Raw files are objectively the best quality you can get from any cinema camera. While the extra processing power is certainly a hurdle, the more annoying problem is that raw files, such as RED’s R3D REDCODE RAW, are massive.
You’ll need large cards just to save them while recording and then you’ll need an even larger and faster system for editing and archiving the footage.
If you picked up a newer raw-capable camera like the RED KOMODO, you’ll be looking to address this storage concern however you can. There is a way to reduce file sizes and it is presented here in a tutorial from filmmaker Tyler Edwards.
You’ll need to get REDCINE-X PRO software to pull this off. For editing you can still use your preferred NLE like Resolve, Premiere, or Final Cut.
An example for where you might want to do this is during an interview. This is likely one long take with a ton of extra fluff in the middle that you don’t need. Setup and questions can take a lot of time and you won’t use much of it in your final product.
Image Credit: RED
Dropping the clips into the timeline of your NLE you can quickly trim out any of the unnecessary sections from your original footage. You should bring all the clips you want to trim into a single simple timeline. From here you should export an XML of your timeline.
Moving into REDCINE-X PRO you’ll want to import the raw footage and then find the XML file. Now you should have all your clips in REDCINE-X PRO on that timeline. It should have all the cuts you made.
You’ll need to export it now and you’ll have a ton of format options. Select the obvious R3D Trim setting. You can save the RMD Sidecar and turn on/off camera audio if you want at this point as well.
Hit export and save it where you want it.
In his example he took 70GB of original raw files and converted them down to 20GB without giving up the raw format.
This is good for minimizing the load on your working drives or mobile drives and can help with archiving later on if you don’t plan on keeping all the extra bits.
Huge benefit for getting rid of excess data without losing all the advantages of raw and over time it’ll save loads of space on your drives.
[source: Tyler Edwards]
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- RED KOMODO 6K Cinema Camera (B&H)
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