Compressor release notes

Learn about current and previous Compressor updates.

Before installing a Compressor update, verify that your system still meets Compressor system requirements. Then make sure to back up the currently installed version of Compressor and any custom settings you may have created.

New in Compressor 4.9

Released November 13, 2024

Compressor 4.9 includes the following enhancements:

• Transcode stereoscopic video files to spatial video for editing in Final Cut Pro and playback on Apple Vision Pro.

• Export spatial video encoded files to Photos to automatically share with Apple Vision Pro.

• Easily create 90, 100, or 120 fps encodes with new export presets.

• Install third-party Media Extensions to support decoding and playback of more video formats. (Requires macOS Sequoia or later.)

• Fixes an issue where exporting a high frame rate clip would produce a file that plays in slow motion.

• Fixes an issue where cropping an image would cause the edge and corner handle onscreen controls in the preview area to become distorted.

Get complete step-by-step how-to instructions and information on all features in Compressor. For a list of recent enhancements in Compressor, refer to What's New in Compressor.

Previous versions

Compressor 4.8

Released June 20, 2024

Compressor 4.8 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

• Preview left or right eye angles of spatial video shot on Apple Vision Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max

• Create video or image sequences from the left or right eye of spatial video for stereoscopic workflows in other applications.

• Fixes an issue where “This Computer” could not be deselected when setting up a group of shared computers to process Compressor batches.

• Fixes an issue where modifying the audio of a video clip shot in portrait mode would cause the image to rotate 90 degrees.

• Adds support for Canon XF-AVC 1920x1080 59.94i/50i H.264 25Mbps.

Compressor 4.7

Released November 30, 2023

Compressor 4.7 includes the following enhancements and fixes:

• Export HEVC and H.264 files faster by simultaneously processing video segments across available media engines (requires macOS Sonoma or later and a Mac with Apple M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, or M3 Max).

• Create, configure, and build stereoscopic packages for the iTunes Store.

• Preview Log encoded video with or without Log applied.

• HDR content now displays in the correct color space in the viewer.

• Improves performance when enabling or disabling audio tracks on long multi-channel ProRes clips.

• Adds support for JSON and XML output to batch submissions when using the command line.

• Fixes an issue where creating a Watch Folder would prevent the “Enable audio pass-through” setting from being selected.

Compressor 4.6.6

Released September 19, 2023

• Adds support for log-encoded video recorded with iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

• Fixes an issue where the source/output comparison viewer would not reflect the camera log selection.

• Fixes an issue where Reveal in Finder was not available for clips with modified audio settings.

• Fixes an issue where luminance levels could be incorrect when Job inspector color space and Output color space were set to Rec. 709.

• Fixes an issue where enabling additional Compressor instances would result in the elapsed time of a batch encode to not appear in the Completed tab.

Compressor 4.6.5

Released July 18, 2023

Compressor 4.6.5 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

• Changed the Settings and Locations sidebar to now be resizable when the Inspector is open.

• Improves reliability when processing 4:2:2-based H.264 media on Mac computers with Apple silicon.

• Addresses an issue where the color space of a Photo-JPEG source was incorrect when Color space was set to Automatic.

• Fixes an issue where an exported IMF supplemental package was one frame shorter than the original package.

Compressor 4.6.4

Released May 23, 2023

• Automatically center crop video in a square, vertical, or custom size while retaining the original height.

• Use standard keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste files from the Finder into the batch window.

• Create supplemental IMF packages with additional audio tracks or use the CPL from an IMF package in a standard batch.

• Label surround channels automatically when configuring a batch using the command line.

Compressor also includes these additional fixes and enhancements:

• Fixes an issue where transcodes would sometimes not complete when using the Apple Devices SD built-in setting.

• Improves stability when adding audio and video files from an IMF folder.

• Export to EXR now includes an alpha channel.

• Fixes an issue where exporting to a DPX image sequence would sometimes result in files with an incorrect aspect ratio.

• Fixes an issue where exporting ProRes RAW to H.264 SDR would result in a black frame.

Compressor 4.6.3

Released October 24, 2022

• Adds file support for HEVC 8-bit 4:2:2 encoding.

