Estimate the storage savings and time benefits of using proxy files for your BRAW editing workflow.
Proxy Workflow Estimates
Estimated Proxy File Size: 0 GB
Storage Savings: 0 GB (0%)
Estimated Transcoding Time: 0 hours 0 minutes
What is the BRAW Proxy Workflow Estimator?
The BRAW Proxy Workflow Estimator is a tool designed for filmmakers and post-production professionals working with Blackmagic RAW (BRAW) footage. BRAW files, especially at high resolutions and low compression, can be very large and demanding on editing systems. This calculator helps you assess the benefits of using proxy files – smaller, more manageable versions of your original footage – for editing. It estimates the storage savings and the time required to transcode your BRAW footage into proxies, enabling a smoother and more efficient post-production process.
Why Use Proxies in a BRAW Workflow?
While BRAW is highly optimized for editing, especially in DaVinci Resolve, working with massive files can still strain even powerful workstations, particularly during complex edits, color grading, or when collaborating remotely. Proxies offer several significant advantages:
- Improved Editing Performance: Edit with smaller, less demanding files, leading to smoother playback, faster scrubbing, and quicker rendering.
- Reduced Storage Needs: Proxies take up significantly less disk space, making them ideal for editing on laptops, smaller drives, or for sharing with remote collaborators.
- Faster Transfers: Uploading or downloading proxy files is much quicker than full-resolution BRAW, streamlining cloud-based workflows.
- System Accessibility: Allows editors with less powerful computers to work on high-resolution BRAW projects.
This estimator helps you quantify these benefits, making it easier to decide if a proxy workflow is right for your project.
How to Use the BRAW Proxy Workflow Estimator
- Enter Total Original BRAW Footage Size (GB): Input the total size of your original BRAW files in Gigabytes.
- Select Proxy Codec: Choose the type of proxy codec you plan to use (e.g., ProRes Proxy, ProRes 422 LT, H.264).
- Select Proxy Resolution Factor: Determine the resolution reduction for your proxies (e.g., Half Resolution, Quarter Resolution).
- Enter Average Transcoding Speed (GB/minute): Provide an estimate of how fast your system can transcode footage. This can be found by doing a small test transcode or using a general benchmark for your hardware.
- Click Estimate Workflow: The tool will display the estimated proxy file size, the storage savings you can expect, and the estimated time it will take to transcode your footage.
The estimated transcoding speed is highly dependent on your computer's CPU, GPU, and storage speed. A faster system will naturally transcode more quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
A proxy file is a smaller, lower-resolution, and often more compressed version of your original high-resolution media. It's used for editing purposes to improve performance, and then the original high-quality files are relinked for final export.
No, using proxies does not degrade the final video quality. You edit with the proxies, but for the final export, you relink to the original BRAW files. The proxies are only for editing efficiency.
Common proxy codecs include Apple ProRes Proxy, Apple ProRes 422 LT, and various H.264 flavors. ProRes proxies offer a good balance of quality and performance, while H.264 proxies are even smaller but can be more CPU-intensive to decode during editing.
Storage savings can be substantial, often reducing file sizes by 80-95% or more, depending on the original BRAW compression, proxy codec, and proxy resolution. This calculator provides an estimate based on your selections.
For large projects, high-resolution BRAW, or less powerful editing systems, the time spent transcoding to proxies is often recouped many times over by faster, smoother editing and reduced frustration. This calculator helps you weigh that initial time investment.
Yes, DaVinci Resolve has excellent proxy generation and management features. You can create optimized media (Resolve's term for proxies) directly within the software, which makes relinking seamless.
The ideal proxy resolution depends on your editing system and display. Half resolution (1:2) or quarter resolution (1:4) are common choices. If you're editing on a 4K monitor, a half-resolution proxy of 4K BRAW (i.e., 2K proxy) might still look good and perform well.
For the final export, you will need access to the original BRAW files. If you're collaborating remotely, you might edit with proxies and then send the project file to a central location where the original BRAW files are stored for final rendering. Always ensure your original BRAW files are backed up and accessible.
While the general principles of proxy workflows apply to other RAW formats (like REDCODE RAW or CinemaDNG), the specific compression ratios and data rates for those formats would differ. This calculator is optimized for BRAW, but the concept of estimating storage and transcoding time remains relevant.
The terms are often used interchangeably. In DaVinci Resolve, "Optimized Media" refers to internal proxy files generated by Resolve itself, which are highly integrated into its workflow. Other NLEs might use the term "proxy" more broadly for any lower-resolution editing file.