Raw video
A normal video file bakes in decisions: white balance, colour, and a degree of sharpening are fixed at record time. Raw video skips most of that and stores the sensor readout itself, so those choices stay open in post. A colourist can change white balance or recover detail from highlights as if back on set, which is why raw is the format of choice for high-end commercials, films, and anything that needs a careful grade.
The price is size and processing. Raw files are huge and demand heavy CPU and GPU to decode, so editing them natively on a laptop is impractical. Compressed raw formats like Blackmagic RAW and REDCODE R3D ease the size somewhat, but the usual workflow still generates proxies for the cut and returns to the raw originals only for grading and finishing.
Examples
- •A cinema camera records raw to keep full grading latitude
- •A colourist adjusts white balance on raw as if back on set
- •Raw originals are proxied for the edit and reopened for the grade
In Sanbila
Sanbila keeps your heavy raw originals in cloud storage and generates light proxies for editing, then streams the raw back at export through Smart Relink, so a laptop never has to store or decode raw until the grade.
Frequently asked questions
How is Sanbila different from the proxy generator built into my NLE?+
Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Avid all generate proxies locally, but they keep the original full-resolution files on the same SSD — so the disk fills up twice. Sanbila stores the originals in the cloud (Cloudflare R2) and keeps only the lightweight proxies on your machine. At export, Smart Relink streams the originals back via a local WebDAV mount, so you finish at full quality without ever downloading the source files.
Does Sanbila work offline?+
Yes for editing — once a proxy is cached on your SSD, you can cut, trim, color and arrange your timeline without an internet connection. You only need network access for the initial import (uploading originals to the cloud) and for the final export (streaming originals back via WebDAV).
How much cloud storage does the free plan include?+
The free plan includes 5 GB of cloud storage and one project, with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $49 per month for 2 TB and 50 projects, going up to 25 TB on the Enterprise plan with overage billing for teams that need more.
What upload speed do I need to use Sanbila?+
Any broadband connection works for the initial upload — Sanbila chunks files into 50 MB parts and uploads in parallel, so a typical 100 Mbps fiber line uploads 1 hour of 4K H.264 footage in about 6 minutes. After upload, day-to-day editing happens on local proxies, so your connection speed only matters again at export time when originals are streamed.
Which video formats does Sanbila support?+
Sanbila handles 22+ formats out of the box: MP4, MOV, MXF, R3D (RED RAW), BRAW (Blackmagic RAW), ARRI proxies, ProRes, DNxHR, DNxHD, H.264, H.265, plus WAV and AAC for audio. Both 4K and 8K sources are supported up to 200 GB per single file (URL imports have no size limit).
Related terms
Sources
- Blackmagic RAW format · Blackmagic Design
- REDCODE RAW and R3D · RED Digital Cinema