On this page
How the calculation works
A video file is as big as its bitrate times its length. The bitrate says how many bits per second the export uses, for picture and sound together. An export at 8 megabits per second of video plus 384 kilobits of audio weighs about 63 MB a minute. An hour comes to 3.8 GB.
The tool runs that sum with the bitrate the platform itself recommends. Pick YouTube 1080p and it counts 8 Mbps for video and 384 kbps for audio, the advice in YouTube Help. Pick a video podcast for Spotify and it counts 25 Mbps, the figure Spotify for Creators gives. For an audio podcast it takes the range Apple Podcasts names: 96 to 128 kbps in mono, 128 to 256 kbps in stereo.
Enter a maximum size and the tool works backwards. It tells you which video bitrate still fits once the audio has taken its share. A one hour recording that has to stay under 2 GB can use about 4 Mbps of video. That is less than the YouTube advice for 720p, and you see it straight away.
Two things to know before you read the result:
- A megabyte here is 1,000,000 bytesThat is how YouTube and Spotify count. Windows divides by 1,024 and so shows a smaller number with the same unit. The tool puts both side by side, so File Explorer showing 3.51 GB for a 3.77 GB file is no surprise.
- Variable bitrate usually makes the file smallerMost editing apps export with a bitrate that drops when the picture is still. A conversation at a table then comes out lighter than the estimate. A recording in ProRes or another editing codec is far bigger, because it is made for editing, not for uploading.
If you want the recording edited and cut into clips first, read how we record and edit a podcast and what you pay for a podcast.
YouTube or Spotify: what an hour weighs
The same one hour conversation, exported to each platform's advice.
- Video bitrate the platform advises
- YouTube, 1080p 30 fps8 Mbps
- Spotify video podcast, 1080p25 Mbps
- Audio bitrate
- YouTube, 1080p 30 fps384 kbps stereo
- Spotify video podcast, 1080p128 kbps AAC or more
- Size of one hour
- YouTube, 1080p 30 fpsabout 3.8 GB
- Spotify video podcast, 1080pabout 11.3 GB
- Longest upload
- YouTube, 1080p 30 fps12 hours, or 256 GB
- Spotify video podcast, 1080p12 hours
- What the platform does next
- YouTube, 1080p 30 fpsIt re-encodes into its own formats
- Spotify video podcast, 1080pIt plays video in the app, audio as fallback
Spotify asks for a heavier file. Export twice if you publish on both, each to its own advice.
Common exports and their weight
| Export | Video plus audio bitrate | Per minute | 45 minutes | 90 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube 720p, 30 fps | 5.4 Mbps | 40 MB | 1.8 GB | 3.6 GB |
| YouTube 1080p, 30 fps | 8.4 Mbps | 63 MB | 2.8 GB | 5.7 GB |
| YouTube 1080p, 60 fps | 12.4 Mbps | 93 MB | 4.2 GB | 8.4 GB |
| YouTube 1440p, 30 fps | 16.4 Mbps | 123 MB | 5.5 GB | 11.1 GB |
| YouTube 4K, 30 fps | 35.4 to 45.4 Mbps | 265 to 340 MB | 11.9 to 15.3 GB | 23.9 to 30.6 GB |
| Spotify 1080p | 25.1 Mbps | 188 MB | 8.5 GB | 17.0 GB |
| Audio podcast, mono | 96 to 128 kbps | 0.7 to 1 MB | 32 to 43 MB | 65 to 86 MB |
| Audio podcast, stereo | 128 to 256 kbps | 1 to 1.9 MB | 43 to 86 MB | 86 to 173 MB |
An audio episode is a hundred times lighter than the same episode on video. That is why many shows put the video on YouTube and the audio with a podcast host that feeds Apple Podcasts and Spotify. How that channel grows afterwards is covered under YouTube channel management.
How long the upload takes
Upload speed is the forgotten half. A home line with 50 megabits up sends a 3.8 GB file in about ten minutes. At 10 megabits up, still normal in many offices, that becomes close to an hour. Check it with the same sum: bits divided by upload speed.
Three things that save time:
- Export at the advised bitrate, not higher. YouTube re-encodes every upload. A 50 Mbps file in 1080p gives no better picture than 8 Mbps, only a longer upload.
- Upload the finished file, not the raw recording. The files from your camera are made for editing and often weigh several times more.
- Schedule big uploads overnight. Queue a 90 minute webinar in 4K before you go home. How to record a webinar and share it afterwards is covered under webinar production.
Where the file hits the limit
YouTube accepts files up to 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever comes first. Until your account is verified, an upload stops at 15 minutes. Spotify for Creators takes video up to 12 hours. A normal episode rarely gets near those limits, a full day livestream or a conference recorded in one piece does.
The tighter limit is usually somewhere else. A shared folder with fixed space, an email attachment or the storage on a free transfer service. Type that limit into maximum size and you see which quality still fits. If the thumbnail or the title still needs work, test it in the next tool.
One recording, several files
Whoever records an hour long conversation rarely publishes only that hour. The same recording yields short clips for Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, an audio version for the podcast apps and sometimes a full video for your site. Each of those files has its own format and its own weight. A 45 second clip in 9:16 at 1080p weighs about 50 MB, so the limit rarely sits there. The sizes per platform are in our guide to social media image sizes.
So plan which versions you need before you record. Shoot wide enough to crop vertical later, and record sound per person. That is the difference between a recording you use once and one that fills a month of content. If you would rather not schedule it yourself, hand the clips to social media management. For a company film rather than a conversation, read what corporate video involves and what it roughly costs. Questions about your own setup go through contact.
Before you hit export
- The export frame rate matches the recording: 25 or 30 stays 25 or 30.
- Audio sits at 48 kHz and is normalised, so no episode sounds louder than the last.
- The bitrate follows the advice of the platform the file goes to.
- Subtitles are in a separate file, not burned in, so YouTube can read them.
- There is a copy of the finished export in a second place, away from your laptop.
- The title and thumbnail are ready, so the video does not sit as a draft.
Bitrate and size, answered briefly
How big is a one hour video in 1080p?
At the YouTube advice of 8 Mbps video and 384 kbps audio, about 3.8 GB. At 60 frames per second it comes to about 5.6 GB. A variable bitrate export often comes out smaller.
Why does Windows show a smaller number than the tool?
Windows divides by 1,024 instead of 1,000 and still calls the result MB or GB. File Explorer shows a 3.77 GB file as 3.51 GB. The file is the same size, only the unit differs.
Should I export in 4K for YouTube?
Only if you filmed in 4K and viewers see the difference, as with product shots or landscapes. For a conversation at a table 1080p is enough and four times lighter.
Which bitrate do I use for an audio podcast?
Apple Podcasts names 96 to 128 kbps for mono and 128 to 256 kbps for stereo. Speech sounds fine in mono at 128 kbps; music and ambient sound need stereo.
Does audio count towards the file size?
Yes. In a video the audio weighs little, about 3 MB a minute at 384 kbps. In an audio podcast the audio is the whole file.