Is Apple Pro Res 4444 a suitable form for delivery?

[Walter Soyka]

[Penny Clark] “I’m currently doing an edit where the delivery spec is a digital master at 1080p 23.98fps 4:4:4. Would the Apple Pro Res 4:4:4:4 be a suitable way to export my final sequence? Apologies if this is a really basic quesiton!”

If you have questions on any delivery spec, the best person to answer them is the person you’re delivering the files to. We can offer some very well-intentioned theory here on the Internet, but we can’t know the specifics of their delivery requirements.

I’d suggest that the following things are important to confirm in a file-based delivery spec:

Container (MOV, MXF, AVI, MP4, etc.)
Video codec and level (ProRes 4444, ProRes 422, DNxHD, H.264)
Video bit rate (if appropriate)
Frame rate
Raster size
Number of audio channels and audio channel configuration
Audio codec
Audio bit rate / sampling rate

Sometimes, there are additional requirements about timecode and slating.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
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[John Heagy]

[Penny Clark] “if it’s tape they want 1080p 23.98 4:4:4, it then continues to say a digital master is the same “

Sorry I missed that spec in your first email.

4:4:4 from tape is very difficult. It requires a HDCamSR and a 3G or dual link HDSDI capture card. Given the final format will be 4:2:0 it’s an odd requirement. If your timeline is all ProRes 444 than fine – if it’s not, than I’d ask about ProRes 422. No point in converting 422 to 444 just to eventual go to 420. Sometimes these specs are “shoot for the moon, turn it to 11” overkill. Best to talk to the person doing the encoding.