--- title: "How to Build a Searchable Library From ARRIRAW, RED R3D, and ProRes Footage" author: "Cutsio Team" date: "2026-05-06" lastmod: "2026-05-06" category: "Storage & Performance" excerpt: "Learn how to build a single searchable library from mixed ARRI RAW, RED R3D, and ProRes footage. Upload native files to Cutsio, get Visual Search across all formats, and keep originals attached." tags: ["ARRI RAW","RED RAW","ProRes","Visual Search","Footage Library","Asset Management","Post Production","Mixed Format Workflow"] --- ## How do you build a searchable library from ARRIRAW, RED R3D, and ProRes footage? Build a single searchable library by uploading all your footage — ARRI RAW (.ari, .mxf, .arx), RED R3D, and ProRes — to Cutsio. Cutsio generates streamable review assets from every format, indexes all frames with a unified Visual Intelligence engine, and retains the original files as downloadable attachments. The result is one library where any frame from any camera format is findable by describing what the camera saw. Most professional productions shoot with multiple cameras and formats. A narrative feature might use ALEXA 35 ARRIRAW as A-cam, RED V-RAPTOR R3D as B-cam for slow motion, and ProRes for drone footage, gimbal shots, or third-party material. A commercial shoot might mix RED R3D hero footage with ProRes from a Sony FX6 B-cam. Managing these formats separately creates silos. The ARRI RAW lives in one folder structure, the RED R3D in another, the ProRes in a third. Searching across all three requires remembering which format was used for which scene. Cutsio eliminates the silos by ingesting all formats through the same pipeline — the enterprise add-on for raw formats, and standard upload for ProRes — and indexing them all with the same Visual Intelligence engine. Working with raw camera footage? Check out [How to Build a Searchable Library From ARRIRAW, RED R3D, and ProRes Footage](/blog/how-to-build-searchable-library-from-arriraw-red-r3d-prores-footage). Search your video library faster with [How to Search Your Entire Video Library by Meaning](/blog/how-to-search-your-entire-video-library-by-meaning). ## What is the unified workflow for mixed-format footage libraries? The unified workflow for mixed-format footage libraries follows the same five stages regardless of the source format, producing a single searchable index across all camera types. | Stage | ARRI RAW | RED R3D | ProRes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Upload method | Enterprise add-on | Enterprise add-on | Standard upload | | Transcode location | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud (if needed) or direct stream | | Visual indexing | Every frame | Every frame | Every frame | | Original file retention | Attached as .ari/.mxf/.arx | Attached as .r3d | Attached as .mov/.mp4 | | Search experience | Identical | Identical | Identical | The key insight: once the footage is ingested, the source format does not matter. A search for "close-up of actor in golden hour" returns matching frames from all three formats, ranked by visual relevance, not by codec type. ### How does the upload process differ for each format? **ARRI RAW (.ari, .mxf, .arx)**: Uploaded through the enterprise raw ingestion add-on. The DIT uploads native camera files from set. Cutsio transcodes them into streamable review assets in the cloud and retains the original files as attachments. **RED R3D (.r3d)**: Uploaded through the same enterprise add-on. Native R3D files are uploaded, cloud-transcoded into review assets, and originals are attached. **ProRes (.mov, .mxf)**: Uploaded through standard Cutsio upload. ProRes files are already playable and typically do not require transcoding — they become streamable review assets directly. The original ProRes files are retained as attachments. The assistant editor or DIT uploads all three format types into the same Cutsio workspace. The system handles the format differences transparently. ## How does Visual Search work across mixed-format libraries? Visual Search works identically across all source formats because the Visual Intelligence engine indexes the review assets, not the raw camera files. Whether the source is ARRI RAW, RED R3D, or ProRes, the review stream is analyzed by the same computer vision models. This means a single search query can return results from multiple formats simultaneously: - "Wide shot of car driving through desert" returns matching frames from your ARRI RAW A-cam masters, RED R3D B-cam slow-motion coverage, and ProRes drone flyovers — all in one ranked results list. - "Close-up of actor crying" returns matching frames from your ARRI RAW dialogue coverage and any RED R3D close-up inserts. - "Establishing shot golden hour" returns matching frames from all cameras that captured golden hour footage. The search does not care about the codec. It cares about the visual content. ### What visual concepts can you search across mixed-format libraries? The same visual concepts are indexed regardless of format: - **Objects**: Cars, weapons, furniture, props, animals, food, electronics - **Scenes**: Interior, exterior, kitchen, bedroom, office, desert, forest, city street - **Actions**: Walking, running, driving, fighting, kissing, entering frame, exiting frame - **Composition**: Close-up, medium shot, wide shot, two-shot, over-the-shoulder, low angle - **Lighting**: Golden hour, night, backlit, soft light, hard light, silhouette, neon - **Camera motion**: Dolly, handheld, steady cam, drone, pan, tilt, whip pan These concepts combine into complex multi-format queries: "Low-angle drone shot of car driving through desert at golden hour" returns the ProRes drone footage, the ARRI RAW ground-level masters, and any RED R3D slow-motion inserts — all from one search.
