Can I calculate how much RAM video editing will use?

Is there any way to calculate RAM usage for the following:

1080p @ 60 FPS: (1920 x 1080)px x 60 FPS x 3 bytes/px / (1024^2) = 356 MB/s

I will be using 70 GB raw video, on Final Cut.

David Custer

Posted 2014-11-05T20:18:52.240

Reputation: 115

2No. It would depend on the software you were using. – ChrisInEdmonton – 2014-11-05T20:22:14.877

@ChrisInEdmonton I will be using Final Cut. – David Custer – 2014-11-05T20:25:41.953

Answers

No, you cannot calculate the RAM usage.

You can't fit the entire raw video in RAM anyway, and the editing software will take care of caching the parts of the video that are needed to render the current view, and maybe the previous and next several seconds of source content(s). It'll also use RAM for effects, audio waveforms, et cetera.

How it does that, and how much it will use, entirely depend on how the software was built, and since it's closed source, you won't know.

Generally, the program will use as much RAM as it can. Anything else would be a waste of high performance memory. Of course you can limit the RAM usage in Final Cut Pro's settings.

slhck

Posted 2014-11-05T20:18:52.240

Reputation: 182 472

You are alway soo helpful! – David Custer – 2014-11-05T21:19:45.727

It's not possible.

RAM usage depends on algorithms used by your software, implementation details, used data structures, input video and exact kind of editing you're doing. This information is either known only to developers or only to you.

gronostaj

Posted 2014-11-05T20:18:52.240

Reputation: 33 047