DJI Mavic 3 Cine What Is ProRes?

The New DJI Mavic 3 Will Change The Way Aerial Footage Is Recorded Forever With ProRes 422 HQ.

Now officially confirmed by DJI, the exciting new DJI Mavic 3 Cine drone will feature ProRes support - the intuitive video codec that recently made its way onto the latest generation of iPhones. 

Find out how ProRes will change the way commercial drone pilots record and edit aerial video and why the addition of Apple ProRes completely changes the game for the Mavic 3. 

What Is Apple ProRes?

Apple ProRes is a super versatile video format, specifically designed to benefit video editors in retaining the maximum amount of detail and dynamic range of footage whilst minimising the strain on the editor’s CPU. 

The new DJI Mavic 3 allows drone operators to record directly in Apple ProRes 422 HQ format without the need to convert the video codec. This then allows editors to import the footage directly into their chosen editing suite and start enjoying the benefits. 

Apple ProRes 422 HQ is a higher data-rate version of ProRes which works to preserve visual fidelity for 4:2:2 image sources. This version of ProRes should see no visual degradation regardless of how many decoding and re-encoding processes it goes through.

Thanks to Apple’s inclusion of ProRes on the latest generation of iPhones, ProRes is now one of the most widely used codecs by video editors in 2021 -  it’s not just for professional video editors!

How Does ProRes on Mavic 3 Cine Benefit Drone Operators?

All of the key benefits of the ProRes 422 HQ Codec can be found in your chosen post-production suite. Whether you work with Windows or Mac, ProRes has some excellent benefits for you. 

Thanks to the way ProRes subtly compresses each frame of video, the size and computing power needed to work the file are reduced dramatically. However, due to the power of ProRes, image quality is not lost! This results in a reduced strain on your computer without the loss of quality. 

ProRes also utilises 10-bit encoding to retain better colour information on recorded footage. This is especially important when it comes to the recording of aerial footage. This use of 10-bit encoding comes with the inclusion of a more efficient compression rate. 

Despite this technology being developed by Apple specifically for their proprietary Final Cut Pro editing suite, the technology can also be utilised on Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, and more. 

Essentially, the inclusion of ProRes 422 HQ technology on the Mavic 3 will increase the productivity in the output of aerial footage when in the editing and rendering stage of the aerial operation.

How Do I Use ProRes on Mavic 3 Cine?

To feel the benefits of ProRes 422 HQ you’ll want to boot up your editing suite of choice and explore your potential. 

Once you have exported your ProRes footage onto your computer, the next step is to input your aerial footage into your editing software. 

ProRes RAW currently has limited support, with Final Cut Pro X being the best option. This is because Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure that the software and hardware integration between FCPX and macOS is extremely tight, allowing for extremely fast processing speeds.

Once again, DJI has tightened their special relationship with Apple and provided a subtle benefit to macOS users. 

What Are The Other Benefits of The Mavic 3 Cine Drone?

The new Mavic 3 Cine blows the previous Mavic out of the water with a super impressive spec sheet.

Firstly, the camera this time has been designed in partnership with Swedish camera specialists Hasselblad. The camera has a 20-megapixel camera, allowing you to capture extreme detail straight to the sensor, allowing for an amount of detail never captured before within the Mavic series. 

The amount of detail captured is no problem as the Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo comes with an integrated super fast 1TB SSD so it eats up the data with no problems. You can also record up to 5.1K in 50 frames per second so you can get perfect slow-motion shots in 25fps with no loss of quality.

ProRes Aerial Footage Changes The Game

The implementation of Apple ProRes on the Mavic 3 Cine drone is a positive one. Whilst at face value, the implementation of ProRes may seem like a marketing gimmick from DJI, it’s so much more than that! 

The Mavic 3 Cine will benefit those who work with editing their footage or those who pass on the footage to industry professionals. Whilst it may seem like a small addition, the potential for growth here is massive. 

Overall, the addition of ProRes is a welcome addition to the Mavic 3 Cine drone and sets operators up for the future premiere codec for video.