Apple ProRes

White Paper
January 2020
 Contents

Introduction 3

Authorized Apple ProRes Implementations 4

Apple ProRes Family Overview 5

Properties of Digital Images 8

Frame Size (Full-Width Versus Partial-Width) 8

Chroma Sampling 9

Sample Bit Depth 10

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs 11

Data Rate 12

Quality 15

Performance 18

Alpha Channel Support in Apple ProRes 4444 Codecs 22

Appendix 23

Target Data Rates 23

Glossary 26

Apple ProRes January 2020 2

 Introduction

Apple ProRes is one of the most popular codecs in professional

post‑production. The ProRes family of video codecs has made it both
possible and affordable to edit full-frame, 10-bit, 4:2:2 and 4:4:4:4
high‑definition (HD), 2K, 4K, 5K, and larger video sources with
multistream performance in Final Cut Pro X. This white paper provides
in-depth information about the ProRes family of codecs, including
technical specifications and performance metrics.

For information about Apple ProRes RAW, which brings to raw video

the same great performance, quality, and ease of use that ProRes has
brought to conventional video, see the Apple ProRes RAW White Paper.

Apple ProRes January 2020 3

 Authorized Apple ProRes
Implementations

Apple ProRes is a codec technology developed for high-quality,

high‑performance editing in Final Cut Pro X. Apple has licensed ProRes
to select companies for use in specific products and workflows.

In some instances, unauthorized codec implementations have been used

in third-party software and hardware products. Using any unauthorized
implementation (like the FFmpeg and derivative implementations) may
lead to decoding errors, performance degradation, incompatibility,
and instability.

For a list of all authorized ProRes licensees and developers, and for
licensing information, go to support.apple.com/kb/HT5959. If you’re
using or considering purchasing a product that encodes or decodes
ProRes, and that product is not on this list, contact Apple at
ProRes@apple.com.

Apple ProRes January 2020 4

 Apple ProRes Family Overview

Apple ProRes codecs provide an unparalleled combination of

multistream, real‑time editing performance, impressive image quality,
and reduced storage rates. ProRes codecs take full advantage of
multicore processing and feature fast, reduced‑resolution decoding
modes. All ProRes codecs support any frame size (including SD, HD, 2K,
4K, 5K, and larger) at full resolution. The data rates vary based on codec
type, image content, frame size, and frame rate.

As a variable bit rate (VBR) codec technology, ProRes uses fewer bits on
simple frames that would not benefit from encoding at a higher data rate.
All ProRes codecs are frame-independent (or “intra-frame”) codecs,
meaning that each frame is encoded and decoded independently of any
other frame. This technique provides the greatest editing performance
and flexibility.

A variety of cameras can now capture and record a wider gamut of

color values when working in log or raw formats. You can preserve a
wider color gamut by recording with the ProRes LOG setting on certain
cameras such as the ARRI ALEXA or transcoding from the RED® camera’s
REDCODE® RAW format. Final Cut Pro 10.3 or later can process color in
wide color gamut and output ProRes files in the Rec. 2020, DCI-P3, or
D65-P3 color space. This results in deeper colors and more detail, with
richer red and green areas of the image.

With Final Cut Pro 10.3 or later, you can also export ProRes files inside an
MXF metadata wrapper instead of exporting .mov files. This makes the
exported video file compatible with a wide range of playback systems
that rely on the MXF standard for broadcast and archiving.

Apple ProRes January 2020 5

Apple ProRes Family Overview

Apple ProRes includes the following formats:

Apple ProRes 4444 XQ: The highest-quality version of ProRes for

4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels), with a very high data
rate to preserve the detail in high-dynamic-range imagery generated by
today’s highest-quality digital image sensors. Apple ProRes 4444 XQ
preserves dynamic ranges several times greater than the dynamic range
of Rec. 709 imagery—even against the rigors of extreme visual effects
processing, in which tone-scale blacks or highlights are stretched
significantly. Like standard Apple ProRes 4444, this codec supports up
to 12 bits per image channel and up to 16 bits for the alpha channel.
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ features a target data rate of approximately
500 Mbps for 4:4:4 sources at 1920 x 1080 and 29.97 fps.

Note: Apple ProRes 4444 XQ requires OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later.

Apple ProRes 4444: An extremely high-quality version of ProRes for

4:4:4:4 image sources (including alpha channels). This codec features
full‑resolution, mastering-quality 4:4:4:4 RGBA color and visual
fidelity that is perceptually indistinguishable from the original material.
Apple ProRes 4444 is a high-quality solution for storing and exchanging
motion graphics and composites, with excellent multigeneration
performance and a mathematically lossless alpha channel up to
16 bits. This codec features a remarkably low data rate compared
to uncompressed 4:4:4 HD, with a target data rate of approximately
330 Mbps for 4:4:4 sources at 1920 x 1080 and 29.97 fps. It also offers
direct encoding of, and decoding to, both RGB and Y’CBCR pixel formats.

