---
title: 'Understanding Video Codecs'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=xuUHLHE8jTw'
video_id: 'xuUHLHE8jTw'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 457
---

# Understanding Video Codecs

> Source: [Understanding Video Codecs](https://youtube.com/watch?v=xuUHLHE8jTw)

## Summary

This video explains the basics of video codecs, focusing on ProRes and H.264, and provides a simple workflow for exporting videos from editing software like DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro. The host uses a suitcase analogy to clarify the relationship between codecs, containers, and file formats.

### Key Points

- **The Problem** [0:00] — After exporting and uploading a video, it often doesn't look as expected. The solution is understanding codecs.
- **Two Export Options** [0:28] — Option 1: ProRes Master Copy for high quality. Option 2: H.264 Web-Ready Copy (high bitrate for YouTube, low bitrate for client review). Option 3: both.
- **What is a Codec?** [0:58] — A codec (coder-decoder) compresses large video files into smaller, manageable files for sharing. H.264 and ProRes are codecs.
- **Containers vs. Codecs** [1:35] — MP4 and MOV are containers (wrappers). H.264 is typically in MP4; ProRes is in MOV.
- **Lossy vs. Lossless Codecs** [2:18] — H.264 is lossy (discards non-essential data). ProRes is lossless (retains nearly all data). Lossy files are smaller but degrade with repeated compression.
- **ProRes Details** [3:55] — ProRes is lossless, produces huge files (e.g., 90 GB for 10 min 4K). On PC, DaVinci Resolve cannot export ProRes natively; Premiere Pro can since 2018. PC alternative: DNxHD/DNxHR in MXF.
- **When to Use Each** [5:16] — Master copy: ProRes 422 (or 4444 for VFX). Web copy: H.264 MP4 with high bitrate. Keep ProRes master for future re-encodes.
- **Recap** [6:29] — Master in ProRes, web-ready in H.264. For playback issues with H.264 footage, transcode to ProRes or use proxy workflow.

### Conclusion

Master in ProRes, web-ready in H.264. Understanding codecs solves export quality issues and improves editing performance.

