Is native prores stable enough to edit feature film? Or should we go dnxhd?

[Shane Ross]

Use AMA to access. Then transcode to ProRes MXF. Then you should be fine. Fast, zero quality loss. Avid just works best with MXF files.

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

[Tina Hedegaard]

Which camera are you using.
I can see the a reason to this question if you are gonna use Alexa and if you want to edit in proves 4444, which I don’t think Avid is capable to run this without problems.

If you are using any other camera I would transcode to DNxHD directly instead of first converting to prores and then transcode the materials to something low res.

Yours Sincerely

Tina Hedegaard
Editor | Final Cut Pro 7 | Media Composer 5.0 -5.5
Mac OS 10.6.7

[Toke Trangbæk]

I know that works in theory… but does it also work in real life – with many hours of video.

Is the Prores wrapped as MXF just as fast an reliable to edit as good old fashioned DNXHD as MXF?

We are shooting on RED – so i can export just as easily to DNXHD as to Prores… But proves is just easier to work with – if you need some of the shots for a behind the scenes thing, a promo, fixing stuff in after effects etc.. But we will only do prores if we know that Avid will handle it just as well as native DNXHD.

[Toke Trangbæk]

But does Avid 6 not change this? With the new native support for proves I should not need to re-encode it…

[Shane Ross]

If DNxHD is just as easy to do as ProRes, why even consider ProRes? Always best to feed avid what it works best with. DNxHD.

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

[Toke Trangbæk]

Because prores fits the rest of our workflow better. This is what we are used to work with in FCP, After Effects etc… So if it works just as good a DNXHD – why not stay with prores?

I know I can do both. I am just looking for some real life experience from people who have worked on large projects with native proves in AVID 6. – I don’t wanna be the first to try this… 🙂 So if nobody tells me otherwise we will of course go with DNXHD and then test the new native prores feature on a smaller project.

best regards

[Andrew Mckee]

AMAing prores QTs into Avid and then consolidating to create MXF files is gonna take twice as much disk space. If prores QTs are useful elsewhere in the workflow why not create them from the camera so that you have them, but then transcode in Avid to DNxHD36 and use that for the offline. You can always link back to the full Prores footage and you have it all to send to AE etc.

Andrew McKee
Editor/Colourist
Avid Certified Instructor – MC5.5
Apple Certified Trainer – FCPX
Pixelwizard.net

[Michael Phillips]

I haven’t tried in a while, but I thought in order to rewrap ProRes as MXF in Media Composer, it is not via AMA (it always transcodes, even if selecting same codec, rate, etc.). Rewrapped ProRes is done via import and should be a fast import.

As far as overall workflow, are you intending to have the ProRes be your new submaster from which everything is derived and never go back to the R3D files for conform and mastering?

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Toke Trangbæk]

No we will be going back to the original red raw files when onlining and grading.
Thinking of editing in 1920×1080 prores lt.

[Michael Phillips]

Then I really see no reason to involve ProRes at all since DNxHD and ProRes are really equivalents to each other. DNxHD 36 would be the way to go directly from REDCINE X as native MXF.

Michael

Michael Phillips