• Adds support for multi-pass HEVC 4:2:2 encoding.*

• Changes the default HEVC encoder type to Faster.

• Adds support for previewing the transparency of an HDR video.*

• Fixes an issue where you may be unable to submit a batch when certain directories don't have read/write permission.

Compressor 4.6.2

Released August 9, 2022

Fixes an issue where video frames may be out of order during transcoding.

Compressor 4.6.1

Released April 12, 2022

• View a video’s transparency (requires macOS Monterey 12.3 or later), the aspect ratio of an output, and modified source media properties in the preview viewer.

• Rotate and flip video files using new video properties in a setting.

• Optimized transcoding performance for M1 Max and M1 Ultra on the new Mac Studio.

• Adds Korean language support.

Compressor 4.6.1 also includes these fixes and enhancements:

• Adds the ability to drag and drop media from the Photos app.

• Adds the ability to encode files to HEVC 10 Bit 4:2:2 on Mac computers with Apple silicon running macOS Monterey 12.3 or later.

• Fixes an issue where an alias would not trigger a transcode with a Watch Folder.

• Adds an HEVC HTTPS Live Streaming destination with updated resolutions and bit rates.

• Adds a new automatic bit rate preset for HTTPS Live Streaming in the video settings inspector.

• Fixes an issue in which selecting a Final Cut Pro for Mac project with a Generator in the batch window may not work as expected.

• Fixes an issue where creating a new job from a selected output may fail.

• Adds a warning when system settings may prevent jobs from being submitted.

Compressor 4.6

Released October 18, 2021

• Automate transcoding with watch folders and experience workstation-class performance on MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) or MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021).

• Automatically encode videos that are added to selected folders in the file system.

• Play and transcode Canon Cinema RAW Light to other video codecs and formats with the Canon RAW plugin.

• Encode videos recorded with iPhone 13 in Cinematic mode (requires macOS Monterey).

Compressor 4.6 also includes these fixes and enhancements:

• Adds the ability to create captions directly within Compressor without having to import a captions file.

• Adds support for creating uncompressed TGA image sequences.

• Adds support for creating compressed TIFF image sequences.

• Improves speed and reliability when processing a batch on a cluster using manual sharing.

• Adds 7.1 and discrete audio channel layout menu options for uncompressed audio.

• Adds the ability to set a frame rate when importing images sequences.

• Adds support for multi-pass HEVC encoding on Mac computers with Apple silicon using macOS Monterey.

• Adds support for decoding H.264 10 bit 4:2:2 files and transcoding them to other formats.

• Fixes an issue where the Timecode and Preview windows would be out of sync with files from certain cameras.

• Fixes an issue where a user could not adjust the data rate of an Apple Devices preset.

• Fixes an issue in which Blu-ray disc creation may fail if the source has chapter markers and the source and output frame rates are different.

• Fixes an issue where HLG HDR video may not encode properly when adding Gamma Correction in video effects.

• Fixes an issue where clicking a successful job notification for an image sequence does not put the output folder into focus.

Compressor 4.5.4

Released July 8, 2021

• Improves stability with certain macOS Language & Region preferences.

• Fixes an issue where a layer type could not be set when burning a DVD or Blu-ray disc.

Compressor 4.5.3

Released June 17, 2021

• Adds the ability to modify the start timecode of a source clip or audio file.

• Adds the ability to choose the color palette and dithering algorithm to minimize the file size of PNGs and GIFs.

• Adds the ability to resize vertical video to other vertical frame sizes and square video to other square frame sizes with new Up To presets in the inspector.

• Adds the ability to resize video to vertical and square aspect ratios using new presets for Cropping and Padding in the inspector.

• Allows a user to disable passthrough of source metadata to output audio files and MOV, MP4, M4V, and MXF video formats.

• Adds an alert when a group of shared computers contains a Mac with an incompatible Compressor version.

• Adds support for MXF language tags.

• Adds the ability to write an AVCHD disk image to the file system.

• Adds keyboard shortcuts to create new batches for iTunes Store or IMF Packages types.