## Transcript

So you put all of this
effort into your edit, right?
You hit export, you upload it
to YouTube, and it looks...
Well, it doesn't look
how you want it to look.
What went wrong?
Who do you blame?
Why is it all so hard?
Should you just give up?
It's okay.
You're spiraling.
We've all been there.
I've got you covered.
Take a deep breath.
We'll get this sorted out pronto.
Now, exporting video correctly out of
Da Vinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and
pretty much any other editing software
that handles video these days is
really simple if you stick to the basics.
And nine times out of 10,
the basics is what you need.
You only really need to Two options.
Two options.
Now, for those who are here
for a quick, please help me.
The top level info that you are looking
for is option one, Prores Master Copy
for a high quality save of your edit.
Option two, H264 WebReady Copy, high
bit rate version for uploading to places
like YouTube and a low bit rate version
for sending files to clients for review.
And sneaky option three, both.
For those who want to dive
a little bit deeper, let's do it.
So what the heck is Prores?
What the heck is H 264?
What the heck is a codec?
It's rapid fire information time.
A codec is a software process that is used
to take a large file or series
of files in the case of a video edit
that is then coded down into
a smaller, more manageable file
that can be sent to another system.
Then that other system can decode it
and read the chunky files inside it.
That system could be a different
video editing software or video playback
system, such as YouTube, for example.
The word in itself is a portmanteau
of coder and decoder.
You code your files,
then you send them, and then
you decode your files to view codec.
H264 and Prores are codecs.
Once the compression process
is complete via the codec, the file
will then be contained in a wrap up
to be able to be shared.
That wrap up will be the file format.
Mp4 and MOV are containers,
wrappers, or file formats,
whatever helps you best visualize it.
H264 is to MP4 and Prores is to MOV.
You're following?
If you do need an analogy, picture
a piece of luggage rolling around
on a nice flat surface, easily
moving from one place to the next.
Now open it up and check
out what's inside.
Not as easy to move all these things
around the room.
Let it roll in through bustling streets
of Europe in summertime
without a suitcase, am I right?
Well, in this perfectly
thought out analogy, the clothes
and personal items are all the video
files, editing data, assets,
and information contained in your edit.
The suitcase is the wrap up,
such as MP4 or MOV, and the act
of carefully packing that suitcase
is the codec for the most part.
Now, there are two types of codecs.
You've got lossy and lossless.
There's also two types of stock asset
subscriptions, limited and unlimited.
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Where was I?
Codex.
Right.
There's two types, lossy and lossless.
H264 is an example of a lossy codec.
During the coding process,
only the key data is retained, which is
decided algorithmically, and anything
deemed to be not key is discarded.
This doesn't mean that intrinsically is
going to look like garbage,
it just means that the compression
algorithm is only going to keep the bare
minimum amount of data that will still
retain a sufficiently decent level
of quality in your video.
This means if you bring that lossy file
back into your NLE and export it again,
then you'll be double lossy
and so on and so forth.
Marques Brownly actually did a similar
experiment a few years ago,
looking more at the compression algorithm
of YouTube, but the theory is the same,
and it's a great example of what happens
if you recode, decode, recode, and decode,
and recode, and decode,
I've the same file again and again
and again, like a thousand times.
And I'm certainly not going to do that.
So it's really good if you want to go and
check that out if you're interested.
It gives a pretty good example
of what I'm talking about.
But yeah, it sounds
a little bit dodgy, right?
Why would you use this?
Well, it's a much smaller, more manageable
a more universally accepted file type.
It serves its purpose as a delivery
file type for uploading to the web.
Like I said before, it will retain
a sufficiently decent level
of quality for your video.
Then you have lossless
codex, such as Apple Prores.
Now, a lossless file is
the opposite of lossy.
Funny about that, right?
In the compression process, when that is
happening, it retains 100% of the data.
Now, don't quote me on that.
It's basically 100%,
but not technically 100%.
Look, this is already
getting really technical.
Let's not split hairs.
Don't come for me down in the comments.
Now, a package It manages
all of that up in a nice.
Mov file to be viewed
at near enough to full quality.
And that sounds great.
But why wouldn't you use this every time?
Because they're huge
files, massive, massive files.
I ran it in a 10 minute 4K sequence
the other day in Prores 4444, which is
a high a bit depth flavor of Prores,
and I think it was like 90 gigabytes.
And my rushes for the entire project
were only 30 gigs.
Now, I am a Mac user and I cut mostly
in resolve at the moment.
I do stand Prores, but I'll caveat this
section by saying that as a recording,
Da Vinci resolve on PC does not support
the writing of Prores files natively.
It can read them, but it can't
write them or export them.
There are, of course, some workarounds,
but it's not a native function
due to licensing issues, even
in the paid studio version.
Now, Premiere Pro, on the other hand,
does support the reading and writing
of Apple Prores on PC and has done so
since about 2018, I think.
So there's that caveat.
Again, don't come for me in the comments.
If you are on PC, I believe that
the best alternative or equivalent
is DnxHD or DnxHR in an Mxf Rapper.
Again, we're getting technical.
So when do you use them both?
Well, if you've finished your project,
completely pitch locked it, and
the client is asking for the final files,
then render a master copy in Prores.
You can select 422, unless you know it
needs to be 4444 for some specific
reason, grading or VFX purposes.
But at this point, we're mastering
out a 422 version, and that will suffice.
This copy will be your master copy
that you keep safe somewhere,
and you can make subsequent Mp4 copies
of this down the line if you need
to for any reason,
and you won't be getting that double
compression I mentioned a while
back by making copies of H264 files.
Next, you'll render a H264 MP4 file,
and this will be the one that you upload
to save YouTube for web playback.
It'll be light in terms of size.
The quality will be sufficient for those
purposes if you tick the right boxes
and you won't have a client threadting
about having to download a 50 gig file
2 hours before it's supposed to go live.
Ask me how I know.
Depending on your NLE of choice,
you will have a couple of options
when it comes to the level
of quality within that H264 render.
You can pump the bit rate of the file,
resulting in a higher quality but larger
file, but it won't be anywhere near as
large as Pro-res, so go nuts with that.
This whole thing is boring.
It's tedious, but it's very important.
And I hope this rapid fire technical
information and my suitcase analogy
has helped demonstrate the points
that I'm trying to get across.
So let's recap together.
Say it with me.
Master in Prores, web ready in H 264.
And this is actually
a whole topic for another time.
But if you're having trouble
playing your footage back in Premiere Pro
or Da Vinci Resolve and you're banging
your head against the wall thinking,
but my CPU and my GPU are the best
money can buy and it's 2025?
And why is this happening to me
again and again and again?
What am I doing wrong?
Well, the answer again is take a breath.
It's fine.
It's likely codec related.
In short, if you're working
with H264 files and that's happening,
then try transcribing them to Prores
and editing with that footage.
You'll a much better time, or maybe even
look into a proxy workflow.
If you do want me to dive deeper
into either of those topics, then
let me know down in the comments
and I'll make you that video.
Now, I hope that has helped
to clear up some complexity
in this relatively complex topic.
So thank you for watching.
And until next time, stay lossless.