Apple ProRes 422 HQ: A higher-data-rate version of Apple ProRes 422

that preserves visual quality at the same high level as Apple ProRes 4444,
but for 4:2:2 image sources. With widespread adoption across the video
post‑production industry, Apple ProRes 422 HQ offers visually lossless
preservation of the highest-quality professional HD video that a single-
link HD-SDI signal can carry. This codec supports full-width, 4:2:2 video
sources at 10-bit pixel depths, while remaining visually lossless through
many generations of decoding and re-encoding. The target data rate of
Apple ProRes 422 HQ is approximately 220 Mbps at 1920 x 1080 and
29.97 fps.

Apple ProRes 422: A high-quality compressed codec offering nearly all

the benefits of Apple ProRes 422 HQ, but at 66 percent of the data rate
for even better multistream, real-time editing performance. The target
data rate of Apple ProRes 422 is approximately 147 Mbps at 1920 x 1080
and 29.97 fps.

Apple ProRes January 2020 6

Apple ProRes Family Overview

Apple ProRes 422 LT: A more highly compressed codec than

Apple ProRes 422, with roughly 70 percent of the data rate and
30 percent smaller file sizes. This codec is perfect for environments
where storage capacity and data rate are at a premium. The target data
rate of Apple ProRes 422 LT is approximately 102 Mbps at 1920 x 1080
and 29.97 fps.

Apple ProRes 422 Proxy: An even more highly compressed codec

than Apple ProRes 422 LT, intended for use in offline workflows that
require low data rates but full‑resolution video. The target data rate of
Apple ProRes 422 Proxy is approximately 45 Mbps at 1920 x 1080 and
29.97 fps.

Note: Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444 are ideal for the

exchange of motion graphics media because they are virtually lossless,
and are the only ProRes codecs that support alpha channels.

Apple ProRes January 2020 7

 Properties of Digital Images

The technical properties of digital images correspond to different

aspects of image quality. For example, high-resolution HD images can
carry more detail than their lower‑resolution SD counterparts. 10-bit
images can carry finer gradations of color, thereby avoiding the banding
artifacts that can occur in 8-bit images.

The role of a codec is to preserve image quality as much as possible

at a particular reduced data rate, while delivering the fastest encoding
and decoding speed. The Apple ProRes family supports the three key
properties of digital images that contribute to image quality—frame
size, chroma sampling, and sample bit depth—while offering industry-
leading performance and quality at each supported data rate. In order to
appreciate the benefits of the ProRes family as a whole and to choose
which family members to use in various post‑production workflows, it is
important to understand these three properties.

Frame Size (Full-Width Versus Partial-Width)

Many video camcorders encode and store video frames at less than the
full HD widths of 1920 pixels or 1280 pixels, for 1080-line or 720‑line
HD formats, respectively. When such formats are displayed, they are
upsampled horizontally to full HD widths, but they cannot carry the
amount of detail possible with full‑width HD formats.

All ProRes family members can encode full-width HD video sources

(sometimes called “full-raster” video sources) to preserve the maximum
possible detail an HD signal can carry. ProRes codecs can also encode
partial-width HD sources if desired, thereby averting potential quality
and performance degradation that results from upscaling partial-width
formats prior to encoding.

Apple ProRes January 2020 8

Properties of Digital Images

Chroma Sampling
Color images require three channels of information. In computer
graphics, a pixel’s color is typically defined by R, G, and B values. In
traditional digital video, a pixel is represented by Y’, CB, and CR values,
where Y’ is the “luma” or grayscale value and CB and CR contain the
“chroma” or color-difference information. Because the eye is less
sensitive to fine chroma detail, it is possible to average together and
encode fewer CB and CR samples with little visible quality loss for casual
viewing. This technique, known as chroma subsampling, has been used
widely to reduce the data rate of video signals. However, excessive
chroma subsampling can degrade quality for compositing, color
correction, and other image-processing operations. The ProRes family
handles today’s popular chroma formats as follows:

• 4:4:4 is the highest-quality format for preserving chroma detail.

In 4:4:4 image sources, there is no subsampling, or averaging, of
chroma information. There are three unique samples, either Y’, CB,
and CR or R, G, and B, for every pixel location. Apple ProRes 4444 XQ
and Apple ProRes 4444 fully support 4:4:4 image sources, from
either RGB or Y’CBCR color spaces. The fourth “4” means that
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444 can also carry a unique
alpha-channel sample for every pixel location. Apple ProRes 4444 XQ
and Apple ProRes 4444 are intended to support 4:4:4:4 RGB+Alpha
sources exported from computer graphics applications such as
Motion, as well as 4:4:4 video sources from high-end devices such
as dual-link HDCAM-SR.

