Adobe add ProRes Export!

December 11, 2018 admin

The big news today is the release of a new update from Adobe for Premiere, After Effects and Media Encoder. You can now MAKE ProRes files in Premiere and use it as a render codec. This is also an option which is certified by Apple.

Why is this a big deal?

There are not many programs on a PC that can make proper ProRes, and those that can are pretty expensive. You can do it for free using a program called FFMPEG but this is not Apple certified and some people have said that is fails “Q & A” when sent to a broadcaster. Blackmagic Fusion Studio can make ProRes but not the correct kind for Broadcasters. Magix Vegas can make ProRes but in an uncertified way that can still cause problems. The Premiere version is “pukka”.

This is great for anyone that needs to send an edit off to broadcast. ProRes is a simple, not very compressed format, which means you will get a really good quality master. Many broadcasters have a ProRes file as one of their acceptable delivery formats, so if you can easily make a ProRes file then it makes life a lot easier.

ProRes is not the only decent file format you could deliver in – there are others – the most obvious being Avid’s DNxHD/DNxHR, which is free for anyone. Grass Valley’s HQ & HQX are great formats but not widely adopted. ProRes may not be the best format out there and it is controlled by Apple which means you are at Apple’s whim, but it is a format that has been widely adopted and at the end of the day you have to give the people what they want!

What does it mean for non-broadcasters?

Premiere lacked a decent “intermediate codec” that could be used outside Premiere. It has CineForm and also Avid codecs but other programs either do not read them or you have to add something to make them read them. Just about everything reads ProRes so now you have a way to make a decent file to use in another program or hand off for a colleague to work on. They also have a decent format to send back to you when finished.

However, it is mainly people making videos for broadcast who will love this new option.

I do not know if this change is something Apple will let others do or if Adobe are the only ones who will be allowed to make ProRes on a PC. What I do know for sure is that Premiere is the first major editing program to get ProRes export on a PC.

Export is also available in Media Encoder and After Effects so you have a good codec into which you can render After Effects projects before loading them to your chosen editing program.

Here I am only talking about ProRes export, of course. Importing and using ProRes clips is available in just about every editing program.

The updates for these programs should be available in your CC app now. They do also include a few bug fixes, but the major addition is ProRes Export.