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Pipelines & workflows

Battle-tested post-production pipelines you can share per project. Each one walks the path from camera to delivery with sensible codec, color and loudness defaults, and links to the calculator for every stage. Treat the numbers as starting points — confirm the exact spec with your client or platform.

The universal spine

Almost every project follows the same backbone — what changes per project is the codec, color space and delivery target at each stage:

AcquisitionIngest / dailiesOffline edit Conform / onlineVFXColorSoundDelivery

Commercial / spot

High-finish, short, agency-driven. Heavy color and VFX, many deliverables (TV, web, social cutdowns).

RAW / ProRes 444423.976 / 25 fpsRec.709 + HDR16:9 + social
  1. Acquisition

    Shoot ARRIRAW / R3D / BRAW or ProRes 4444. Budget cards & backups with the storage calculator.

  2. Ingest & dailies

    Checksum-verified copies (3-2-1), ProRes 422 LT/Proxy dailies, fixed naming via the shot naming generator.

  3. Offline edit

    Cut on proxies; sanity-check the machine with can my Mac edit this? Lock with the agency.

  4. Conform / online

    Relink to camera originals at full res; verify handles and timecode with the timecode converter.

  5. VFX

    Pull plates as EXR; validate every render with the EXR sequence checker before and after comp.

  6. Color

    Grade in Resolve; share a show LUT for editorial previews via the LUT previewer.

  7. Sound

    Mix to the target loudness (−24 LKFS broadcast / −14 LUFS web), true peak ≤ −2 dBTP.

  8. Delivery

    Master ProRes 422 HQ + H.264 web; build social ratios with the aspect ratio tool; check each spec in the delivery validator.

Indie feature / narrative VFX

Long-form, ACES-friendly, scope framing, strict deliverables and archival.

RAW / ProRes23.976 fpsACES / Rec.7092.39 / 1.85
  1. Acquisition

    RAW or ProRes; plan production drives and LTO archive budget with the storage calculator.

  2. Ingest & dailies

    ProRes 422 LT proxies, locked naming convention (shot namer), CDL/look on dailies.

  3. Editorial (offline)

    Avid/Premiere on proxies; reels and locked picture; keep a clean change log.

  4. Conform / online

    EDL/XML/AAF relink; manage handles and frame counts with the timecode converter.

  5. VFX

    Shot pulls as ACES EXR with handles; check integrity with the EXR checker.

  6. Color

    ACES grade with Rec.709 and HDR (PQ/HLG) trims; QC the framing/safe areas.

  7. Sound

    5.1 / Atmos mix; theatrical or −27 LKFS dialog-gated for streaming.

  8. Delivery & archive

    DCP / IMF + ProRes masters; verify against the delivery spec; LTO archive (size it in storage).

Documentary / long-form

Mixed sources, huge media volume, sync-heavy, broadcast or platform delivery.

Mixed → ProRes 42225 / 29.97 fpsRec.70916:9
  1. Ingest & normalize

    Transcode everything to ProRes 422 to unify codecs/frame rates; estimate the disk with storage.

  2. Sync & organize

    Multicam & dual-system audio sync; resolve frame-rate mismatches with the timecode converter.

  3. Logging & naming

    Consistent clip/selects naming (shot namer); transcripts and stringouts.

  4. Offline edit

    Long cut → fine cut; proxy 4K H.264 if the machine struggles (check it).

  5. Online / conform

    Relink originals; stabilise, clean and upres archival material as needed.

  6. Color

    Match shots across cameras and eras; a unifying LUT helps mixed sources.

  7. Sound

    −23 LUFS (EBU) / −24 LKFS (ATSC) for broadcast, −16 LUFS for podcast/web.

  8. Delivery

    Broadcast or platform master; validate loudness, codec and color in the delivery validator.

Social / short-form (vertical)

Fast turnaround, many aspect ratios, platform-normalised loudness, mobile-first.

H.264 / HEVC30 / 60 fpsRec.7099:16 · 1:1 · 4:5
  1. Acquisition

    Phone/mirrorless HEVC; confirm edit feasibility for 10-bit 4:2:2 with can my Mac edit this?

  2. Edit (master ratio)

    Cut a 9:16 master; keep titles inside title-safe (aspect previewer).

  3. Reframe variants

    Derive 1:1 / 4:5 / 16:9; compute bars/crop with the aspect ratio tool.

  4. Color

    Quick consistent look; preview a creator LUT with the LUT previewer.

  5. Loudness

    Platforms normalise to ~−14 LUFS; don't over-compress (reference).

  6. Export & delivery

    H.264 High Profile; pick a sane upload bitrate with the bitrate calculator.

Music video

Music-locked, varispeed/ramps, bold creative grade, label deliverables.

RAW / ProRes23.976 + high-fpscreative gradescope / 16:9
  1. Acquisition

    RAW for grading latitude; shoot high-fps for ramps. Plan the data rate in storage.

  2. Ingest & dailies

    Proxies + naming (shot namer); import the master track as reference.

  3. Edit to track

    Frame-accurate cut to the master audio; mark beats. Use the timecode converter for frame/duration math.

  4. Conform & retime

    Relink originals; build speed ramps and retimes; optical-flow where needed.

  5. VFX / cleanup

    Beauty, rig removal, comp as EXR; verify with the EXR checker.

  6. Color

    Bold creative look; ship a show LUT for approvals.

  7. Delivery

    Label/platform masters: ProRes 422 HQ + H.264; confirm specs in the validator.

How to use these

Pick the project that matches yours, copy its link to share with the team, and open the linked calculator at each stage to plug in your exact numbers. The codec, frame-rate and loudness values are industry-typical defaults — your broadcaster, streamer or client spec always wins.