-
Render in ProRes422 or 4444?
Hello there,
sometimes we get ProRes422-footage to work on, sometimes 4444 for keying.
The usual way of handeling was to export the way we got it. Wouldn’t it be better to always export 4444, so colors are preserved better (even if the source was 422)?
Thanks very much in advance!
-
2 Replies
-
Exporting something in 4:4:4 chroma subsampling will not bring back/or hold any color information that was already lost in the 4:2:2 sampled file.
-
If you need to maintain absolutely the most pristine quality possible, yes 4444 would be the way to go. It won’t bring colors back that were in the original shot before it was encoded in 422, but it will preserve all of the colors in the work you’ve done.
That said, for most practical purposes, 422 works just fine. The smaller file sizes make passing files around way better and, while 422 might not be technically lossless, it is visually lossless. Unless you’re planning to have the shot go through several more generations (or you need alpha for some reason), 422 is a better practical choice.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up