ProRes

ProRes is a family of video codecs made by Apple. It started out for Final Cut Pro, but it now works across all the major editing software. ProRes launched in 2007 and has become one of the standard codecs for professional video, especially for editing.

A codec is just the format your video is saved in. The key thing about ProRes is that it is built for editing, not for delivery. Most delivery codecs (H.264, H.265, AV1) aim for small files so they stream and store easily. ProRes aims for smooth editing and high quality, and it accepts much larger files as the trade-off.

ProRes comes in several flavours, from smallest to largest:

• ProRes Proxy. The smallest. Used for offline editing or low-bandwidth work. Not a delivery format.
• ProRes LT. Smaller than standard. Used for less critical work or when storage is tight.
• ProRes 422. The standard, and the most common version. Used in everyday professional editing.
• ProRes 422 HQ. Higher quality than standard. Used for premium work where quality matters more than file size.
• ProRes 4444. Even higher quality. It includes an alpha channel (transparency), which is handy for motion graphics and VFX.
• ProRes 4444 XQ. The highest quality. Used for high-end mastering and archival.
• ProRes RAW. A raw recording format used in cameras like the Atomos Ninja recorders. It captures the unprocessed sensor data for maximum flexibility in post.

For most everyday professional work, ProRes 422 or 422 HQ is the go-to. The others are for specific cases: Proxy for offline workflows, 4444 for motion graphics and VFX, and RAW for high-end capture.

Most delivery codecs (H.264, H.265, AV1) use something called inter-frame compression. The codec stores one full frame every few seconds, and in between it only stores what changed from the frame before. That makes tiny files for streaming, but it makes editing slower, because each frame depends on the ones around it.

ProRes uses intra-frame compression instead. Every frame is stored as a complete image, on its own, with no reliance on its neighbours. That makes much bigger files, but it makes editing far faster, because the software can scrub, cut, and add effects to any frame without rebuilding it from the surrounding frames.

What that means in practice:

• Smooth scrubbing. A ProRes timeline scrubs smoothly even on modest hardware. An H.265 timeline of the same length can lag or stutter, especially on older machines.
• Fast effects. Each ProRes frame is already a full image, so effects render quickly frame by frame. Compressed codecs need more work to decode each frame first.
• No quality loss from re-encoding. ProRes can be encoded and decoded many times without losing quality. H.264 and similar codecs lose a little quality each time you re-encode them.
• Larger files. A ProRes 422 file is roughly 5 to 10 times bigger than the equivalent H.264 file. A 10-minute 1080p ProRes 422 file is around 5 GB, while the H.264 version is closer to 600 MB.
• Faster drives needed. Because the files are big, they need faster drives to play smoothly. An old spinning hard drive might struggle with several ProRes streams at once, while SSDs handle it easily.

The trade-off is real: more storage, faster drives, and bigger files in exchange for smoother editing and better quality preservation. For professional editing, that trade is almost always worth it.

ProRes is the right call in several situations.

• Editing complex projects. Long-form video, projects with lots of effects, multi-camera edits, anything that pushes the software. ProRes keeps these responsive even on modest hardware.
• Workflows with multiple edits. When the same footage gets edited, exported, re-edited, and exported again, ProRes holds its quality across the cycles. H.264 would degrade noticeably.
• Motion graphics and VFX. ProRes 4444 includes an alpha channel for transparency, which is essential for compositing, motion graphics, and any work where elements need to layer.
• Master files and archival. Final master files are often saved as ProRes 422 HQ or 4444 for the long term. The codec is widely supported and holds up well to future re-encoding.
• Broadcast and high-end delivery. Some broadcast specs require ProRes (especially the BBC, ITV, and certain US networks). It is treated as broadcast-grade quality.
• Camera capture. Some professional cameras can record straight to ProRes (Blackmagic, RED, Atomos recorders, certain ARRI cameras), giving you files that are ready to edit without converting.

ProRes is NOT the right call for:

• Delivery to social platforms. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and the rest all want H.264 or H.265. Uploading ProRes to them wastes bandwidth (they re-encode it anyway) and slows the upload.
• Storing on limited devices. Cloud storage, phone storage, and lightweight drives all struggle with how large ProRes files are.
• General sharing. Sending a ProRes file to a client for review wastes their bandwidth and may be too big for email or messaging. H.264 is the right format for review and approval files.

The simple pattern: ProRes for editing and archival, H.264 (or H.265) for sharing and review.

ProRes is not the only professional editing codec. A few alternatives:

• DNxHR / DNxHD (Avid). Avid’s version of ProRes. Similar behaviour: intra-frame compression, large files, smooth editing. Common in Avid Media Composer workflows, with good cross-platform support.
• Cineform (GoPro). Once proprietary, now open-source. Cross-platform, intra-frame, and built for editing. Less common than ProRes, but supported by the major editing software.
• ProRes RAW. Apple’s raw codec, used in some cameras for raw sensor capture. It gives the most flexibility for colour and exposure adjustments.
• Camera-specific RAW formats. Many cinema cameras (RED, ARRI, Blackmagic) have their own raw formats. Highest quality and most flexibility, but the largest files and the most processing power.
• H.264 / H.265 (delivery codecs). Used for capture in many consumer and prosumer cameras, but not built for editing. Many editors convert H.264 footage to ProRes for smooth editing, then export back to H.264 for delivery.

For Mac-based workflows, ProRes is the default. It is deeply built into Final Cut Pro and well supported in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. For Avid-based workflows, DNxHR and DNxHD are more common. Both do the same job: an intra-frame editing codec that puts performance ahead of file size.

In recent years, ProRes has become much more at home on Windows too. Adobe Premiere Pro on Windows handles it natively. DaVinci Resolve handles it on both Mac and Windows. The old idea that “ProRes is Mac-only” is increasingly out of date.