ProRes 422 vs. ProRes 422 HQ as timeline?

Question

Level 1

110 points

ProRes 422 vs. ProRes 422 HQ as timeline?

I just finished a 90 minute film that combined HD and 4K. I put everything on a ProRes 422 timeline. The FCPX auto up-rezzing of HD to 4K was quite surprisingly good. I output the master timeline as ProRes 422 HQ, then made various codecs (like H264 and HEVC) from that ProRes 422 HQ master using Compressor.

I'm wondering if shouldn't rather have put everything on the ProRes 422 HQ timeline right at the beginning? Would it have made any difference? And better uprezzing?

If it would have made a difference I could easily move the whole project over to a new (ProRes 422 HQ) timeline and remaster it.

Just wondering ... Ben

Posted on Aug 12, 2022 5:25 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Aug 12, 2022 5:37 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thank you Tom, that was my original assumption. But I self-doubt. A lot.

Mmmm. Which leads me to another little question: I'm cutting a short film originally shot in HDV. I want to bump it to 4K in the hopes of benefiting from FCPX uprezzing algorithms. But. I'm thinking I should just edit it on a regular HD timeline, then only at the end move it over to a 4K timeline to export out? That way I get the speed of working with the lower rez material, but the benefit of outputting an uprezzed master? Would that be the best plan?

Though working in 4K would let me see immediately how effective the uprezzing is, and indicate what filters - like sharpening, noise reduction etc., will be needed.

Reply