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ARRIRAW vs ProRes on Alexa: When to Shoot RAW and When to Stick With ProRes

The practical decision framework for choosing between ARRIRAW and Apple ProRes on ARRI Alexa cameras — including data rate comparisons, storage costs, grading flexibility, VFX requirements, and how each format works with cloud dailies.

When should you shoot ARRIRAW on Alexa and when should you shoot ProRes?

Shoot ARRIRAW when the production requires maximum grading flexibility, VFX work, green screen compositing, or archival-quality masters. Shoot Apple ProRes when the production has tight budget constraints, fast turnaround requirements, limited storage, or when the final delivery does not justify the cost of raw acquisition. For most narrative features and high-end commercials, ARRIRAW is the standard. For television, documentary, and budget-conscious productions, ProRes 4444 or ProRes 422 HQ provides excellent image quality at a fraction of the storage cost.

The ARRI Alexa platform supports both ARRIRAW and ProRes recording across most camera models. The choice between them affects every downstream decision — storage budget, DIT workflow, proxy generation, color pipeline, and archive requirements. This guide provides a practical framework for making the decision based on the production's specific needs.

Working with raw camera footage? Check out How to Build a Searchable Library From ARRIRAW, RED R3D, and ProRes Footage.

What are the actual data rate and storage differences?

ARRIRAW is uncompressed sensor data. ProRes is a compressed mezzanine codec with baked-in debayering. The data rate difference is substantial.

| Format | Resolution | Data Rate (24 fps) | Per Hour | Per 10-Hour Day (3:1 ratio) |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| ARRIRAW | Alexa 35 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.75 GB/s | ~2.7 TB | ~4.9 TB |

| ARRIRAW | Alexa Mini LF 4.5K Open Gate | ~0.65 GB/s | ~2.3 TB | ~4.1 TB |

| ARRIRAW HDE | Alexa 35 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.45 GB/s | ~1.6 TB | ~2.9 TB |

| ProRes 4444 XQ | Alexa 35 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.30 GB/s | ~1.1 TB | ~2.0 TB |

| ProRes 4444 | Alexa 35 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.20 GB/s | ~720 GB | ~1.3 TB |

| ProRes 422 HQ | Alexa 35 4.6K Open Gate | ~0.12 GB/s | ~432 GB | ~780 GB |

| ProRes 422 LT | Alexa 35 4K UHD | ~0.06 GB/s | ~216 GB | ~390 GB |

The practical impact: a 20-day feature shot on Alexa 35 in ARRIRAW requires approximately 98 TB of raw footage (before backup). The same feature shot in ProRes 4444 requires approximately 26 TB. With RAID backup, the ARRIRAW production needs approximately 200 TB of storage. The ProRes production needs approximately 52 TB.

At $300 per TB for enterprise SSDs, the storage media cost alone is approximately $60,000 for ARRIRAW versus approximately $16,000 for ProRes 4444 — a $44,000 difference.

How does the grading flexibility compare?

ARRIRAW provides full raw parameter control: ISO, white balance, tint, and exposure metadata can be changed non-destructively at any point during the grade. ProRes bakes the camera's debayer and color processing decisions into the file. The ISO, white balance, and exposure settings applied at capture become fixed.

| Grading Property | ARRIRAW | ProRes 4444 | ProRes 422 HQ |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| ISO adjustment | Full (non-destructive metadata) | Fixed (baked in-camera) | Fixed |

| White balance adjustment | Full (non-destructive metadata) | Fixed (baked in-camera) | Fixed |

| Exposure recovery | Best flexibility from camera original | More limited; depends on exposure and codec | More limited; depends on exposure and codec |

| Highlight roll-off | Raw control | Baked-in | Baked-in |

| Color science selection | Flexible (LogC, LogC4) | Fixed to camera setting | Fixed |

| Bit depth | 13-bit log (Alexa 35) / 12-bit log | 12-bit (4444) / 10-bit (422 HQ) | 10-bit |

| ACES workflow | Full ACES IDT | ACES IDT available | Limited |

For colorists, the practical difference is most visible in extreme adjustments. An underexposed ARRIRAW shot gives the colorist more control over raw interpretation before the grade. The same underexposed ProRes shot must be pushed as encoded RGB/YUV image data, which can reveal noise, compression, or quantization artifacts sooner.

For standard exposure ranges, a well-exposed ProRes 4444 workflow can be visually excellent. The advantage of ARRIRAW is not that every normal shot looks dramatically different; it is the extra flexibility when exposure, VFX, HDR, or archival requirements become demanding.

How does the VFX pipeline differ?

For VFX work, ARRIRAW is the standard because it provides uncompressed sensor data for keying, compositing, and CG integration. The raw sensor data gives the compositor maximum flexibility for edge detail, grain matching, and color extraction.

| VFX Property | ARRIRAW | ProRes 4444 | ProRes 422 HQ |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Green screen key | Excellent (full sensor data) | Very good | Good (10-bit may show banding) |

| Grain matching | Full control | Limited by baked grain | Limited |

| CG integration | Full linear workflow | Limited by baked color | Limited |

| EXR conversion | Complete (EXR from raw) | Partial (baked data only) | Partial |

| Multi-generation renders | No quality loss | Minimal quality loss | Visible quality loss |

For productions with significant VFX work — green screen compositing, CG characters, environment replacement — ARRIRAW is strongly recommended. The cost of raw storage is offset by the reduced compositing time and higher quality results.

