Glossary
Video bitrate vs file size.
Bitrate is how much data a video uses for each second of picture and sound, usually written in megabits per second (Mb/s). File size is the bitrate multiplied by the length, so a 100 Mb/s file that runs ten minutes is 7.5 GB.
The math.
Multiply the bitrate by the seconds and divide by 8, because there are 8 bits in a byte. 100 Mb/s for 600 seconds is 60,000 megabits, which is 7,500 megabytes, 7.5 GB. To go the other way, a file’s bitrate is its size in megabytes times 8, divided by its length in seconds.
Some real numbers. Apple’s target for ProRes 422 HQ at 3840 by 2160 and 23.976 is 707 Mb/s, about 318 GB an hour. YouTube’s recommended bitrate for a 4K upload at 24 to 30 fps tops out at 45 Mb/s, about 20 GB an hour.
Is a higher bitrate better.
Up to a point. A higher bitrate gives the codec more room, which shows in grain, fast motion and dark gradients. Past what the picture needs it adds size and nothing else, and a codec built for editing, like ProRes, uses far more than one built for watching, like H.264, at the same quality to the eye.
On a DropYourFiles link.
On DropYourFiles you upload the master at whatever bitrate it is, once. Your client plays a copy made for streaming, and after approval each film downloads at Original, 4K (when the master is that big), 1080p or 720p, each with its size shown before they press it.
Free up to 5 GB. No card.
Questions.
What is the difference between Mbps and MB/s?
A factor of eight. Mbps is megabits a second, MB/s is megabytes a second. 800 Mbps is 100 MB/s.
Does a higher bitrate mean better quality?
Within one codec, up to a point. Between codecs, no: an editing codec needs many times the bitrate of a delivery codec to look the same.
How do I work out a file’s bitrate?
Size in megabytes, times 8, divided by the length in seconds. A 7.5 GB file that runs ten minutes is 7,500 times 8 over 600, which is 100 Mb/s.
Where this comes from.
- Apple ProRes White Paper, April 2022, target data rates (pages 19 to 21), read October 28, 2026.
- YouTube Help, recommended upload encoding settings: video bitrates, read October 28, 2026.
Keep reading.
- Video file size calculator. ProRes, RAW and H.264
- Upload time calculator. How long the files take
- How to send large video files
- How to send ProRes files to a client
- What is a proxy in video editing
- 23.976 vs 24 fps
More in the glossary, or see what DropYourFiles does.
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