Optimized Media and Render Cache Formats

In settings, under Master Settings, under Optimized Media and Render Cache, you can select the type of format, there are about 8 options. What is the difference and what makes you choose one over the other?

I render all clips before a final viewing, before rendering out the final product. So that all the red lines in the timeline turn blue, that way the playback is smooth.

Optimized Media codec is defined in the Project Settings as you are aware. Your selection depends upon what you want to achieve using Optimized Media which is totally optional.

If you do not choose to Optimize Media, the playback on your Edit Page and Colour Page May be very choppy. If you notice that, you may choose to optimize your media in a way that your Timeline uses less resources.

For example your captured video may be UHD 3840x2160 raw. You could select to optimize to ProRes 422 which your computer may handle more easily. In the Media Page, select all the media in your media pool, right-click and choose Optimize Media.

You can work on the Timeline in the full resolution but that might not be needed unless you’re working with green screen and will be compositing other footage or visual effects/CGI. I’m not doing anything very special so I may select ProRes 422 at ¼ quality. Your Timeline may not look perfect but it’s just a workspace for a ‘draft’ of your final video. All the functions of Resolve are available and your Edit and Color Pages should run smoother.

I don’t force renders for anything before going to the Deliver Page. On the Deliver Page, I make the Advanced selections that ignore all the Optimized Media or renders and select to Use Original Media and Highest Quality so my deliverables look their best. Before actually rendering, I also select the File Button to name my deliverable and most importantly select the speed I want Resolve to render the video. It defaults to Maximum which is going to be problematic if your playback was choppy in Edit. I use 10 or 5 or 2 or 1 frame per second depending on the video so the computer chips won’t overheat.

Edit
Remember after your project is complete, under the Playback menu, delete all your optimized media and render cache as applicable.

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