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| Image Credit: Atomos.com |
When it comes to professional video workflows, Apple ProRes RAW has become a game-changer. Many editors and filmmakers wonder about the relationship between ProRes RAW, color space, and latitude. The truth is, ProRes RAW does not have a dedicated color space called "latitude." Instead, latitude refers to the flexibility you gain in post-production thanks to ProRes RAW’s ability to preserve more per-pixel sensor information.
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| Image Credit: Vichet VFX |
This added flexibility provides greater dynamic range and a wider color gamut, allowing you to push your footage further in color grading without suffering the same degradation as compressed video formats.
Image Credit: Vichet VFX
1. ProRes RAW Preserves Sensor Data
Unlike compressed codecs, ProRes RAW records actual sensor data from your camera. This means the full unprocessed dynamic range and color information remain intact, giving you more room to adjust exposure, white balance, and color in post-production.
2. Logarithmic Encoding and Wide Gamut Storage
Modern cameras often use logarithmic encoding (such as C-Log, S-Log, or V-Log) to store a wide range of light values. ProRes RAW takes advantage of this by keeping much more information, which translates directly into latitude for grading.
3. Post-Production Flexibility for HDR and SDR
Because you are working with raw sensor data, editors and colorists gain maximum creative freedom. You can push highlights, recover shadows, and fine-tune color with minimal loss of detail. This makes ProRes RAW an excellent choice for producing both HDR (High Dynamic Range) and SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) content.
4. Tone Mapping for SDR Displays
If you’re working on a standard monitor, your editing software applies tone mapping to make ProRes RAW footage viewable. This doesn’t remove the extra data—it just compresses it into a display-friendly range. Later, you can re-map or transform the footage to HDR or other output standards.
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| Image Credit: Atomos.com |
5. Color Space Selection in Editing Software
When importing ProRes RAW into DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere Pro, you’ll need to select:
The camera’s log color space (e.g., Canon Log, Sony S-Log, Panasonic V-Log)
The destination color space (e.g., Rec.709, Rec.2020, HDR10)
This step is crucial for unlocking the full latitude and dynamic range of ProRes RAW, enabling you to achieve cinematic color grades and broadcast-ready images.
Image Credit: Atomos.com
Conclusion
ProRes RAW is not just another codec—it’s a powerful workflow solution for filmmakers, editors, and colorists who demand maximum latitude and flexibility in post-production. By preserving raw sensor data, supporting wide color gamuts, and offering advanced tone mapping, ProRes RAW empowers you to push creative boundaries without compromising quality.
Whether you’re delivering HDR content for streaming platforms or SDR projects for broadcast, ProRes RAW ensures that your footage maintains the highest possible image fidelity from capture to final export.
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