For productions with minimal VFX (titling, basic color correction, simple composites), ProRes 4444 is sufficient.

How do proxy and dailies workflows compare?

Both ARRIRAW and ProRes require some form of proxy or review workflow, but the complexity differs.

| Workflow Property | ARRIRAW | ProRes 4444 |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Native NLE playback | Requires powerful workstation | Playable on most modern machines |

| Proxy generation | Required for efficient editing | Optional (4444 is editable) |

| Cloud upload size | 2.7 TB/hr (raw) / 1.6 TB/hr (HDE) | 720 GB/hr |

| Cloud dailies pipeline | Enterprise add-on required | Standard upload supported |

| Review stream generation | Cloud transcode required | Cloud transcode or direct stream |

The key difference for cloud dailies: ProRes files can be uploaded through Cutsio's standard upload pipeline because they are already a compressed, editable format. ARRIRAW requires the enterprise raw ingestion add-on because the cloud must perform the raw-to-review transcoding.

However, ARRIRAW provides an advantage in the review stream: the original camera files remain completely untouched, and the review stream displays the footage with the correct LogC-to-video transform. ProRes files may have baked-in looks or color settings that limit the colorist's flexibility in the final grade.

What should commercial productions choose?

Commercial productions typically have fast turnaround times, limited storage budgets, and well-controlled shooting environments. ProRes 4444 is the recommended format for most commercial work.

• Shorter shooting days (1-5 days typical) mean storage cost differences are modest
• Fast turnaround requires minimal post processing — ProRes is edit-ready
• Well-controlled lighting means exposure is usually correct, reducing the need for raw recovery
• Final delivery is typically Rec.709 or P3 DCI, not HDR with extreme grade pushes

Shoot ARRIRAW on commercials only when the project involves heavy VFX, green screen, HDR delivery, or an archival master requirement.

What should narrative features choose?

ARRIRAW is the standard for narrative features. The longer post timeline, higher quality requirements, VFX work, and archival needs justify the storage cost.

• Features have 20-60 shoot days with large data volumes
• Theatrical and streaming delivery requires maximum image quality
• VFX and color grading timelines are longer and more demanding
• Archival masters require uncompressed source data

For low-budget indie features, ProRes 4444 is a viable alternative. The storage cost savings can be redirected to other production needs. The director and DP should test ProRes 4444 footage through the intended grade pipeline before committing to the format.

What should documentary and unscripted choose?

Documentary production has the highest shooting ratios and the tightest budgets. ProRes 422 HQ or ProRes 4444 is the practical choice for most documentary work.

• Shooting ratios of 10:1 to 50:1 make raw storage costs prohibitive
• Interview-based content does not benefit from raw's grading flexibility
• Fast turnaround for episodic delivery requires edit-ready media
• Field storage and backup with portable drives is simpler with ProRes file sizes

Reserve ARRIRAW for documentary scenes with specific visual requirements — slow-motion nature footage, high-end cinematography for feature documentaries, or archival-quality masters.

FAQ

Does shooting ProRes on Alexa mean you lose the ARRI look?

No. ARRI cameras apply the same color science and sensor processing to ProRes recordings. The ARRI look — the color response, highlight roll-off, and skin tone rendering — is present in both ARRIRAW and ProRes. The difference is flexibility in post, not the starting image quality.

Can Cutsio handle both ARRIRAW and ProRes from the same production?

Yes. ARRIRAW files are ingested through the enterprise raw ingestion add-on. ProRes files can be uploaded through Cutsio's standard upload pipeline. Both formats can coexist in the same library, indexed by the same Visual Intelligence engine.

Is ProRes 4444 XQ close enough to ARRIRAW quality for theatrical delivery?

ProRes 4444 XQ increases the data rate by approximately 50% over standard ProRes 4444, providing better quality retention through multiple encode/decode cycles. For theatrical delivery, ARRIRAW remains the standard because of the uncompressed source data. However, ProRes 4444 XQ is an acceptable acquisition format for certain productions where the raw workflow is not feasible.

Does the Alexa 35's 13-bit ARRIRAW provide a meaningful advantage over ProRes 4444's 12-bit?

For VFX and extreme HDR grading, yes. The 13-bit log encoding provides more code values than 12-bit ProRes 4444, which can reduce avoidable quantization before VFX or extreme grading. For standard Rec.709 delivery with moderate grading, the difference is negligible.

How does the decision change for the Alexa 35 Xtreme with ARRICORE?

ARRICORE is a new option between ARRIRAW and ProRes. At lower data rates than ARRIRAW with flexible exposure index, white balance, and tint control, ARRICORE narrows the gap between raw and compressed acquisition. For productions that want raw-like flexibility without the full ARRIRAW storage cost, ARRICORE is worth evaluating. However, ARRICORE is not a raw format — the debayering happens in-camera, which may be a limitation for certain VFX workflows.