Storing colour graded/corrected cinema raw lite 4k files

For your high-quality storage, going with ProRes or DNxHR is a solid move; they keep your footage nice and crisp for future edits. For club playback, H.264 is definitely a safe bet, especially since it looked great on your 86-inch TV! Just make sure to check the club's setup beforehand, so you don’t run into any playback issues.

You have two entirely different needs there.

1. A "deliverable" codec for playback/distribution through your typical uses.
2. An archiving codec for storing what you've done to create the deliverable, such that it could be modified later.

I don't think there's one codec that will be great for both, though you might get by. I'll start with the 'deliverable' for viewing in your club situation.

I would suggest seeing if your equipment displaying equipment can handle the H.265./HEVC codec, as that can carry better resolution at the same bitrate than the H.264 format can. You will want a moderate file size so with a 4k file, if your sequence and deliverable are 4k, then maybe stay above 50mbps encoding.

And as always, test a file before committing your entire process to anything! And once you have enough detail information for your normal screening, note that down and ... do that.

Next ... archiving. The raw files might in some ways be your best archival media, as they tend to be smaller than a full-on ProRes of good quality. ProRes 422 would probably be adequate for your needs. But especially notable is the bit depth ... and at times, Premiere has delivered ProRes422 as 8 bit.

You must check the boxes for "Max Bit Depth" and for "16bpc" in the Export dialog to get 10 bit ProRes exports.

I would test by exporting an original RAW file to a ProRes422 with Max Bit Depth and 16bpc selected, and compare file size to that of the original clip.

1) Do you need to store with grading done?

2) Is the file that much bigger that it's a painful hassle?

You alone can answer those questions.

Hey Aaron,

Welcome to the community! Choosing the export codec depends on your requirements. Log GOP codecs such as H. 264 have high compression, saving storage space at the cost of computing power. Compressed codecs must be decoded by the media player to be played. Intermediate codecs are not as computing-intensive but also require more storage space. Another thing to consider is your project's bit depth. If you're editing 10-bit media, you might not want to export it in an 8-bit codec. If you want an intermediate codec, you can try one of the Prores codecs, such as Prores 422 or Prores 422 LT. For a more detailed comparison of Apple Prores Codecs, please check this document: https://adobe.ly/4dfIII9. Hope this helps!

Thanks,

Ishan

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