This list can help you compare different codecs against each other and make the best decision for your project. I’ve also pulled together a list of all of the most common codecs used in the postproduction world. Deeper bit-depth (larger numbers) is good for color-correction and VFX.

Bit depth: The number of possible colors.

Temporal compression: Uses previous frames (and sometimes following frames) to calculate the current frame.

Almost all codecs use this to some degree, and the amount tends to vary with the bitrate.

Macro-Blocking: Finds blocks (varying size) of similar colors and makes them all the same color.

Really bad if you’re doing green screen or VFX work.

4:2:2 is some chroma subsampling.4:2:0 is lots of chroma subsampling).

Chroma subsampling: Throws away some color data (4:4:4 is no chroma sampling.

If you’re skipping the video, here are some very basic explanations: It’s not required viewing to understand this article, but it certainly won’t hurt. A few years ago, I created a video that covers the main compression techniques that many codecs use. And they’re pretty smart about how they do that. What a Codec DoesĪ codec is a method for making video files smaller, usually by carefully throwing away data that we probably don’t really need. You’ll be able to work faster on a laptop than many can on a high-end tower. It can also make your work faster, and lets you take the best advantage of your computer and storage. Choose the right codec and you’ll preserve your images in the highest quality. The benefits of optimizing your codecs can be huge. I’ll also give you some examples of the most commonly-used codecs for that stage.Īlong the way, we’ll cover why low-end codecs and high-end codecs can each slow down your editing, the reasons for a proxy/offline edit, a real-world project walkthrough, some storage-saving strategies, and an explanation for why transcoding cannot improve your image quality. I’ll cover:Īt each stage, I’ll explain which factors you should be considering as you choose a codec. Click on a heading to jump to that section. I’m going to walk you through every step in the process of making a video. So you can choose the right codec for yourself, instead of relying on what worked for someone else. My goal is to give you what you need to make your own informed decisions about codecs. By the end of this article, you will be able to pick the best codec for you on each project.

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