• Fixes an issue where DPX or Cineon image sequences were imported with an incorrect frame rate.

Compressor 4.5.2

Released March 4, 2021

• Fixes an issue with an incorrect preview image when using the Timecode Generator effect.

• Adds a new icon for captions in the batch area.

Compressor 4.5.1

Released December 14, 2020

• Adds a Prepare for YouTube & Facebook share option to create a file for uploading to those sites.

• Includes stability improvements.

Compressor 4.5

Released November 12, 2020

• Improves performance and efficiency on Mac computers with Apple silicon.

• Export HLG high-dynamic-range projects with Dolby Vision 8.4 metadata for optimized playback on Apple devices.

• Fixes an issue where audio sync could drift when changing the frame rate of a clip.

• Fixes an issue where creating a Blu-ray disc from a DV-PAL source would fail.

• Includes built-in support for Avid DNxHR^® and Avid DNxHD^® decoding and playback.

Compressor 4.4.8

Released September 24, 2020

• Fixes an issue in which XAVC media from the Sony PXW-FX9 camera is not recognized.

Compressor 4.4.7

Released August 25, 2020

Camera log conversion

• Convert log-encoded video to SDR and HDR color spaces.

• Choose from built-in Camera LUTs for Panasonic, Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, Nikon and ARRI log .

• Add a custom Camera LUT to achieve accurate conversions for cameras without a built-in option or to match on-set looks.

Custom LUT effect

• Apply third-party creative LUTs to footage to add a custom look during compression.

• Support for .cube, .mga, and .m3d file formats.

• Set the output color space to SDR or HDR.

Compressor 4.4.7 also includes the following:

• Improves speed and reliability using distributed processing over SMB.

• Create ProRes IMF Packages including support for multiple languages.

• Support for playback of PNG movie files.

• Fixes an issue in which droplets would not recognize .m4v files.

• Fixes an issue where a DV codec with a 709 Color Profile fails to transcode.

• Fixes an issue in which image sequences may export with the incorrect color bit depth.

• Fixes an issue where a system could run out of memory when the Active tab is open while processing a batch on a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

Compressor 4.4.6

Released December 10, 2019

• Improves stability when using Reverse Telecine.

• Improves reliability when importing Dolby Vision metadata.

• Fixes an issue in which an error was erroneously reported when applying Dolby Vision metadata to a package created for the iTunes Store.

• Fixes an issue in which an error was erroneously reported when verifying a package created for the iTunes Store.

Compressor 4.4.5

Released October 7, 2019

• New Metal-based processing engine improves playback and accelerates graphics tasks, including rendering, compositing, and exporting.

• Enhances graphics performance with support for multiple GPUs, including Radeon Pro Vega II and Radeon Pro Vega II Duo on Mac Pro.

• Optimizes CPU performance with support for up to 28 CPU cores on Mac Pro.

• Improves performance of ProRes and ProRes RAW decode when using the Afterburner card on Mac Pro.

• View and deliver stunning High Dynamic Range (HDR) video on Apple Pro Display XDR.

• Tone maps HDR video to compatible Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) displays when using Compressor on macOS Catalina.

• Improves load balancing of graphics processing across multiple GPUs.

• Supports HEVC playback with alpha channel.

• Encodes HEVC with alpha channel in a QuickTime movie file.

• Displays timecode as drop frame, non-drop frame, frames, or absolute time.

• Simultaneously imports multiple image sequences.

• Supports audio track reassignment and specifying a job action using the command line in Terminal.

• Provides option to automatically resize watermark to export dimensions.

• iTunes Store creates SDR delivery from packages submitted with HDR and Dolby Vision metadata.

Compressor 4.4.4

Released March 21, 2019

• Detects media files that may be incompatible with future versions of macOS after Mojave.

• Improves reliability when sharing video to YouTube.

Compressor 4.4.3

Released December 13, 2018

• Support for ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ formats on Mac computers that support Metal.

Compressor 4.4.2

• 64-bit architecture takes advantage of all memory in your Mac to support high resolution images and projects.

• Backward compatibility supports legacy 32-bit formats.

