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Converting an exported h264 to Prores
Hello,
Is it possible to convert an h264 mp4 to Prores after it’s already been exported from Premiere Pro? Or do I need to export it again with Prores settings from a Premiere Pro installation on a Mac?
I’ve edited a video in PP on Windows, but now the customer wants a Prores version too. I’ve got access to an old Macbook, but it does not have any editing software installed. Is that a problem? Or can I use Mpeg Streamclip or another (preferably free) conversion program to do it?
Thanks for any help.
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6 Replies
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Exporting a ProRes version directly from the sequence will get you the best quality.
Transcoding an h.264 to ProRes is completely possible, but reduces the quality–h.264 has significant compression compared to ProRes, so you will be limited by the quality of the h.264 export if you transcode.
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Hm, yes, I was afraid of that. Thanks for your answer.
Does it help if the h264 has been exported with a huge bitrate? Like 50Mbps, or even higher?
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Don’t go to H.264 first. NO NO NO NO NO! You lose SO much information…good god no.
Export out DNxHD 175x, or Cineform….a good high quality codec. THEN take to a Mac that has Compressor (gonna need a mac with one Apple ProApp on it to convert to ProRes) and convert to ProRes.
You’ll cause a lot of damage outputtting to a highly compressed format first, then converting. Bad idea.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Thanks Shane!
I exported it as Cineform. Now to search for a Mac that can handle the conversion.
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Saw this article just yesterday. Although a year old, the info is still relevant, and might help you walk through pros, cons, and various solutions:
https://blog.frame.io/2017/08/07/prores-on-windows/
Dovetailing the article and reinforcing Shane’s advice, friend with a Mac and Compressor probably your best option.
–Joby.
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Thanks!
I managed to make it work with Shane’s advice. I found a Mac with an older version of Premiere Pro. It couldn’t read my project file, but I could import the Cineform file (with the highest settings, resulting in a 16GB file for a 5 minute 1080p 25fps video) and export that to Prores.
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