• 4:2:2 is considered a high-quality, professional video format in which

the chroma values of Y’CBCR images are averaged together such
that there is one CB and one CR sample, or one “CB/CR chroma pair,”
for each Y’ (luma) sample. This minimal chroma subsampling has
traditionally been considered adequate for high-quality compositing
and color correction, although better results can be achieved
using 4:4:4 sources. 4:2:2 sources are generated by many popular
higher‑end video camcorder formats, including DVCPRO HD,
AVC‑Intra/100, and XDCAM HD422/50. All Apple ProRes 422 family
members fully support the chroma resolution inherent in 4:2:2
video formats.

Apple ProRes January 2020 9

Properties of Digital Images

• 4:2:0 and 4:1:1 have the least chroma resolution of the formats
mentioned here, with just one CB/CR chroma pair for every four
luma samples. These formats are used in a variety of consumer and
professional video camcorders. Depending on the quality of a camera’s
imaging system, 4:2:0 and 4:1:1 formats can provide excellent viewing
quality. However, in compositing workflows it can be difficult to avoid
visible artifacts around the edges of a composited element. HD 4:2:0
formats include HDV, XDCAM HD, and AVC‑Intra/50. 4:1:1 is used in DV.
All Apple ProRes 422 formats can support 4:2:0 or 4:1:1 sources if the
chroma is upsampled to 4:2:2 prior to encoding.

4:4:4 4:2:2 4:2:0 (interstitial siting) 4:1:1

Image pixel Chroma sample

Sample Bit Depth

The number of bits used to represent each Y’, CB, or CR (or R, G, or B)
image sample determines the number of possible colors that can be
represented at each pixel location. Sample bit depth also determines
the smoothness of subtle color shading that can be represented across
an image gradient, such as a sunset sky, without visible quantization or
“banding” artifacts.

Traditionally, digital images have been limited to 8-bit samples. In recent

years the number of professional devices and acquisition techniques
supporting 10‑bit and even 12-bit image samples has increased. 10‑bit
imagery is now often found in 4:2:2 video sources with professional
digital (SDI, HD-SDI, or even HDMI) outputs. 4:2:2 video sources rarely
exceed 10 bits, but a growing number of 4:4:4 image sources claim
12‑bit resolution, though with sensor‑derived images the least significant
one or two bits may have more noise than signal. 4:4:4 sources include
high-end film scanners and film-like digital cameras and can include
high-end computer graphics.

Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444 support image sources

up to 12 bits and preserve alpha sample depths up to 16 bits. All
Apple ProRes 422 codecs support up to 10-bit image sources, though
the best 10-bit quality is obtained with the higher‑bit-rate family
members—Apple ProRes 422 and Apple ProRes 422 HQ.

Note: Like Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444, all

Apple ProRes 422 codecs can in fact accept image samples even greater
than 10 bits, although such high bit depths are rarely found among 4:2:2
or 4:2:0 video sources.

Apple ProRes January 2020 10

 Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Every image or video codec can be characterized by how well it behaves

in three critical dimensions: compression, quality, and complexity.
Compression means data reduction, or how many bits are required
compared to the original image. For image sequences or video streams,
compression means data rate, expressed in bits/sec for transmission
or bytes/hour for storage. Quality describes how closely a compressed
image resembles the original. “Fidelity” would therefore be a more
accurate term, but “quality” is the term widely used. Complexity relates
to how many arithmetic operations must be computed to compress
or decompress an image frame or sequence. For software codec
implementations, the lower the complexity, the greater the number of
video streams that can be decoded simultaneously in real time, resulting
in higher performance within post-production applications.

Every image or video codec design must make tradeoffs between these
three properties. Because codecs used within professional camcorders
or for professional video editing must maintain high visual quality,
the tradeoff amounts to one of data rate versus performance. For
example, AVCHD camcorders can produce H.264 video streams with
excellent image quality at low data rates. However, the complexity of the
H.264 codec is very high, resulting in lower performance for real-time
video editing with multiple video streams and effects. In comparison,
Apple ProRes features excellent image quality as well as low complexity,
which results in better performance for real‑time video editing.

The following sections describe how the various ProRes codecs behave
and compare to one another in terms of these three important codec
properties: data rate, quality, and performance.

Apple ProRes January 2020 11

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Data Rate
The ProRes family spans a broad range of data rates to support a
variety of workflow and application purposes. This section describes
how ProRes data rates compare to each other and to the data rates of
uncompressed video. The section also illustrates how frame size and
frame rate affect ProRes data rates. Finally, the text includes information
on the variable bit rate (VBR) nature of the ProRes codec family.

The bar chart below shows how the data rates of the ProRes formats
compare to those of uncompressed, full-width (1920 x 1080), 4:4:4
12-bit and 4:2:2 10-bit image sequences at 29.97 frames/sec. The
chart shows that even the two highest‑quality ProRes formats—
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444—offer significantly
lower data rates than their uncompressed counterparts.