• View, edit, and deliver closed captions in the SRT format, which is used by a wide range of websites including Facebook.

• Compressor uses source media properties to automatically configure MXF and QuickTime settings.

• Automatic configuration of settings applies correct frame rate, field order, and color space.

Compressor 4.4.2 also includes the following:

Audio

• Automatically configure audio properties when using the QuickTime format to transcode audio files.

Closed Captions

• Adds playhead to Closed Captions inspector that marks the current playback position.

Metadata

• Fixes an issue where metadata did not appear when transcoding to Apple Devices.

• Fixes an issue where removing metadata added from a source file could be deleted but appeared in the transcoded media file

• Improves metadata handling.

MXF

• Improves reliability when using the Automatic or Same as source color space settings for MXF files.

User Interface

• Improves layout and readability of Inspector pane.

Compressor 4.4.1

Closed captions

• View, adjust, and deliver closed captions.

• Import caption files into a batch or iTunes Store package.

• Use the Inspector to adjust text, color, onscreen location, and timing.

• Search text and select single or multiple captions in the Inspector.

• Support for multiple languages and formats in an iTunes Store package.

• Validation indicator instantly warns about common errors including caption overlaps, incorrect characters, invalid formatting, and more.

• Embed captions in an exported video file or create a separate caption sidecar file.

• Share captioned videos directly to YouTube and Vimeo.

• Support for CEA-608 and iTT closed caption formats.

Audio descriptions

• Include audio description files in any iTunes Store package.

Compressor 4.4.1 also includes the following:

• MXF Settings are moved from the Custom settings to the built-In section of the settings pane.

• YouTube “Visit” and “Tell a Friend” buttons open video URL correctly.

• Fixes an issue where cropping lines did not display in the Viewer of an iTunes Store Package.

• An error is displayed if HTTP Live Streaming job action is applied to HEVC outputs.

• Fixes an issue where XDCAM batches fail.

• .PSD files load correctly as background images when creating DVD and Blu-ray jobs.

• Support for movies DVD and Blu-ray menus.

Compressor 4.4

360 VR delivery

• Encode 360° video in a wide range of formats and frame sizes.

• Share 360° video directly to YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo.

• Export 360° video files with embedded industry-standard spherical metadata.

• Support for monoscopic and stereoscopic formats.

High Dynamic Range

• Deliver High Dynamic Range (HDR) video with controls for color space conversions and HDR metadata.

• Deliver HDR video as P3 D65 PQ, and Rec. 2020 HLG, and Rec. 2020 PQ for HDR10.

• Easily convert HDR to Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) video.

• Support in the iTunes Store Package to link a Dolby Vision graded video file to a Dolby Vision XML.

HEVC

• Encode video in the High Efficiency Video Coding format (HEVC, also known as H.265) for file sizes up to 40 percent smaller than H.264 while preserving the same visual quality.*

• Create a custom HEVC export setting in Compressor and use it in Final Cut Pro for Mac.

• Send Final Cut Pro for Mac and Motion projects to Compressor to encode video in the HEVC format.

• Create a self-contained HEVC droplet for drag-and-drop encoding on the desktop.

MXF

• Encode MXF files with support for a wide range of codecs and parameters.

• New MXF presets include AVC-Intra, D-10 / IMX, ProRes, and XDCAM HD in a variety of frame rates and resolutions.

• Support for ProRes and 10-bit Uncompressed video within an MXF container.

• Support for HDR video in an MXF container

Issues addressed in Compressor 4.4

• Panasonic GH5 MP4 files exported to ProRes no longer produce three green frames at the beginning of a file.

• Improves stability when converting 29.97i video to 25p using Best retiming mode.

• Detailed error message is displayed when transcoding onto a full drive.

• Improves performance of watermarked 240fps source media.

• New animated GIF image settings: Small for up to 428 x 240 at 15 fps (optimized for messaging and websites) and Large for up to 640 x 360 at 25 fps (optimized for high-quality playback).

• Frame rates correctly identified for iPhone movies.

• Fixes an issue where DV codecs did not configure video frame size, pixel aspect, and field order correctly.

