What's are the difference uses and purposes of all these different Prores 4444 export options?

Report · Aug 04, 2022

I am exporting a Prores 4444 file for color, and I realized I don't know what the different export settings should be used for. What are the case uses for HLG, XQ, PQ versus just Prores 4444?

I found these definitions online:
HLG - Work natively in Rec. 2100 HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) in Premiere Pro. HDR offers wider color and light ranges that are closer to real life. With Rec. 2100 HLG color space support in Premiere Pro, broadcasters can work with more vibrant and dynamic content.

XQ - The highest quality version of ProRes for 4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels), with a very high data rate to preserve the detail in high dynamic range imagery generated by today's highest quality digital image sensors.

PQ - Apple ProRes is a high-quality, lossy video compression format developed by Apple Inc. for use in post-production that supports video resolution up to 8K. It is the successor of the Apple Intermediate Codec and was introduced in 2007 with Final Cut Studio 2.

Report · Aug 04, 2022

Apple ProRes White Paper, April 2022
https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/docs/Apple_ProRes.pdf

The "RED Workflows with Final Cut Pro White Paper, November 2020" (https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/docs/RED_Workflows_with_Final_Cut_Pro_X.pdf), page 12, has the following recommendations for which flavor or ProRes to use for editing:
Disk space is a consideration, or you’re editing a large multicam project.

Apple ProRes 422 Proxy or Apple ProRes 422 LT

You’re delivering Apple ProRes files as a final master for the web or TV.

Apple ProRes 422 or Apple ProRes 422 HQ

You’re delivering for theater projection or effects compositing.

Apple ProRes 4444

In your post, you found "Apple ProRes is a high-quality, lossy video compression format developed by Apple Inc. for use in post-production that supports video resolution up to 8K. It is the successor of the Apple Intermediate Codec and was introduced in 2007 with Final Cut Studio 2." That applies to all of ProRes and is not specific to PQ.

Whichever version of ProRes you choose to go with, make sure that your Source Footage and your Sequence Video Previews are set to the same frame size, frame rate, and version of ProRes for optimal performance in Premiere Pro.