Data Rates - Uncompressed and Apple ProRes at 1920 x 1080, 29.97 fps
3,000
4:4:4 formats 4:2:2 formats

2,237
2,250
Mb/s

1,500 1,326

750
495
330
220 147 102 45
0
Uncompressed ProRes ProRes Uncompressed ProRes ProRes ProRes ProRes
12-bit 4:4:4 4444 XQ 4444 10-bit 4:2:2 422 HQ 422 422 LT 422 Proxy
(no alpha) (no alpha)

The data rates shown in the bar chart above are for “full-width”
(1920 x 1080) HD frames at 29.97 frames/sec. The ProRes family also
supports the 720p HD format at its full width (1280 x 720). In addition to
full-width HD formats, ProRes codecs support three different “partial-
width” HD video formats used as the recording resolutions in a number
of popular HD camcorders: 1280 x 1080, 1440 x 1080, and 960 x 720.

Apple ProRes January 2020 12

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

The data rate of a ProRes format is determined primarily by three key

factors: ProRes codec type, encoded frame size, and frame rate. The
chart below shows some examples of how varying any one of these
factors changes a ProRes format’s data rate. A table of data rates
for a number of ProRes formats supported for real-time editing in
Final Cut Pro X can be found in the appendix.

Data Rates - Apple ProRes 422 LT versus Apple ProRes 422

ProRes 422 LT
1440 x 1080 70
ProRes 422

1920 x 1080 82
23.976 fps
1440 x 1080 101

1920 x 1080 117

1440 x 1080 87

1920 x 1080 102

29.97 fps
1440 x 1080 126

1920 x 1080 147

0 38 75 113 150
Mb/s

ProRes is a variable bit rate (VBR) video codec. This means that the
number of bits used to encode each frame within a stream is not
constant, but varies from one frame to the next. For a given video
frame size and a given ProRes codec type, the ProRes encoder aims to
achieve a “target” number of bits per frame. Multiplying this number by
the frames per second of the video format being encoded results in the
target data rate for a specific ProRes format.

Apple ProRes January 2020 13

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Although ProRes is a VBR codec, the variability is usually small. The

actual data rate is usually close to the target data rate. For a given
ProRes format, there is also a maximum number of bits per frame that is
never exceeded. This maximum is approximately 10 percent more than
the target number of bits per frame. The graph below plots the actual
number of bits used per frame in an example ProRes video sequence.

Compressed Frame Sizes - Apple ProRes 422

800000

Max
Target

Frame Size (Bytes) 400000

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Frame

Sequence depicted is ASC/DCI Standard Evaluation Material (StEM) Mini-Movie at 1920 x 1080.

Note that for this particular sequence of over 10,000 frames, only
one frame uses the maximum number of bits and most frames are
clustered within a few percent of the target. However, many frames use
significantly fewer bits than the target. This is because ProRes encoders
add bits to a frame only if doing so will produce a better match to the
original image. Beyond a certain point, simple image frames, such as
an all-black frame with a few words of text, incur no quality benefit if
more bits are added. ProRes encoders do not waste bits on any frame if
adding more will not improve the fidelity.

Apple ProRes January 2020 14

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Quality
Although the ability to produce high-quality output is a key attribute of
image and video codecs, it is quality preservation—or fidelity—that is
the actual goal of a codec. Imagery often goes through many stages of
processing prior to ProRes encoding, and these stages may add visible
flaws, or “artifacts,” to the images. If an image sequence has visible
artifacts to begin with, ProRes will perfectly preserve these artifacts,
which can make viewers mistakenly think such flaws are caused by the
ProRes codec itself. The goal of every ProRes family member is to perfectly
preserve the quality of the original image source, be it good or bad.

The quality-preserving capability of the various ProRes codecs can be

expressed in both quantitative and qualitative terms. In the field of image
and video compression, the most widely used quantitative measure of
image fidelity is peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). PSNR is a measure of
how closely a compressed image (after being decompressed) matches
the original image handed to the encoder. The higher the PSNR value,
the more closely the encoded image matches the original. The graph
below plots the PSNR value for each image frame in a test sequence
for three different codecs: Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Avid DNxHD, and
Panasonic D5.

PSNR Comparison - Apple ProRes, DNxHD, and D5

80
Apple ProRes 422 HQ (163 Mbps)
DNxHD 175X (175 Mbps)

70 D5
Luma PSNR (dB)

60

50

40

2000 4000 6000 8000 10000

Frame

Measured using ASC/DCI Standard Evaluation Material (StEM) Mini-Movie at 1920 x 1080.

Apple ProRes January 2020 15

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

The next graph shows the same sequence plotted for each
Apple ProRes 422 codec. As the graph shows, there is a difference
in PSNR between one family member and the next. These differences
correspond to the comparative data rates of the Apple ProRes 422
codecs. PSNR for Apple ProRes 422 HQ is 15–20 dB higher than that
for Apple ProRes 422 Proxy, but the Apple ProRes 422 HQ stream has
nearly five times the data rate of the Apple ProRes 422 Proxy stream.
The benefit of higher fidelity comes at the cost of larger file sizes, so
it’s important to select the ProRes family member according to your
workflow requirements.

