Dumb Question

[Todd Perchert]

When you make a new sequence, you select what sort of codec you are using, yes. If you drag a source file from a bin to the new item icon it will make one that matches, or closely resembles, your source material.
TC

[Kevin Camin]

Is it basically the ‘Arri’ in this instance? I don’t see the Arri codec anywhere in the specs on the right. How would you create a ProRes sequence from scratch or do you just need to drag and drop in a ProRes file into a blank timeline?

Best regards,

Kevin Camin

[Todd Perchert]

Yeah. You can select one that is close and it will be fine. Or, in PPro, in your Bin, you can grab one of your ProRes files (if you are on a mac) and drag it onto the New Item icon on the lower left of your bin. You have a Search icon, New Bin icon, then the New Item icon. If you do it that way, your preview files in your Sequence Settings should show as ProRes as well – giving you even better render options when done if you render out to ProRes as well. Then you can use your preview files to speed up rendering. If you use preview files – I usually don’t.
TC

[Kevin Camin]

Thanks for the response. : )

To do a lossless edit, does it matter what codec the sequence is set at as long as you export uncompressed or should you set the sequence to a lossless format to ensure this?

Best regards,

Kevin Camin

[Todd Perchert]

Not sure why you want an uncompressed export. Do you realize the amount of disk space that eats up? And most places won’t accept that. https://toolstud.io/video/bitrate.php
I would stick with ProRes through your entire workflow. What is your final destination for the project? Broadcast will have it’s own issues you’re going to have to work through if your material is 24fps.
TC

[Kevin Camin]

To a colorist.

Best regards,

Kevin Camin

[Shane Ross]

As a colorist, I either want ProRes HQ, ProRes 4444, DNxHR….or the camera masters. NOT uncompressed.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[John Heiser]

Sequence presets are really just a convenience and don’t have any effect on exports. An Arri preset isn’t functionally different than a DSLR preset. The presets are present as a convenience to help you match frame size and frame rate to a camera or delivery format.

The Video Previews file format setting can help with smart rendering, though. For example, I set my previews to QuickTime ProRes HQ, since that’s usually my mastering format, and I render red-line sections (or the whole timeline) prior to exporting a “Match Sequence – Use Previews” master file. Smart Rendering saves time by bypassing having to render effects again, using the preview files to compile the output movie.

Shane’s comment below is correct – for sending to a colorist, export to a “mezzanine” format with a codec such as ProRes 4444 or DNxHR.

John Heiser
Senior Editor
o2 ideas
Birmingham

[Kevin Camin]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to share your best practices and for answering my questions.

Couple questions:

•If the footage I’m editing was shot log, is that ‘log state’ preserved if I export from Premiere a ProRes444 file? If you can tell, my question reveals I don’t deeply understand log. I know it’s a way of capturing video in a way that gives more data to parts of the tonal curve that our eyes are sensitive to, and it helps preserves detail in the highlights and shadows by not crushing them. But, I’m unclear if the log aspect is a part of the file itself, or if it’s just a file like any other and it was just shot in a special way. The thing about log is that is lacks contrast, so you typically need to expand out the tonal and color data to get true blacks and whites, and in other experiences of mine with photography, doing that can create gaps in the histogram since you’re taking say 180 tonal steps and spreading it over 256.

•What do you do if you are editing with raw files and need to pass to a colorist? I take it you wouldn’t render out of premiere a ProRes, but I’m guessing provide an EDL?

Thanks again, everyone!

Best regards,

Kevin Camin

[Preet Malhotra]

No idea about log/edl. Saw your PP screenshot so replying.

In Premiere Pro, sequence presets have no codes. They only hold certain video characteristics like Ratios, Resolutions, FPS and a few more. (And, I believe you’d be knowing this,) In case you drag a video that doesn’t match the sequence settings, you’d get a prompt regarding modifying sequence or using as it is and modify video dimensions later

You select codec from presets or manually at the time of export.

Regards,
Preet Malhotra