Exporting ProRes, DNxHR and image sequences from Video by Zaweba
Video by Zaweba exports ProRes from Proxy to 4444 XQ, DNxHR in .mov and .mxf, CineForm, uncompressed 10-bit and frame sequences including DPX and EXR.
Most exports are for watching: an MP4 for a website or a phone. A different kind of export is for passing on. When your edit is going to a colourist, a broadcaster, a visual effects artist or an archive, they'll often ask for a high quality master in a professional codec, or for the film as a folder of individual frames. Video by Zaweba can produce these too.
ProRes
ProRes is a family of codecs widely used in post-production, and the app offers the whole range: Proxy, LT, 422, 422 HQ, 4444 and 4444 XQ. They go up in quality and file size from left to right. Proxy and LT are for lightweight working copies. 422 and 422 HQ are the common choices for a finished master. 4444 and 4444 XQ keep the most detail and can carry transparency, which matters for graphics that will be laid over other footage.
DNxHR
DNxHR is another family used widely in professional editing. Video by Zaweba exports DNxHR SQ, HQ and HQX in a .mov file, and HQ in an .mxf file. MXF is a container that broadcast and some professional systems prefer, so if a delivery spec asks for MXF, that's the option to choose.
CineForm, Animation and uncompressed
CineForm is a high quality intermediate codec designed for editing. QuickTime Animation is an older lossless codec still used for graphics with transparency. Uncompressed 10-bit stores the picture with no compression at all, which gives the most faithful copy at the cost of very large files.
Image sequences
Instead of a video file, you can export the film as a sequence of still frames: TIFF, JPEG, BMP, Targa, DPX or OpenEXR. Each frame becomes its own picture.
Sequences are standard in visual effects and film work. DPX and OpenEXR in particular are the usual formats for handing shots to effects and colour work, because they hold a lot of picture information. TIFF and Targa are widely supported. JPEG makes small files but loses quality, so keep it for previews or reference stills.
Sequences make big folders. Export each one into its own empty folder, named after the project and the version, so the frames from two exports never get mixed together and the person receiving them can see at a glance what they have.
Matching the delivery spec
Ask the person receiving it. Professional deliveries almost always come with a specification, and following it exactly saves a round of re-exports.
If there's no spec and you just want a high quality master to keep, ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQ are sound choices that most professional software can open.
Check disk space before you start. These formats are much larger than everyday MP4s, and an uncompressed or EXR export of a long film can fill a drive.
Think about transparency too. If you're exporting a graphic or a title to be laid over someone else's footage, choose a format that can carry it, such as ProRes 4444 or QuickTime Animation, and check the result in the receiving program before you send a whole batch.
Masters and copies
A good habit is to export one high quality master, then make your everyday copies for the web from it or from the project. Video by Zaweba also has a render queue, so you can line up the master and the web versions to run one after another while you do something else.