PSNR Comparison - Apple ProRes 422 Family

80

60
Luma PSNR (dB)

40

ProRes 422 HQ
20 ProRes 422
ProRes 422 LT
ProRes 422 Proxy

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Frame

Measured using ASC/DCI Standard Evaluation Material (StEM) Mini-Movie at 1920 x 1080.

In addition to indicating visual fidelity, the difference in PSNR

values also denotes headroom. For example, if you were to view
the original sequence used in the graph above, and then view the
Apple ProRes 422 HQ and Apple ProRes 422 encoded versions of
the same stream, all three would look visually identical. However, the
higher PSNR value for Apple ProRes 422 HQ indicates greater quality
headroom. This increased headroom means that an image sequence
can be decoded and re-encoded over multiple generations and still look
visually identical to the original, as shown in the graph below.

Multigeneration PSNR
60

50
Luma PSNR (dB)

40

30
ProRes 422 HQ
ProRes 422
20
1 3 5 7 9
Generations

Apple ProRes January 2020 16

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Because PSNR is not a perfect measure of compressed image fidelity—

there is no particular PSNR number that can absolutely guarantee
that a compressed image will have no visible difference from the
original—it’s useful to have some qualitative description of expected
image quality for each ProRes codec type. Note that in the table below,
the qualitative description for Apple ProRes 4444 (without an alpha
channel) is identical to that for Apple ProRes 422 HQ. This is because
Apple ProRes 4444, though its target bit rate is 50 percent higher than
that of Apple ProRes 422 HQ, uses extra bits to encode the greater
number of chroma samples in 4:4:4 at the same high quality headroom
ensured by Apple ProRes 422 HQ for 4:2:2 sources.

Apple ProRes Visible differences Quality headroom

codec (1st gen.)

ProRes 4444 XQ Virtually never Very high, excellent for multi-gen.

finishing and camera originals

ProRes 4444 Virtually never Very high, excellent for multi-gen.

finishing

ProRes 422 HQ Virtually never Very high, excellent for multi-gen.

finishing

ProRes 422 Very rare High, very good for most multi-gen.
workflows

ProRes 422 LT Rare Good for some multi-gen. workflows

ProRes 422 Proxy Subtle for high-detail OK, intended for first-gen. viewing
images and editing

Apple ProRes January 2020 17

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Performance
The ProRes family of codecs is designed for speed, and high speed of
both encoding and decoding is essential to avoid workflow bottlenecks.

Fast decoding is especially critical for multistream, real-time playback

in Final Cut Pro X. The ProRes codec family performs exceptionally well
in this regard. For each Apple ProRes codec type, the following charts
show the number of full-quality 4K streams that can be played back
simultaneously in real time on a Mac Pro and a MacBook Pro computer.
In practice, of course, you may not often need to play back ten, twenty,
or more streams simultaneously, but these charts give an idea of how
much processing time will be available for real-time titling, effects, and
so on when just one, two, or three streams are being used.

Mac Pro – Final Cut Pro X Multistream Playback

ProRes 422 Proxy 23

ProRes 422 LT 23

ProRes 422 23

ProRes 422 HQ 20

ProRes 4444
11
(no alpha)

ProRes 4444 XQ
10
(no alpha)

0 6 12 18 24
Number of simultaneous streams (better quality)

Testing conducted by Apple in December 2019 on preproduction 2.5GHz 28-core Intel Xeon W-based Mac Pro
systems with 384GB of RAM and dual AMD Radeon Pro Vega II graphics with Infinity Fabric Link and 32GB of
HBM2 each, configured with Afterburner and a 4TB SSD. Tested on macOS Catalina with Final Cut Pro 10.4.7,
using 90-second picture-in-picture projects with 23 streams of Apple ProRes 422 Proxy video, 23 streams of
Apple ProRes 422 LT video, 23 streams of Apple ProRes 422 video, 20 streams of Apple ProRes 422 HQ video,
11 streams of Apple ProRes 4444 video, and 10 streams of Apple ProRes 4444 XQ video, all at 4096 x 2160
resolution and 23.98 frames per second. Performance may vary based on system configuration, media type,
and other factors.

Apple ProRes January 2020 18

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

MacBook Pro – Final Cut Pro X Multistream Playback

ProRes 422 Proxy 7

ProRes 422 LT 6

ProRes 422 5

ProRes 422 HQ 4

ProRes 4444
3
(no alpha)

ProRes 4444 XQ
2
(no alpha)

0 2 4 6 8
Number of simultaneous streams (better quality)

Testing conducted by Apple in December 2019 on preproduction 2.4GHz 8-core Intel Core i9-based 16-inch
MacBook Pro systems with 64GB of RAM, Radeon Pro 5500M graphics with 8GB of VRAM, and a 4TB SSD.
Tested on macOS Catalina with Final Cut Pro 10.4.7, using 90-second picture-in-picture projects with
7 streams of Apple ProRes 422 Proxy video, 6 streams of Apple ProRes 422 LT video, 5 streams of
Apple ProRes 422 video, 4 streams of Apple ProRes 422 HQ video, 3 streams of Apple ProRes 4444 video,
and 2 streams of Apple ProRes 4444 XQ video, all at 4096 x 2160 resolution and 23.98 frames per second.
Performance may vary based on system configuration, media type, and other factors.

