What's the difference between exporting a 1080p project as a Master File vs. as Apple Devices 1080p?
I've done a test by exporting the same project as both. They look identical to me, and they are 5.64GB vs. 5.12GB in disk size, respectively, in other words, a small difference.
Is there any technical reason the Master File might be superior, since it's the slightly higher file size?
Mac Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)
an AppleDevices export uses a set of settings, specific for usage on <cough> Apple devices, specifically h264 as codec, a limited bit-rate, specific structure of keyframes etc etc.
a Master, usually, is a proRes file, therfor much bigger; but in its options, you can set a Master to a wide variation of codecs & setttings.
genrally spoken:
AppleDevices is optimized for playback; Master is/should be maxed to quality.
an AppleDevices export uses a set of settings, specific for usage on <cough> Apple devices, specifically h264 as codec, a limited bit-rate, specific structure of keyframes etc etc.
a Master, usually, is a proRes file, therfor much bigger; but in its options, you can set a Master to a wide variation of codecs & setttings.
genrally spoken:
AppleDevices is optimized for playback; Master is/should be maxed to quality.
Ah, got it, thank you.
I just checked and my Master File settings were set to h.264 which is why the file sizes were so similar (though not identical...)
Just to elaborate on Karsten's playback comment, the Apple Device setting produces a type of Apple-specific mpeg4, with an m4v extension. So to paraphrase what he said in his first sentence – it's optimized for playback within the Apple ecosystem – not necessarily outside it. The label, master file, typically suggests an output file that you might want to repurpose (recompress and/or reformat) – say for the Web, a disk, etc.
Russ
Very helpful, thank you.
Exporting as Master File vs. Apple Devices 1080p