Compressor 4.3.2

• Command line options for monitoring job status.

• Dithering option adds noise to images to minimize distracting patterns such as color banding.

• Option when creating an iTunes Store package to identify health warning text, as required by Indian law.

• Improves watermark image quality.

• Support for animated PNG and animated GIF image sequences.

• Timecode filter is accurately displayed against drop-frame media.

• Fixes sync for audio transcoded to AC-3.

• Resolves issues in which Share to DVD could become unresponsive.

• Improves font quality of DVD menu and chapter titles.

• Improves image quality when creating a DVD.

• Enhanced DVD User dialog messages with embedded links to documentation.

Compressor 4.3.1

• Fade In/Fade Out filter is applied correctly when using distributed encoding.

• Disc name and titles are correctly displayed when using languages with double-byte characters.

• Location paths are respected when using Compressor via Terminal.

• Improves performance when exporting H.264 files and changing frame rate.

• Exporting ProRes 4444 files with transparency using Compressor creates a correct alpha channel.

• Fixes an issue that could prevent processing files using 32-bit codecs including Animation, PNG, Cinepak, and WMV.

• Fixes an issue in which marker buttons on the Touch Bar may be displayed incorrectly.

• Fixes an issue that could prevent burning Final Cut Pro for Mac projects to DVD via Apple USB SuperDrive.

Compressor 4.3

• Redesigned dark interface puts the focus on your video, with a streamlined presentation of batches and settings.

• Detailed video and audio file information is now displayed in the Inspector.

• Deliver video in standard Rec. 601 and Rec. 709 color spaces, or in wide Rec. 2020 color space.

• iTunes Store Package preview lets you audition alternative audio, closed captions, or subtitles to verify sync.

• iTunes Store Package media pass-through lets you bypass unnecessary compression.

• iTunes Store Package preview lets you seamlessly switch between audio streams during asset playback to speed up verification.

• Batch warnings and failures are now reported with detailed, actionable notes.

• Still image improvements include support for multiple color spaces and higher bit depths.

• Support for DPX, Cineon, OpenEXR still images.

• Support for OpenEXR image sequences.

• Enhanced DPX support delivers more accurate interpretation of color information, pixel aspect ratio, interlacing, and timing.

• Improved performance for image processing including frame rate conversions, interlacing, scaling, optical flow retiming, effects, and color space conversions.

• Automatic selection of optimal bit depth allows for higher-quality transcoding, color processing, and effects.

• Improved efficiency of CPU and GPU processing.

• New DVD disc templates give you more menu and background options.

• New options for DVD authoring let you loop playback, add motion menus, and customize menu images.

Compressor 4.3 also includes the following:

• Subtitles are validated on import with detailed, actionable notes.

• Automatic language detection for iTunes Store package assets.

Compressor 4.2.2

• 4K export preset to create video files for Apple devices.

• Fixes an issue in which Closed Caption files could be incorrectly labeled as SDH subtitles when creating an iTunes Store Package.

• Fixes an issue in which the Navigation window fails to display the source clip when the Preview window is zoomed.

• Launch screen displays correctly on OS X El Capitan.

• Adds iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Pro, and Apple TV HD to the Apple Devices compatibility list.

Compressor 4.2.1

• Fixes an issue that could cause Compressor to unexpectedly quit after migrating a user account to another system.

• Restores the ability to use markers for iframe placement in H.264 exports.

• Exports interlaced H.264 files.

• Improves audio and video sync of closed captions and subtitles.

Compressor 4.2

New features

• Create an iTunes Store Package for iTunes Store submission.

• Easily add your movie, trailer, closed captions, and subtitles to your iTunes Store Package.

• Preview closed captions and subtitles right in the Viewer.

• Zoom in the Viewer to watch content with true pixel accuracy.

• GPU rendering when using "Send to Compressor" with support for dual GPUs.

• Hardware-accelerated, multi-pass H.264 encoding on compatible systems.

• Automatic bit-rate calculation to MPEG-4 and H.264 QuickTime movies.

• Display and assign channels to QuickTime audio tracks prior to processing.

