Blackmagic Forum

If I render without compressing using the Quicktime format, do I lose any quality? If not, does this mean I can keep rendering the project and reusing without worry that I am degrading my image? It is a very short 1945 video that I am trying to clean up.

Uncompressed will be mathematically identical to the original.

Codes like Cineform and DNx will be visually identical and a lot smaller.

Cinefrom at Best quality is also known as Film Scan 2. It's what special effects houses use when they scan actual film frames for digital manipulation and effects, so this would be my choice.

While CineForm is great, that sounds like something people would do 15 years ago because of storage restrictions.

Wouldn't you use DPX or maybe EXR now? The benefit of that is that you can overwrite individual frames as you change them. No need to re-render the whole thing.

Quicktime is not a codec, but a container. Inside can be about 50 or so codecs in very different quality. Your title is a bit misleading since there is always some codec, but some have no compression.

I second using Cineform, but EXR sequences would be lossless and have the advantage Roger mentions.
DPX is a bit outdated too.

roger.magnusson wrote:Wouldn't you use DPX or maybe EXR now?

In a Hollywood Studio? Probably.

I don't work at that level.

If mathematically lossless compression is needed (which cineform, prores and dnx don‘t provide) I’d second exr-s (with zip or piz compression). Dpx has no benefit except faster reads if cpu is weak and io is not bottlenecking. And if visually lossless compression is needed, I’d do DWA exr-s.

sdeals wrote:If I render without compressing using the Quicktime format, do I lose any quality? If not, does this mean I can keep rendering the project and reusing without worry that I am degrading my image? It is a very short 1945 video that I am trying to clean up.

I think you mean a 1945 film. Not a lot of video from that year.

My choice would be for ProRes 444, which is what I would call a "virtually lossless" format. You could go to DPX for absolutely lossless, but my bet is that your source material won't benefit from it. In special circumstances with huge budgets and lots of time, Hollywood studios can and do use DPX sequences or EXR files for truly lossless storage. In a lot of cases, I think DPX is overkill. I know of a few companies that go with ProRes 444XQ to try to squeeze a little less compression out of the project, but the differences are vanishingly small.

Jim Simon wrote:Uncompressed will be mathematically identical to the original.

Codes like Cineform and DNx will be visually identical and a lot smaller.

Cinefrom at Best quality is also known as Film Scan 2. It's what special effects houses use when they scan actual film frames for digital manipulation and effects, so this would be my choice.

Thank you!!


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Uli Plank wrote:Quicktime is not a codec, but a container. Inside can be about 50 or so codecs in very different quality. Your title is a bit misleading since there is always some codec, but some have no compression.

I second using Cineform, but EXR sequences would be lossless and have the advantage Roger mentions.
DPX is a bit outdated too.

Thanks!


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Hendrik Proosa wrote:If mathematically lossless compression is needed (which cineform, prores and dnx don‘t provide) I’d second exr-s (with zip or piz compression). Dpx has no benefit except faster reads if cpu is weak and io is not bottlenecking. And if visually lossless compression is needed, I’d do DWA exr-s.

Big help, thank you!


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Marc Wielage wrote:

sdeals wrote:If I render without compressing using the Quicktime format, do I lose any quality? If not, does this mean I can keep rendering the project and reusing without worry that I am degrading my image? It is a very short 1945 video that I am trying to clean up.

I think you mean a 1945 film. Not a lot of video from that year.

My choice would be for ProRes 444, which is what I would call a "virtually lossless" format. You could go to DPX for absolutely lossless, but my bet is that your source material won't benefit from it. In special circumstances with huge budgets and lots of time, Hollywood studios can and do use DPX sequences or EXR files for truly lossless storage. In a lot of cases, I think DPX is overkill. I know of a few companies that go with ProRes 444XQ to try to squeeze a little less compression out of the project, but the differences are vanishingly small.

Of course, haha, a 1945 film, not video, silly me. Thank you, I have so much to learn. I appreciate the help.


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