Until more users buy or update these specific Atomos products – or more manufacturers become licensed to record ProRes RAW onboard the camera – any real-word comparisons and conclusions come from a handful of ProRes RAW source files floating around the internet. If the SDI output to the Atomos recorder is only 10-bit, then that’s the bit-depth recorded. The ProRes RAW codec supports 12-bit color depth, but it depends on the camera. Others, like ARRI Alexa or RED cameras, cannot yet be recorded as ProRes RAW. This means that the Atomos firmware would require a conversion table for each camera, which would explain why only a few Sony, Panasonic, and Canon models qualify right now. Although no one is very specific about the exact process, I would presume that Atomos’ firmware is taking in the camera’s form of raw signal and rewrapping or transforming the data into ProRes RAW. The current implementation requires a camera that exports a camera raw signal over SDI, which in turn is connected to the Atomos, where the conversion to ProRes RAW occurs. At least that’s what Apple is banking on. But, ProRes RAW will cover the needs of most camera raw users, making this the raw codec “for the rest of us”.
You don’t get the type of specific raw controls made available for image tweaking, as you do with RED. Like all things Apple, the complexity is hidden under the surface. ProRes RAW is only an acquisition codec and, for now, can only be recorded externally using an Atomos Inferno or Sumo 19 monitor/recorder, or in-camera with DJI’s Inspire 2 or Zenmuse X7. The exception is Motion, which will read and play the files, but with incorrect default – albeit correctable – video levels. At present, ProRes RAW is incompatible with all other applications. Apple has now upped the game with a codec that is optimized for multi-stream playback within Final Cut Pro X, thus taking advantage of how FCPX leverages Apple hardware.
#Fxfactory pro 4.1.8 movie
RED brought the innovation of recording the raw signal as a compressed movie file, making on-board recording and simplified post-production possible. At NAB, Apple decided to step into the game. My apologies up front, if there is some overlap between this and the previous post.Ĭamera raw codecs have been around since before RED Digital Camera brought out their REDCODE RAW codec. Think of this post as an addendum to Part 2. I still see a lot of misinformation on the web about what exactly this is, so I felt it was worth an additional post. In the second part, I covered Apple’s new ProRes RAW codec. A few weeks ago I wrote a two-part post – HDR and RAW Demystified.