Free Video Frame Size Calculator

Understanding Uncompressed Video Frame Size

The Video Frame Size Calculator is a free online tool that estimates the data size of a raw, uncompressed video frame. By entering just the video resolution and color depth, you get an instant result — making it an ideal uncompressed video file size estimator. Whether you're planning storage for a post-production pipeline or comparing the efficiency of codecs, this calculator provides the baseline you need.

Key Factors That Determine Frame Size

Two parameters control how much data a single frame occupies:

• Resolution – expressed as width $\times$ height (e.g., $1920 \times 1080$). More pixels directly increase the frame's data burden. As a video resolution calculator, the tool handles any combination.
• Color depth (bit depth) – the number of bits used to store the color of each pixel. Common depths are:
  • 8 bit → 256 colors (1 byte per pixel)
  • 16 bit → 65,536 colors (2 bytes per pixel)
  • 24 bit → 16.7 million colors (3 bytes per pixel)
  • 10 bit → 1024 colors (sometimes used in professional video)

The higher the color depth, the more precise the color reproduction, but also the larger the file.

The Frame Size Formula

The calculation is straightforward:

$$\text{Frame size (bits)} = W \times H \times CD$$

where:

• $W$ = width in pixels,
• $H$ = height in pixels,
• $CD$ = color depth in bits per pixel.

To convert to bytes, divide by 8. For example, a $1920 \times 1080$ frame with 24‑bit depth yields:

$$1920 \times 1080 \times 24 = 49,766,400 \text{ bits} \approx 6.22 \text{ MB}.$$

If the same frame uses 10‑bit depth, the size becomes $1920 \times 1080 \times 10 = 20,736,000$ bits $\approx 2.59$ MB.

From Frame Size to Total Video Size

A sequence of frames forms a moving image. To get the full digital video storage requirement for an uncompressed clip, multiply the frame size by the frame rate (fps) and the duration:

$$\text{Video size} = \text{Frame size} \times \text{fps} \times \text{time (s)}.$$

Parameter	Typical Values
Frame rate (fps)	24 (cinema), 30 (NTSC), 60 (slow‑mo/action)
Duration	seconds, minutes, or hours

Without compression, even a one‑minute 4K clip ($3840 \times 2160$, 30 fps, 24‑bit) can exceed several gigabytes. This raw calculation is essential for video bitrate estimator planning (though bitrate usually refers to compressed streams, the uncompressed size gives the upper bound).

Practical Applications

• Pre‑production budgeting: Determine if your storage and bandwidth can handle raw footage.
• Codec comparison: Understand the headroom a compressor must squeeze.
• Archiving raw material: Estimate needed capacity for long‑term storage.
• Education: Visualize how each parameter impacts data volume.

Because compression (H.264, HEVC, ProRes, etc.) removes redundant data, the actual delivery size is much smaller. However, the raw video size calculator always shows the maximum possible size, giving you a true benchmark.

Using the Tool

Simply enter your horizontal and vertical resolution (e.g., 1920 and 1080) and select the color depth. The calculator instantly outputs the frame size in bits, bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes. You can then use it as a frame size from resolution look‑up or as a digital video storage calculator for larger projects.