Cutsio Blog

Cloud Dailies for Film Production: How to Avoid the 40GB Upload Limit Problem

Compare cloud-dailies workflows for large cinema files, including Cutsio's supported ARRIRAW and RED R3D production ingest.

Why does the 40GB upload limit on PIX break feature film dailies workflows?

Large camera files make per-file limits an important production requirement. Verify PIX or Flow Capture's current limits directly with Autodesk. Cutsio uses ProRes for review and Visual Intelligence, with supported RAW originals linked on Enterprise; confirm the exact ProRes and original-file limits with Cutsio before the shoot.

The 40GB limit is not a hypothetical edge case. It affects real productions on a daily basis. Feature films shooting Alexa 35 ARRIRAW at 4.6K Open Gate produce individual clips that routinely exceed 40GB for longer takes. RED V-RAPTOR 8K VV clips at 5:1 REDCODE pass 40GB in under 4 minutes. Even ProRes 4444 XQ clips from extended interview takes can hit the limit.

This post covers which camera formats and clip lengths trigger the limit, how PIX users work around it, and how Cutsio eliminates the problem entirely.

Which camera formats and clip lengths exceed the 40GB limit?

| Camera Format | Data Rate | Time to Exceed 40GB | Time to Exceed 10GB (Legacy PIX) |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Alexa 35 ARRIRAW 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.75 GB/s | ~53 seconds | ~13 seconds |

| Alexa 35 ARRICORE 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.38 GB/s | ~1 min 45 sec | ~26 seconds |

| Alexa Mini LF ARRIRAW 4.5K Open Gate | ~0.65 GB/s | ~61 seconds | ~15 seconds |

| RED V-RAPTOR 8K VV 5:1 | ~11.2 GB/min | ~3 min 34 sec | ~54 seconds |

| RED V-RAPTOR 8K VV 8:1 | ~6.0 GB/min | ~6 min 40 sec | ~1 min 40 sec |

| RED KOMODO-X 6K 8:1 | ~4.5 GB/min | ~8 min 53 sec | ~2 min 13 sec |

| Blackmagic RAW 6K 5:1 | ~0.4 GB/s | ~1 min 40 sec | ~25 seconds |

| ProRes 4444 XQ 4K | ~0.3 GB/s | ~2 min 13 sec | ~33 seconds |

A standard 10-minute interview take in ARRIRAW exceeds 40GB in under a minute. A 5-minute master scene take in RED 8K VV 5:1 exceeds it in under 4 minutes. Even ProRes 4444 XQ footage from a 15-minute interview exceeds the limit.

On legacy PIX apps with the 10GB cap, almost every professional camera format exceeds the limit within seconds. A 30-second ARRIRAW clip is too large for legacy PIX upload.

How do PIX users work around the 40GB limit?

PIX users have developed workarounds, each with significant downsides.

Workaround 1: Transcode to lower bitrate H.264. The DIT renders all footage to H.264 at a bitrate low enough that the file stays under 40GB. This adds 2-4 hours of render time per shoot day and reduces review stream quality below what the camera captured.

Workaround 2: Split long clips. The DIT splits longer takes into segments under the 40GB threshold. This creates multiple files for what should be a single clip, complicating the conform workflow and making it harder to review continuous performances.

Workaround 3: Upload at lower resolution. The DIT transcodes to HD resolution rather than UHD. This discards resolution that the production paid for and makes it impossible to review fine detail in the dailies.

Workaround 4: Use PIX's desktop app instead of browser upload. Newer PIX apps support up to 40GB. Older apps are limited to 10GB. The workaround is to use the newer app, but this requires all DITs on the production to have the correct version installed and configured.

| Workaround | Time Cost | Quality Impact | Workflow Impact |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Lower bitrate H.264 | +2-4 hours/day | Reduced quality | None |

| Split clips | +30-60 min/day | None | Broken conform — multiple files per take |

| Lower resolution | +2-4 hours/day | Resolution lost | None |

| Use newer PIX app | None | None | Requires correct app version on all systems |

How does Cutsio eliminate the upload limit problem?

Cutsio's enterprise production add-on supports ARRIRAW and RED R3D workflows. Confirm the exact codec, container, and per-file limit with Cutsio before planning a production upload.

The DIT uploads a ProRes review file from the offload workflow. Cutsio uses that review file for streamable playback and Visual Intelligence indexing while the supported camera original can remain attached for conform. This workflow pairs directly with Cutsio's footage-hour storage and Visual Intelligence search to create a complete dailies pipeline that PIX cannot match.

For a feature film shooting Alexa 35 ARRIRAW, the workflow is:

1. DIT offloads Compact Drive cards to RAID storage
2. DIT uploads native .mxf files to Cutsio through enterprise add-on
3. Cutsio generates streamable review assets — clips of any length handled seamlessly
4. Original .mxf files remain attached for download and conform

The director reviews a 15-minute master take as a single continuous clip. The assistant editor downloads the original .mxf for conform without reassembling split segments. The DIT saves 2-4 hours per day that would have been spent on transcode and clip management workarounds.

How does the upload limit compare across cloud review platforms?

| Platform | Upload Limit | Impact on Film Workflows |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| PIX (newer apps) | 40GB per file | Most long ARRIRAW takes exceed this. RED 8K VV exceeds it in under 4 minutes. |

| PIX (older apps) | 10GB per file | Almost every professional camera format exceeds this within seconds. |

| Frame.io | 100GB (varies by plan) | Most single clips fit, but may split long interview takes. |

| Cutsio (standard) | Standard upload limits apply | Sufficient for ProRes and H.264 workflows. |

| Cutsio (enterprise production add-on) | Confirm for the production | Supported ARRIRAW and RED R3D workflows; verify exact codec, container, and file size. |

No platform should be described as unlimited without a production-specific test. Compare the current limits for the exact review master, camera-original package, network, and contract.

FAQ

What happens if I try to upload a file larger than 40GB to PIX?

The upload fails or is rejected. PIX does not provide automatic splitting or compression — the user must reduce the file size manually before uploading.

Does Cutsio's enterprise add-on support files larger than 100GB?

Confirm the exact ProRes and linked-original limits with Cutsio before production. Test a representative large file rather than assuming an unrestricted upload.

Can I upload a 2-hour ProRes file to Cutsio?

ProRes upload is available on Studio and Enterprise, and supported RAW originals can be linked on Enterprise. Confirm limits for the exact file and container.

How do I know if my PIX account has the 10GB or 40GB limit?

Older PIX desktop applications (PIX 2 for Windows version 2.81 and earlier) have the 10GB limit. Newer applications (PIX 2 for macOS version 2.10+, PIX 3, PIX for Browser) support up to 40GB. Check your application version to determine which limit applies.

Does splitting clips affect the conform workflow?

Yes. When a single take is split into multiple files for upload, the conform workflow must reassemble them. Timecode-based conform can rejoin split clips, but the process is manual and error-prone. Cutsio avoids this entirely by accepting the complete file at its original size.