Storing colour graded/corrected cinema raw lite 4k files

[aaron30847211aed2]

* I'm an Australian surf videographer , Canon C200 and premiere Pro user, self taught with zero support making a surf film with windows PC computer. I shoot in 4K raw 25P and 4K raw 50P

After learning to colour grade/correct canon C200's 4K cinema raw lite files In Premiere pro, I would now like to store my graded clips at the highest quality.. 

To avoid criticism I explored forums / tutorials online rather than asking a seemingly basic question directly but I found very conflicting and confusing nformation online .

I would really appreciate suggestions for an export codec and settings if possible.

 I would like to store at highest quality to preserve the maximum amount of information just incase future adjustments are necessary.

Also,

The primary source of viewing for my final productions are live.  This is generally a "club" setting using large screens. 

Generally the club will have a laptop connected through to their large screen .

I load the finished production file on their laptop which then plays through their media (large screen)

If the final production file is realistically only outputting to a glorified television , what codec is sufficient for this?  

I would be apprehensive to use a file at full quality size, as it is very likely that the club equipment (laptop etc ) will not cope with such a large file. 

I have used the 4k H264 codec in premiere Pro to play clips on my new and very high quality 86inch 4K television and it looked fantastic to me. 

[Ishan Y]

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

Please tag me (@) in your replies so that it notifies me and helps me respond promptly.

[R Neil Haugen]

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.

[aaron30847211aed2]

We had a death in the family around the time of your apply and I never got to thank you, your answer is exactly the information I was hoping to receive, much appreciated Neil.

[bittu_5187]

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.