Video A-Z

Video A-Z

This is a kind of 'working space' codec developed by Apple and used in its Final Cut Pro software. It's not designed for final output – instead it's a kind of intermediate space offering much higher quality and 'headroom' for video editing.

You might also encounter DNxHD here, which is essentially video/audio editing company Avid's equivalent of ProRes. Lots of external recorders will let you record direct to ProRes or DNxHD for this reason, so you can choose the format according to the edit suite you're going to use.

Adobe, meanwhile, is seeking to extend the universal DNG raw format it's developed for stills photography into the video arena, with 'CinemaDNG'.

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Rod Lawton
Freelance contributor

Rod is an independent photographer and photography journalist with more than 30 years' experience. He's previously worked as Head of Testing for Future’s photography magazines, including Digital Camera, N-Photo, PhotoPlus, Professional Photography, Photography Week and Practical Photoshop, and as Reviews Editor on Digital Camera World.