Export bigger than RAM

Help/How To
1

Hello there!
I’m using shotcut and I’m pretty satisfied about it.
Just… I’m working with quite long video conferences right now, and export stops by itself once it reaches 4Go (size of my computer’s RAM I guess).
First, the error happens only when the size is reached, so the time loss crossing fingers is quite important. It would be interesting to disclose the expected size of the final file to the user before he press “export”, so that he knows if it’s gonna fail or not.
I’m forced to manually reduce quality (resolution and/or frame/sec).
I just wanted to know if there is a “mode” or some tools that can be used to that the export generates several files and then glue them together…

Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,

Billy

2

Try this.
Open your project.
Right click anywhere on the timeline. Click Copy Timeline to Source.

image

That opens the entire project in the source viewer.
Put the playhead 1/4 of the way along the timeline.

image
image706×52 997 Bytes

Press O to set the out point.

image
image707×57 1.45 KB

Export the section.
When the export is done. Press I to set the in point, advance the play head, press O to set the out point.
Export the next section.
image
image695×55 1.87 KB

Repeat as needed.

1 Like
3

If you ‘glue’ them in SC you might loose Quality instead of rendering the whole film once.

4

It’s probably best to glue them with Mkvtoolnix or Avidemux. to not lose quality.

1 Like
5

4Gb sounds low for ram unless this is a very old computer, are you exporting to an external drive of some sort? It’s possible that the drive is FAT32 instead of NTFS or ExFAT which would limit it to 4Gb files.

6

I did a lot with Avidemux lossless composition of film clips. The problem is usually that the time in the header is wrong when I e.g. ‘glued’ a 10 minute film and insert it back into SC, then there is a total playing time of over four hours. Subsequent processing is then also impossible.

7

Hi all,

Just to let you know that I managed in the end…
My “small” 4Go RAM computer is the professional one. And with this one, file export with a decent quality (1280 × 720 mp4) is taking for ever and generates big files (bigger than 4Go) and is therefore failing at about 1/3 or the process.
My other 8Go RAM computer is an old personal one. With this one, file export with the same quality makes muuuch smaller files! (0.5 Go for 1h movie).
I am quitte surprised / puzzled by this difference in size depending on the computer. Maybe there’s just a shotcut setting different from one machine to another…

8

Could you give us more information?

4Gb Memory computer:

  • Complete system specifications (Operating System, CPU, Drives HDD? SSD? NVME?)
  • Shotcut Version (Help - About Shotcut)
  • Upload MLT here.
  • Screenshot of Video Mode. Click on Master, then Properties.
  • Screenshot of Export - Advanced: Video tab, Codec tab, Audio tab.

8Gb Memory Computer

  • Complete system specifications (Operating System, CPU, Drives HDD? SSD? NVME?)
  • Shotcut Version (Help - About Shotcut)
  • Upload MLT here.
  • Screenshot of Video Mode. Click on Master, then Properties.
  • Screenshot of Export - Advanced: Video tab, Codec tab, Audio tab.
9

I have not experienced that.

10

Are you using Hardware Encoding? Different GPU hardware will give different file sizes.

11

I think @D_S got it right, that you have found the limit to your file system; I have experienced this same issue in the past. It is quite a simple task to convert your drive to NTFS and solve your file size woes:

12

Oh man there’s a procedure I haven’t seen in ages, honestly I always just reformatted the thing in it’s entirety.

13

This topic was automatically closed after 90 days. New replies are no longer allowed.