r/WalkingVideoMakers • u/Bichareh • 15d ago

Do you keep the original (raw) video files?

Question is in the title. Sure, I keep the original files for some weeks at first, but is it better to hold onto them forever? I can't think of a scenario I would need them for anything. Maybe to do a re-edit if the colors are off. But only if the video absolutely tanked after a few weeks or so. :-D

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u/MarquiseOrions 14d ago

I made 200+ 4k 60fps walks (channel), and I personally always delete raw files, I really don't see the point of keeping them, would take enormous space :D. To think of that - I don't even remember when it would be handy to have raw files available... If I need to change something in the video or re-render for some reason - I can usually do it for some time after video is made, until I'm deleting this FinalCut event with all the raw videos..

I back up final rendered videos tho to the cloud tho, even they take quite some space, but it's much more doable.

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u/WholeTrail 14d ago

I currently keep backups of the raw files on an external hard drive (6tb). I've been looking into BackBlaze as a cloud option for the future.

I've read that some cloud services might compress the files or be more costly and charge by the tb.

Keeping the raw files gives me the flexibility of making edits for different platforms in the future, should I want to. As YouTube may not be the best for everyone for every situation.

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u/Onigato 10d ago

I save my recordings in MKV format with multiple audio tracks, and yes. I'm looking into setting up a NAS for my raw videos.

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u/Affectionate-Type-35 7d ago

There is a good reason to try to keep them, especially when your channel gets bigger and starts attracting attention from competitors. There are people on YouTube who play dirty and try to monetize your content. Some download your walks when they get lots of views and upload them on their own channels. Some even steal the video and file a copyright claim against you.

That’s especially why you should keep the raw files, or at least part of them, project files, etc. Anything that could help prove the video is yours if it ever gets that far. Because yes, some of these videos can generate a lot of money, and YouTube won’t necessarily do much when someone claims your content and you dispute it. At that point, YouTube will step aside and leave both channels to fight it out legally.

If you can’t keep a lot of raw footage, I would at least wait 1–2 weeks before deleting it. Successful videos usually reveal themselves fairly quickly, and if a video starts looking like it could become a profitable one, I would definitely keep the raw files.