my storage HDDs, which are shivering and shuddering... 😅
 

Last Impressions

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Thanks for all your replies, fellas! Thanks from me, of course, not from my storage HDDs, which are shivering and shuddering... 😅
When i had limited storage space - i always made sure i kept my project file only (Vegas Veg file ) on a couple of separate HD's just in case. As long as i had those i could always re-rip the original source if i wanted to make an amendment or update an edit further down the line. As long as you rename your video and audio files the same then your NLE will find them and you'll have no problems. Of course it takes longer but at least you won't use up all your storage capacity.
 

krausfadr

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Rather than aiming for a specific filesize or range, it is better to aim for high quality. High quality, perceptually lossless movies in HEVC format, in 4K can range from around 6GB up to more than 25GB. It depends on the complexity of the images, level of film grain, etc. A release in 1080p should typically only require about a third of the bitrate of the same release in 4K. So aim for high quality using HEVC or H264 with the understanding that NLE's such as Premiere and Resolve do not encode directly to lossy codecs (HEVC, H264) efficiently and can result in high filesize and low quality releases with banding artifacts.

EDIT: In testing Resolve with HEVC export, if you set the quality to high or above, the output will typically be good. It will just be a much higher filesize than if you fine tune the settings in Handbrake or Staxrip.
 
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