Today’s Mac notebook and desktop machines rely on multicore

processing, so the speed of a fast editing decoder must scale up—
meaning that decoding time per frame should decrease—as the number
of processing cores increases. Many industry codec implementations
“hit the wall” and do not realize further performance gains as more
processors are added, but ProRes codecs continue to get faster as
more cores are added, as the following chart shows.

Multiprocessor Scaling – Apple ProRes 422 HQ at 1920 x 1080

12 1.6
Number of processor cores

6 2.5

4 3.3

2 5.8

1 11.2

0 5 10 15 20
Decoding time (ms per frame; shorter is faster)

Testing conducted by Apple in May 2014 using OS X Mavericks v.10.9.2 and a Mac Pro with 2.7GHz
12-core Intel Xeon processor. Performance may vary depending on system configuration, content, and
performance measurement tool use.

Apple ProRes January 2020 19

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

ProRes decoders are designed to work especially well as high-quality,

high‑performance editing codecs for Final Cut Pro X. Not only are they
fast for decoding video at full frame size and quality, but they are even
faster at decoding frames at “half-size” frame (1/2 height and 1/2 width).
Especially for high-resolution formats like HD and 2K, half-size images
provide plenty of onscreen detail for making editing decisions.

The chart below shows that half-size decoding is substantially faster

than already-fast full-size decoding, especially for the higher-quality
ProRes codecs. The faster decoding speed means more CPU time is
available for decoding more streams or more real-time effects.

Reduced Resolution Decoding Speed at 1920 x 1080

1.3
ProRes 422 Proxy Full Size
0.8 Half Size

1.8
ProRes 422 LT
1.0

2.3
ProRes 422
1.1

3.2
ProRes 422 HQ
1.3

ProRes 4444 4.7

(no alpha) 1.8

ProRes 4444 XQ 6.0

(no alpha) 2.1

0 2 4 6
Decoding time (ms per frame; shorter is faster)

Testing conducted by Apple in March 2014 using shipping 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display quad-core
2.6GHz units with 1TB flash storage, 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics, and OS X 10.9.2.
MacBook Pro continuously monitors system thermal and power conditions, and may adjust processor speed as
needed to maintain optimal system operation. Performance may vary depending on system configuration,
content, and performance measurement tool use.

Apple ProRes January 2020 20

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Although fast decoding speed is the primary factor in real-time editing

performance, fast encoding speed is also important for key steps in
post‑production workflows. Like ProRes decoders, the ProRes family of
encoders have all been built as efficient software implementations, and
fast encoding is achieved through efficient use of multicore processors.
Fast encoding speed is essential for some steps and important in
virtually all others.

For real-time capture and ProRes encoding of baseband video signals

(either analog or digital SD or HD signal sources), ProRes software
encoders must be fast enough to keep up with the incoming real-time
video frames. An appropriate video capture card must be used for this
purpose, but otherwise no specialized encoding hardware is required to
achieve real-time capture of baseband video to ProRes formats.

For file-based transcoding of video files that have been encoded with
other (non-ProRes) video codecs, transcoding to ProRes entails both
decoding of the starting technique and re-encoding to ProRes. The
minimum total transcoding time will therefore be the sum of the time
required to decode the file and the time required to re-encode it to
ProRes. For certain video codec formats known to be highly complex
and therefore relatively slow to decode, such as JPEG‑2000 and the
REDCODE RAW (R3D) native codec format, the overall transcoding time
will be dominated by the decoding time. Still, fast ProRes encoding helps
make the total transcoding time faster.

Fast encoding and decoding also benefits rendering and exporting.

Rendering effects, as part of a creative process or the final step before
output, is basically a decode of the source media and a re-encode to
the chosen final output format. During the rendering process, all of the
decoding, blending, and compositing steps must be precomputed before
encoding to the compressed format defined in your Final Cut Pro X
project. Although you can choose any Apple ProRes codec as a rendering
format—from Apple ProRes 422 LT to Apple ProRes 4444 XQ—and
change it at any time during post‑production, Final Cut Pro X defaults to
rendering in Apple ProRes 422.

When rendering to ProRes, the total rendering time is determined by

the speed of both the decoding and encoding steps, which can be
significantly quicker compared to other, more complex and slower
codecs. The speed advantage of ProRes is also beneficial when
exporting a file at the end of a project. If you need to deliver to the web,
DVD, or Blu-ray disc, you can speed up the export process by choosing
to edit the project in ProRes instead of other professional formats,
including uncompressed.

