What Codec to Use When Exporting R3D Media from Premiere CS5 to Quicktime?

[Alex Gerulaitis]

[Sam Rappold] “But this client only has Quicktime player, so I don’t think they could watch an mp4 on their computer.”

Not at my work puter (so can’t test it) – pretty sure QT can play mp4 files.

[Sam Rappold] “in the past when I’ve exported R3D projects as H.264 Quicktimes, they’ve dropped frames and skipped on playback in QT”

In Windows? That’s a given. On a Mac it will be smoother.

Alex Gerulaitis
Systems Engineer
DV411 – Los Angeles, CA

[Angelo Lorenzo]

H.264 mp4 files will work in Quicktime, however I’ve had clients complain of lipsync issues with the mp4 container. I guess it’s a known issue.

Quicktime h.264 should be more than adequate for client review videos. If you’re experiencing skipping, can you tell us the settings you’ve tried and if you experience skipping on your system, the client’s system or both? We can troubleshoot. Trust me when I say this but Animation and Apple Intermediate codecs are two you do not want to use for client reviews.

In terms of using ProRes, it’s a good choice if not a little large in terms of file size. If your clients do not have Final Cut or other Apple pro video apps then you will need to instruct them (for both PC and OSX) to install the free ProRes decoder. This will enable ProRes playback on their system within the Quicktime Player.

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2

——————–
Angelo Lorenzo

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Introducing ProRes Helper, an awesome little app that makes it possible
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