%%
date:: [[2022-08-14]]
parents:: [[Producing videos]]
%%
# [[Video Storage and Organization]]
When [[Producing videos]], you quickly find out that all those videos and video assets take up a lot of space. Here's how you can manage that.
## Create a template project folder
Every video project folder should have the same structure, containing:
- A folder for each type of media asset (including videos, photos, audio, and motion graphics)
- A template project in your video editing software.
- A folder for project exports (final versions that are uploaded to various social media networks).
For example, [[Matt D'Avella]] uses a folder structure like this: [^davella]
```
- root
- Exports
- Social
- Thumbnail
- YouTube
- Media
- Assets
- Music
- Photos
- Videos
- A-Roll
- B-Roll
- VO
- PSDs
- project template
```
Tweak this structure based on what makes sense to you. For example, you could add things like:
- the date in the root folder name
- a unique numerical identifier for a project in the root folder name
- folders for places or cities that you filmed, for vlogs or larger projects
- folders for cameras that you used
- folders for sources of assets
Whatever you come up with, start the [[Producing videos#Post-production process|post-production process]] by duplicating this template folder and renaming it.
### The template project
The template project should be a sample one in your [[Video Editing Tools#Video editing apps|video editor of choice]], but one that is set up to facilitate the way you work. It could have:
- A project for each of the export formats you plan to create, each in the appropriate size and resolution (ex. 4k for YouTube, vertical for shorts, etc)
- Video intros or other video elements that you might use regularly
## Storage
There are different levels of video storage. Start with the top and go down based on how professional you want your setup to be. Each level builds on the levels above it.
1. *Local*. Store your stuff on your laptop and edit off there. Delete when done.
2. *External SSD*. Editing off an external SSD is better for your computer than using its physical hard drive. However, SSDs are expensive and you'll quickly run out of space.
3. *Physical HDD*. Use your SSD for the working edit, and then transfer project files to HDDs. Label them.
4. *Cloud backups*. Use cloud backups as off-site backups for your video files.
5. *Physical replication.* Keep two HDDs in sync regularly and keep them in separate places.
6. *Use a NAS*. Buy Network Attached Storage (NAS) and set them up in a RAID configuration so you get some redundancy.
7. *Use a second NAS*. Some brands, such as [[Synology NAS|Synology]], let you replicate NAS storage if you have or know somebody else with the same NAS. For example, if you have a brother who has a NAS, you could back up his stuff on yours and he could back up your stuff on his-- without being able to access each other's data.
Or, go the minimalist route: Save only the final products, not any of the raw files.
[^davella]: D'Avella, M. (2020). *Master YouTube*. Retrieved from https://slowgrowth.com