Apple ProRes January 2020 21

Properties of Apple ProRes Codecs

Alpha Channel Support

in Apple ProRes 4444 Codecs
In addition to supporting Y’CBCR or RGB 4:4:4 pixel data, the
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444 codec types support an
optional alpha channel. The sampling nomenclature for such Y’CBCRA or
RGBA images is 4:4:4:4, to indicate that for each pixel location, there
is an alpha—or A—value in addition to the three Y’CBCR or RGB values.
An alpha value specifies the proportion of its associated RGB or Y’CBCR
pixel that should be blended with the pixel at the corresponding location
of a background image, creating the effect of varying transparency
for use in compositing workflows. Unlike Y’CBCR or RGB pixel values,
alpha values do not represent samples of a real‑world image, or even
samples of a computer-generated image, both of which are intended for
human viewing.

Alpha values are essentially numeric data that specify how to blend, or
composite, a foreground image into a background image. For this reason,
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444 encode alpha values
exactly rather than approximately. This kind of exact encoding is called
“lossless” (or sometimes “mathematically lossless”) compression. It uses
different encoding techniques from those used by the ProRes codec
family for RGB or Y’CBCR pixel values, where approximate encoding is
acceptable as long as differences from the original are not visible to the
viewer and do not affect processing. The Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and
Apple ProRes 4444 codecs losslessly encode alpha channel values of
any bit depth up to and including 16 bits.

In summary, the Apple ProRes 4444 XQ and Apple ProRes 4444 codecs

can be considered “visually lossless” for encoding the Y’CBCR or RGB
pixel values intended for viewing, but “mathematically lossless” for
encoding the alpha values that specify compositing. As a result, the
degree of quality or fidelity is never a question for Apple ProRes 4444
alpha channels because the decoded data always matches the
original perfectly.

With any kind of lossless compression, the data rate varies according
to the amount of image detail being encoded. This is true of
Apple ProRes 4444 lossless alpha channel compression as well.
However, in practice alpha channels typically contain just the information
related to object outlines, so the optional alpha channel typically adds
just a few percent to the overall Apple ProRes 4444 data rate. For this
reason, the presence of an alpha channel in an Apple ProRes 4444
stream typically reduces decoding and encoding performance by only
about 10 percent or less.

Apple ProRes January 2020 22

 Appendix

Target Data Rates

Dimensions Frame ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 4444 ProRes 4444 XQ
Rate Proxy LT HQ (no alpha) (no alpha)

Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr

720 x 486 24p 10 4 23 10 34 15 50 23 75 34 113 51

60i, 30p 12 5 29 13 42 19 63 28 94 42 141 64

720 x 576 50i, 25p 12 6 28 13 41 18 61 28 92 41 138 62

960 x 720 24p 15 7 35 16 50 23 75 34 113 51 170 76

25p 16 7 36 16 52 24 79 35 118 53 177 80

30p 19 9 44 20 63 28 94 42 141 64 212 95

50p 32 14 73 33 105 47 157 71 236 106 354 159

60p 38 17 87 39 126 57 189 85 283 127 424 191

1280 x 720 24p 18 8 41 18 59 26 88 40 132 59 198 89

25p 19 9 42 19 61 28 92 41 138 62 206 93

30p 23 10 51 23 73 33 110 49 165 74 247 111

50p 38 17 84 38 122 55 184 83 275 124 413 186

60p 45 20 101 46 147 66 220 99 330 148 495 223

1280 x 1080 24p 31 14 70 31 101 45 151 68 226 102 339 153

60i, 30p 38 17 87 39 126 57 189 85 283 127 424 191

1440 x 1080 24p 31 14 70 31 101 45 151 68 226 102 339 153

50i, 25p 32 14 73 33 105 47 157 71 236 106 354 159

60i, 30p 38 17 87 39 126 57 189 85 283 127 424 191

Apple ProRes January 2020 23

Target Data Rates (continued)

Dimensions Frame ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 4444 ProRes 4444 XQ
Rate Proxy LT HQ (no alpha) (no alpha)

Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr

1920 x 1080 24p 36 16 82 37 117 53 176 79 264 119 396 178

50i, 25p 38 17 85 38 122 55 184 83 275 124 413 186

60i, 30p 45 20 102 46 147 66 220 99 330 148 495 223

50p 76 34 170 77 245 110 367 165 551 248 826 372

60p 91 41 204 92 293 132 440 198 660 297 990 445

2K 24p 41 19 93 42 134 60 201 91 302 136 453 204

2048 x 1080
25p 43 19 97 44 140 63 210 94 315 142 472 212

30p 52 23 116 52 168 75 251 113 377 170 566 255

50p 86 39 194 87 280 126 419 189 629 283 944 425

60p 103 46 232 104 335 151 503 226 754 339 1131 509

2K 24p 56 25 126 57 181 81 272 122 407 183 611 275

2048 x 1556
25p 58 26 131 59 189 85 283 127 425 191 637 287

30p 70 31 157 71 226 102 340 153 509 229 764 344

50p 117 52 262 118 377 170 567 255 850 382 1275 574

60p 140 63 314 141 452 203 679 306 1019 458 1528 688

QFHD 24p 145 65 328 148 471 212 707 318 1061 477 1591 716
3840 x 2160
25p 151 68 342 154 492 221 737 332 1106 498 1659 746

