What is the ProRes 4444 equivalent for CS5 (and can Cineform use MPE)?

[Ryan Koo]

Hey guys,

I'm on a Mac and currently have an old laptop with CS4 + FCS. I'd like to switch from Final Cut to an all-Adobe workflow when I upgrade to CS5 (and a new Mac), but I'm wondering what to use instead of the ProRes 4444 codec for work that requires the absolute best quality.

It seems to me the obvious answer is Cineform, but this begs a few questions:

1) Isn't this a huge advantage for Apple over Adobe, that good wavelet-based codecs are included free with Final Cut Studio, and the equivalent (Neo HD) is a $500 add-on for Adobe?

2) Can you edit ProRes files without problems in Premiere Pro CS5?

3) If you do use Cineform files, is Premiere Pro using all of its acceleration abilities (Mercury Playback Engine)?

Thanks for any insights here -- I've been using a Final Cut to AE workflow for the past couple of years and could continue to do so, except it would seem to make sense to switch to PPro given CS5 has MPE and other advantages. Thanks!

[Ryan Koo]

Okay, no takers -- chiefly I'm wondering:

Can you edit ProRes files without problems in Premiere Pro CS5?

If you use Cineform files, is Premiere Pro using all of its acceleration abilities (Mercury Playback Engine)?

I really appreciate any responses. Thanks!

[Brad Higerd]

Ryan,

Being a Cineform user and having just ordered CS5 Master Suite, I'm curious too. But I suspect you'll have to go to the Cineform forum to get a qualified answer.

Brad

[Michael Wisniewski]

FYI: Cineform is wavelet based, ProRes is DCT.
Approximate equivalents of Cineform to ProRes - http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/cineform...prores-lt.html

Definitely try the Cineform forum, you'll probably get more responses.

[Ryan Koo]

Thanks guys, I'll ask over at the Cineforum..

[Tim Kolb]

Originally Posted by Ryan Koo

Hey guys,

I'm on a Mac and currently have an old laptop with CS4 + FCS. I'd like to switch from Final Cut to an all-Adobe workflow when I upgrade to CS5 (and a new Mac), but I'm wondering what to use instead of the ProRes 4444 codec...

...I've been using a Final Cut to AE workflow for the past couple of years and could continue to do so, except it would seem to make sense to switch to PPro given CS5 has MPE and other advantages. Thanks!

Sorry that I included the long quote...but I'm late to the party.

1. Apple has no Wavelet codecs as was stated. ProRes uses a DCT transform (blocks). It's really good quality...probably a bit better than DNxHD at similar bitrates, but CineForm has a number of advantages over ProRes in addition to the transform being wavelet. They also have First Light, which is a metadata tool that works within their decode to change the media non-destructively. most people really like the fact that you can make primary color adjustments in First Light and since it is affecting the decode instead of putting a layer of color change on top of an already decoded clip, the color correction takes no more system resources than simply playing the clip back. First Light's 3D capabilities in NEO 3D are astounding....

2.) Yep. ProRes has not been a problem for me on a Windows machine. I have an Adobe TV video showing a workflow with a 90 minute timeline of footage from Adobe MAX in CS4...all 720p60 ProRes...and I cut most of it on a laptop.

3.) The CineForm files that I've been handling seem to have no problem running, even on an older machine. I haven't done any definitive testing with CineForm files and the GPU acceleration in Mercury, but since all video decode is done on the CPU regardless of whether you have a compatible GPU available or not, and effects are sent to the GPU for preview when support is switched on...I would think it would work just fine. in fact with how well CineForm files run on less powerful systems, I'd think that the decode portion would probably be smoking fast on most systems and the GPU just adds bonus torque.

Keep in mind that my experiences are primarily on Windows, though I recently worked for a period on a 2-3 yr old dual quad core Xeon Mac with no Mercury-friendly display card...and even that was pretty darn snappy in my opinion. No complaints at all.