Storage & Backup Calculator for Creators
Calculate how much raw footage storage you need and what cloud backup costs will run for your YouTube production setup.
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule for Creators
The industry standard for data protection is the 3-2-1 rule: keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy off-site. For creators: your working copy on your editing drive, a local NAS or external HDD backup, and cloud storage. This protects against hardware failure, theft, fire, and accidental deletion simultaneously.
4K footage is demanding — a single shoot day of 4K 60fps at typical bitrates generates 200–400 GB. Without cloud backup, a single drive failure can cost months of work. The monthly cost of Backblaze B2 or Google One cloud storage is typically far less than the time cost of re-shooting lost footage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I keep raw footage?
A minimum of 3–6 months covers most re-edit and reuse scenarios. Keep footage longer if you produce evergreen content that may benefit from updated cuts (tutorials, reviews) or if you plan to repurpose clips for Shorts. Once a video is clearly performed and you're confident in the final edit, raw footage can usually be archived to a cheaper cold storage tier or deleted to save costs.
What's the most cost-effective cloud backup for large footage?
Backblaze B2 is widely considered the best value for raw footage backup at ~$6/TB/month. It supports large file uploads efficiently and integrates with tools like Rclone for automated sync. For creators who need fast retrieval, an NAS (QNAP or Synology) at home with a cloud backup to Backblaze gives the best combination of speed and long-term cost.
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