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## How do you organize a mixed-format library with Collections? Collections in Cutsio organize mixed-format footage into visual hubs grouped by project, scene, shoot day, or camera — so the entire library is navigable visually regardless of the source format of each clip. Recommended Collection structures for mixed-format productions: **By Scene (most common)**: ``` Production Name ├── Scene 24 — Restaurant │ ├── A-Cam Masters (ARRI RAW) │ ├── B-Cam Close-ups (RED R3D) │ └── Drone Exteriors (ProRes) ├── Scene 25 — Car Chase │ ├── A-Cam Coverage (ARRI RAW) │ ├── Slow Motion Inserts (RED R3D) │ └── Car Rig GoPro (ProRes) └── Scene 26 — Interior Office └── All Cameras ``` **By Camera (for DIT organization)**: ``` Production Name ├── A-Cam — ALEXA 35 ARRIRAW │ ├── Day 01 │ ├── Day 02 │ └── Day 03 ├── B-Cam — RED V-RAPTOR R3D │ ├── Day 01 │ ├── Day 02 │ └── Day 03 └── C-Cam — Drone ProRes └── All Days ``` Each Collection contains review assets for streaming and search, with the original files attached by format. The editorial team accesses all cameras and formats through a single Cutsio workspace. ## How does Share make mixed-format libraries accessible to the production team? Cutsio's Share feature generates secure review links from any Collection, regardless of the source format mix. The recipient opens a single link and watches clips from ARRI RAW, RED R3D, and ProRes in the same player — without knowing or caring which format each clip originated from. Share links support: - **Password protection**: Secure access for the director, DP, and producers - **Expiration dates**: Auto-expire after the review window - **View tracking**: See who watched which clips - **Frame-accurate commenting**: Pin comments to specific frames across all formats - **Multi-format playback**: The player handles all source formats transparently The director does not need to know that Scene 24 was shot on ALEXA 35 ARRIRAW while Scene 25 was shot on RED V-RAPTOR R3D. They open one link and review the entire scene. ## How does Agentic Chat search mixed-format footage? Agentic Chat in Cutsio searches across all formats in your library simultaneously — so you can ask questions that span cameras, codecs, and shoot days without knowing which format was used for which clip. Examples: - "Show me all the close-ups of the lead actor from the restaurant scene regardless of camera." - "Find the slow-motion shots from the car chase — I need the RED footage specifically." - "Which drone shots from Day 7 have the sun setting behind the mountains?" - "Are there any ARRI RAW wide masters of the office scene that also have the boom mic visible?" Agentic Chat combines Visual Search, metadata search, and Collection context to return format-aware results. It can filter by format type when asked, or return results from all formats when not specified. ## How does Storage pricing work for mixed-format libraries? Cutsio's pay-per-minute pricing model is format-agnostic: a minute of ARRI RAW 4.6K footage costs the same to store as a minute of ProRes 422 footage, as long as they have the same duration. This is a critical advantage for mixed-format libraries. Traditional cloud storage charges by the gigabyte, which penalizes productions that shoot raw formats. With Cutsio, the ARRI RAW, RED R3D, and ProRes footage in a mixed library all cost the same per minute. The review assets and Visual Search index are included. The original files are attached without per-gigabyte surcharges. ## How do you export mixed-format selects for the NLE conform? Cutsio exports a selects EDL or FCPXML that references the original file names and timecodes of all clips, regardless of their source format — so the assistant editor can import a single EDL into DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro and link to the original ARRI RAW, RED R3D, and ProRes files on the local RAID. The export workflow: 1. Search for selects across all formats using Visual Search or Agentic Chat. 2. Add matching clips to a Collection — the Collection can contain any mix of formats. 3. Export a selects EDL or FCPXML from the Collection. 4. Open your NLE, import the EDL, and link to the original files. The EDL references each clip by its original file name and timecode, regardless of format. The NLE handles the format switching transparently during the conform. ## FAQ ### Can I search across ARRI RAW and ProRes footage in the same query? Yes. Visual Search indexes all formats through the same pipeline. A single search returns matching frames from all formats in your library. ### Is there a limit to how many formats I can include in one library? No. Cutsio supports any number of source formats in a single workspace. The Visual Intelligence engine indexes them all identically. ### Does ProRes footage get the same Visual Search treatment as raw footage? Yes. All footage uploaded to Cutsio — ProRes, H.264, ARRI RAW, RED R3D — is analyzed by the same Visual Intelligence engine. The search experience is identical regardless of the source format. ### How do I handle mixed-format projects where some footage is already compressed? Upload all footage through the same Cutsio pipeline. Compressed formats like ProRes or H.264 are ingested through standard upload. Raw formats require the enterprise add-on. Once ingested, all footage is searchable through the same Visual Search interface. ### Can I add older ProRes projects to an existing ARRI RAW library? Yes. You can upload ProRes files from any project into any Cutsio workspace at any time. The Visual Intelligence engine will index the new footage alongside the existing library.

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