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Archiving of 4K final exports
Hi All,
I have a question about archiving a 4K promo video. I personally don’t work in 4K, but my job has hired an outside company to shoot a 4k project for us, and I will need to archive the final product.
My question is this: Given that we can’t archive the editing file itself and will only receive final exported videos from it, is Apple Pro Res HQ 1920 x 1080 the best resolution to archive in or is there a better/higher resolution to archive final 4k videos in at this point in time? I know that 1920 x 1080 is the current standard, but are we close enough to a higher resolution/standard such that it’s wise to archive higher resolution video files now?
Thanks for any help anyone can offer.
Tim
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7 Replies
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Always archive at the highest resolution that you can achieve.
Also, if you’re paying for the external company’s work, don’t you own the originals as part of the contract? If you do, I’d request the original, raw clips as well as the finished output.
Tim
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Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters! -
Thanks Tim. That helps.
And yes, having the editing file would be great. My boss just needs a quick answer now, so there isn’t time to research any contractual obligations regarding if we get the editing file. But I will vie for that.
For me though, the issue is software. Even if we get the editing file but it’s in a software we don’t use, it will be no use to us unless we purchase that software. And if you are working with different post-production facilities and thus likely different software editing files, that can get expensive. We’re a small non-profit.
But your answer is most helpful, so thanks a ton again!
Tim
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Depending on your environment, most modern NLE’s should be able to handle whatever clip format you receive. Additionally, tools like FFmpeg (free from ffmpeg.org) can assist in moving the file that you receive to another mezzanine format that is better suited to your exact needs.
Tim
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Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters! -
Yes, I know most NLEs can handle any clip format/codec. But are you saying that FFmpeg can convert, for example, a Premiere Pro file to a Final Cut or something like that?
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No – for that you would need the actual project file either the .prproj, .fcpbundle, or the like. The best solution is to ask the originating shop to provide either an EDL or an XML for your reference and use.
In many cases, they are cross compatible and where they aren’t, they can be converted.
What NLE are you using internally?
Tim
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Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters! -
Ah, got it. Thanks. And to answer your question, I have used Premiere Pro CS6.
thanks again!
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Hi All,
I have a follow up question for this. I’m also archiving final output videos for projects that other companies have produced and done about us. Since we did not produce these videos, we only want to archive the finished video rather than archiving their raw footage and edit files, etc. Is there a standard set of specs to archive in? If I leave it up to the client, we get all kinds of different files (mp4, mv4) with different mbps and different audio specs. Frame rate and pixel dimensions should ideally be what the project was shot on, I know. But for project where you don’t own the raw footage, is it best to archive in H.264 or full quality? If H.264, are there standard compression specs to use?
Thanks
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