About Apple ProRes RAW

Use Apple ProRes RAW and Apple ProRes RAW HQ to bring the same performance, quality, and ease of use introduced by Apple ProRes to raw media.

The Apple ProRes codec family provides an unparalleled combination of real-time, multistream editing performance, and impressive image quality preservation. ProRes RAW is based on the same principles and underlying technology as existing Apple ProRes codecs, and is ideal for High Dynamic Range (HDR) content creation in Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor.

ProRes RAW brings the same great performance, quality, and ease of use to raw video that ProRes has brought to conventional video. When you store a clip in the ProRes RAW format rather than in a proprietary camera raw format, you get more control over the processing of the image, including demosaicing, linear-to-log conversions, and custom LUTs.

With ProRes RAW, you can import, edit, and grade video with RAW data straight from your camera sensor — without slowing down your edit. ProRes RAW also provides maximum flexibility for adjusting the look of your video while extending brightness and shadows.

You can render and export faster with ProRes RAW than you can with other raw formats—ProRes RAW is optimized for macOS and the latest Mac computers. And you can fit more footage on every card because ProRes RAW files are smaller than standard formats.

Data rate

You can choose between two ProRes RAW compression levels: ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ. Both compression levels achieve excellent preservation of raw video content, with Apple ProRes RAW HQ providing additional quality at a higher data rate. ProRes RAW data rates can vary significantly based on image content, because the codec is designed to maintain constant quality and pristine image fidelity for all frames.

Performance

Raw video playback requires decoding the video bit stream and converting the decoded raw image. Final Cut Pro streamlines and optimizes this conversion process for Apple ProRes RAW files. When you use ProRes RAW with Final Cut Pro, you get the same real-time, multistream video editing performance you experience with Apple ProRes RAW as you do with standard media.

And with the Mac Pro (2019), the Afterburner card accelerates decoding and playback of multiple streams of ProRes and Pro Res RAW video files for even better performance.

View ProRes RAW on your Mac

After you install Pro Video Formats on your Mac, you can view ProRes RAW files with QuickTime Player and Quick Look. Since ProRes RAW captures high-dynamic-range data directly from the camera sensor, footage may look overexposed on the display of your Mac.

Because ProRes RAW is an acquisition format created by cameras and video recorders with RAW data straight from your camera sensor, it's not possible to create ProRes RAW files from video software. To export ProRes RAW files to other formats, use Final Cut Pro, Motion, or Compressor. You can't export ProRes RAW to other formats with QuickTime Player.

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