30p 182 82 410 185 589 265 884 398 1326 597 1989 895

50p 303 136 684 308 983 442 1475 664 2212 995 3318 1493

60p 363 163 821 369 1178 530 1768 795 2652 1193 3977 1790

4K 24p 155 70 350 157 503 226 754 339 1131 509 1697 764
4096 x 2160
25p 162 73 365 164 524 236 786 354 1180 531 1769 796

30p 194 87 437 197 629 283 943 424 1414 636 2121 955

50p 323 145 730 328 1049 472 1573 708 2359 1062 3539 1593

60p 388 174 875 394 1257 566 1886 848 2828 1273 4242 1909

Apple ProRes January 2020 24

Target Data Rates (continued)

Dimensions Frame ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 422 ProRes 4444 ProRes 4444 XQ
Rate Proxy LT HQ (no alpha) (no alpha)

Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr Mb/s GB/hr

5K 24p 243 109 547 246 786 354 1178 530 1768 795 2652 1193
5120 x 2700
25p 253 114 570 257 819 369 1229 553 1843 829 2765 1244

30p 304 137 684 308 982 442 1473 663 2210 994 3314 1492

50p 507 228 1140 513 1638 737 2458 1106 3686 1659 5530 2488

60p 608 273 1367 615 1964 884 2946 1326 4419 1989 6629 2983

6K 24p 350 157 788 354 1131 509 1697 764 2545 1145 3818 1718
6144 x 3240
25p 365 164 821 370 1180 531 1769 796 2654 1194 3981 1791

30p 437 197 985 443 1414 636 2121 955 3182 1432 4772 2148

50p 730 328 1643 739 2359 1062 3539 1593 5308 2389 7962 3583

60p 875 394 1969 886 2828 1273 4242 1909 6364 2864 9545 4295

8K 24p 622 280 1400 630 2011 905 3017 1358 4525 2036 6788 3055
8192 x 4320
25p 649 292 1460 657 2097 944 3146 1416 4719 2123 7078 3185

30p 778 350 1750 788 2514 1131 3771 1697 5657 2545 8485 3818

50p 1298 584 2920 1314 4194 1887 6291 2831 9437 4247 14,156 6370

60p 1556 700 3500 1575 5028 2263 7542 3394 11,313 5091 16,970 7636

Apple ProRes January 2020 25

 Glossary

alpha channel An additional channel of information that may optionally

be included with RGB and Y’CBCR images. If included with an RGB image,
for each R, G, and B value that defines a pixel, there is an A value that
specifies how the RGB pixel should be blended with a background image.
Typically, one extreme value of A indicates 100% transparency and the
other extreme value indicates 100% opacity. Values in between the
extremes indicate the degree of opacity.

Apple ProRes format A ProRes-encoded bitstream, typically in the

form of a .mov file, for which the ProRes codec type and video format
are specified. For example, an “Apple ProRes 422 HQ 1920 x 1080i
29.97 format.”

codec Abbreviation for compressor/decompressor. A general term

referring to both encoder and decoder.

decoder An algorithm or processing system that takes a compressed

bitstream as input and delivers a sequence of images or video frames
as output. For ProRes, this term refers to a QuickTime decompressor
component that converts a ProRes-encoded .mov file to a sequence of
images, for further processing or display.

encoder An algorithm or processing system that takes uncompressed

images as input and delivers a compressed bitstream as output. For
ProRes, this term refers to a QuickTime compressor component that
generates a ProRes-encoded .mov file.

image sequence An ordered set of image frames that, when displayed

at a specified frame rate, is perceived by the viewer as a real-time
motion image sequence. If not referred to as “video,” an image sequence
is often a set of RGB images (with an optional alpha channel), such as
the DPX, TIFF, and OpenEXR file formats.

Apple ProRes January 2020 26

Glossary

lossless A type of codec for which putting an image frame through

encoding followed by decoding results in an image that is mathematically
guaranteed to have exactly the same pixel values as the original.

video An image sequence for which the image frames typically use the
Y’CBCR color space and subsampled chroma channels, usually with one
of the following patterns: 4:2:2, 4:2:0, or 4:1:1.

video format A video sequence for which the frame height, frame width,
and frame rate are all specified. For example, a “1920 x 1080i 29.97
video format.”

visually lossless A type of codec for which putting an image frame

through encoding followed by decoding results in an image that is not
mathematically lossless, but is visually indistinguishable from the original
when viewed alongside the original on identical displays.

Copyright © 2020 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, Mac,
MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, OS X, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and
other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their
respective companies. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. 028-00155-A

Apple ProRes January 2020 27