Apple ProRes codecs provide an unparalleled combination of multistream, real-time editing performance, impressive image quality and reduced storage rates. Apple ProRes codecs take full advantage of multicore processing and feature fast, reduced-resolution decoding modes.
All Apple ProRes codecs support all frame sizes (including SD, HD, 2K, 4K, and 5K) at full resolution. The data rates vary based on codec type, image content, frame size, and frame rate. Apple ProRes includes the following formats.
To bring the same performance, quality, and ease of use introduced by Apple ProRes to raw media, use Apple ProRes RAW.
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ is the highest-quality version of Apple ProRes for 4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels). This format has a very high data rate to preserve the detail in high-dynamic-range imagery generated by today’s highest-quality digital image sensors. Apple ProRes 4444 XQ preserves dynamic ranges several times greater than the dynamic range of Rec. 709 imagery. This holds true even against the rigors of extreme visual effects processing in which tone-scale blacks or highlights are stretched significantly. Like standard Apple ProRes 4444, this codec supports up to 12 bits per image channel and up to 16 bits for the alpha channel. Apple ProRes 4444 XQ features a target data rate of approximately 500 Mbps for 4:4:4 sources at 1920×1080 and 29.97 fps.
ProRes 4444 XQ is supported on OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or later.
Apple ProRes 4444
Apple ProRes 4444 is an extremely high-quality version of Apple ProRes for 4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels). This codec features full-resolution, mastering-quality 4:4:4:4 RGBA color, and visual fidelity that is perceptually indistinguishable from the original material. Apple ProRes 4444 is a high-quality solution for storing and exchanging motion graphics and composites, with excellent multigeneration performance and a mathematically lossless alpha channel of up to 16 bits. This codec features a remarkably low data rate compared to uncompressed 4:4:4 HD. It has a target data rate of approximately 330 Mbps for 4:4:4 sources at 1920×1080 and 29.97 fps. It also offers direct encoding of and decoding to both RGB and Y’CBCR pixel formats.
Apple ProRes 422 HQ
Apple ProRes 422 HQ is a higher-data-rate version of Apple ProRes 422 that preserves visual quality at the same high level as Apple ProRes 4444 but for 4:2:2 image sources. With widespread adoption across the video post-production industry, Apple ProRes 422 HQ offers visually lossless preservation of the highest-quality professional HD video that a single-link HD-SDI signal can carry. This codec supports full-width, 4:2:2 video sources at 10-bit pixel depths, while remaining visually lossless through many generations of decoding and reencoding. The target data rate is approximately 220 Mbps at 1920×1080 and 29.97 fps.
Apple ProRes 422
Apple ProRes 422 is a high-quality compressed codec offering nearly all the benefits of Apple ProRes 422 HQ, but at 66 percent of the data rate for even better multistream, real-time editing performance. The target data rate is approximately 147 Mbps at 1920×1080 and 29.97 fps.
Apple ProRes 422 LT
Apple ProRes 422 LT is a more highly compressed codec than Apple ProRes 422, with roughly 70 percent of the data rate and 30 percent smaller file sizes. This codec is perfect for environments where storage capacity and data rate are at a premium. The target data rate is approximately 102 Mbps at 1920×1080 and 29.97 fps.
Apple ProRes 422 Proxy
Apple ProRes 422 Proxy is an even more highly compressed codec than Apple ProRes 422 LT, intended for use in offline workflows that require low data rates but full-resolution video. The target data rate is approximately 45 Mbps at 1920×1080 and 29.97 fps.
Apple ProRes RAW
ProRes RAW is here, a new high-efficiency codec that enables instant playback and editing without the need for any conversion. ProRes codecs have been an industry standard for a long time, but the codecs themselves are getting a little long in the tooth. A testament to how good the ProRes codecs are is that they are still widely used by ARRI as their primary compressed codec options in the Alexa.
The performance of ProRes with the flexibility of RAW. What Apple has done is to create a codec that is as easy to use as the existing ProRes options but with the flexibility of RAW. ProRes RAW allows you to import, edit and grade video with RAW data straight from your camera sensor without slowing down your edit. These RAW files provide maximum flexibility for adjusting the look of your video while extending brightness & shadow detail. This makes it a good solution for HDR workflows.