• Optional matrix stereo down-mix when processing surround sound for QuickTime output.

• CABAC entropy mode for multi-pass encoding.

Compressor 4.2 also includes the following:

• Jobs submitted via Droplet now appear in the Active and Completed tabs.

• Improved stability when using Apple AES3 Audio format with ProRes 422 HQ.

Compressor 4.1.3

• Compressor 4.1.3 fixes reliability issues when burning a Blu-ray Disc or creating a Blu-ray disk image.

Compressor 4.1.2

• Support for Apple ProRes 4444 XQ

• Status display and improved responsiveness when using "Send to Compressor" from Final Cut Pro for Mac and Motion.

• Improved performance and color accuracy when encoding H.264 source files from GoPro cameras.

• Fixes issues transcoding alpha channels in image sequences.

This update also includes the following general stability improvements.

Compressor 4.1.1

• Resolves issues with installing Compressor on a computer where Qmaster was previously enabled.

• Improves the reliability of "Send to Compressor" from Final Cut Pro for Mac.

• Addresses distributed encoding errors when source files are not on the startup volume.

• Fixes errors that could cause a hang when submitting a batch.

• Fixes a stability issue that could occur if multiple Compressor plug-ins are installed.

• Resolves an issue when viewing a plug-in setting without the plug-in installed.

• Includes general stability improvements.

Compressor 4.1

• New interface with a single-window layout and streamlined controls.

• Preset Destinations for common encoding tasks.

• Simplified setup for distributed encoding.

• Hardware-based H.264 encoding in supported Share operations.

• Support for Dolby Digital Plus encoding.

• Share directly to YouTube at 4K resolution.

• Share directly to Chinese video sites Youku and Tudou.

Compressor 4.0.7

• Removes 1 GB file size limit for uploads to Vimeo.

• Fixes a stability issue when playing back certain MPEG-2 files.

• Fixes a stability issue in Qmaster when processing multiple jobs.

Compressor 4.0.6

This update improves overall stability and performance including fixing an issue with uploading clips larger than 1 GB to Vimeo.

Compressor 4.0.5

• Improved cluster setup eliminates the need to have Compressor open on all cluster nodes.

• Ability to use encoding clusters without administrator authentication.

• Addresses an issue related to third-party QuickTime components that could prevent Compressor from opening.

Compressor 4.0.4

Compressor version 4.0.4 improves overall stability and performance including:

• Enhancements to Share Monitor for MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012).

• Resolves a stability issue that could occur when selecting the Publish to YouTube job action from the Inspector.

Compressor 4.0.3

• Ability to run Compressor on a Mac without a monitor.

• Fixes an issue with exporting when logged in as an Open Directory user.

• Improves performance when encoding MP4 and AVI files.

• Adds an export setting for 1080p video on compatible iOS devices.

Compressor 4.0.2

• Markers are set as chapter markers by default.

• Adds Uncompressed 8-bit and 10-bit 4:2:2 to export settings list.

• Improves the speed of transcoding from Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 to ProRes.

Compressor 4.0.1

• Updates the bitrates in Cellular settings for HTTP Live Streaming.

• Fixes an issue with accessing QuickTime Export Component settings in Final Cut Pro for Mac.

• Fixes an issue in which This Computer cluster does not appear when OS X is configured in Chinese.

• Resolves stability issues when launching Soundtrack Pro after Compressor 4 is installed.

Back up Compressor

Before updating, you should back up the currently installed version of the Compressor application and any custom settings.

Back up the Compressor Application

To back up the currently installed Compressor application:

1. Create a new folder in the Applications folder, and name it after the application (for example, "Compressor 4.2.2"). To check your version of Compressor, open the application and choose About Compressor from the Compressor menu.

2. Select the Compressor application in the Applications folder. Choose File > Compress "Compressor." It will take a few minutes to compress.

3. Move the resulting "Compressor.zip" file into the folder you created in step 1.

4. Move the folder containing the .zip file to a backup drive.

Back up Compressor settings

To back up Compressor settings, copy any custom settings files from ~/Library/Application Support/Compressor/Settings to a new folder.