Glossary
ProRes
Apple's professional video codec, designed for editing rather than delivery. Higher bitrate and quality than H.264/H.265 at the same resolution; massive file sizes. Variants from ProRes Proxy through ProRes 4444 XQ.
ProRes is an intra-frame codec — every frame is independently compressed, unlike H.264's inter-frame compression. The result: smooth scrubbing, fast edits, no GOP-boundary artifacts.
Variants (lowest to highest bitrate)
- ProRes Proxy — for proxy workflows.
- ProRes LT — broadcast-grade, lower bitrate.
- ProRes 422 — the daily-driver.
- ProRes 422 HQ — higher bitrate, near-master.
- ProRes 4444 — adds alpha channel, 12-bit.
- ProRes 4444 XQ — highest bitrate.
On iPhone
iPhone Pro models record ProRes 422 HQ at up to 4K60 to external SSD. File sizes: ~6 GB/min at 4K60. Required for serious cinematic work; overkill for social media.
Competing codec
DNxHR (Avid) plays a similar role; Blackmagic RAW combines RAW workflow with ProRes-like edit-friendliness.
Where this matters
Categories that use prores
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