converting to pro res before editing? mac and pc

[PegLeg Media]

So i use a panasonic gh3 and have FCP at home and adobe premiere at work. I put my memory card in and can play the clip immediately. I always assumed this was full quality and I wouldnt gain any more quality and wouldnt lose any quality until exporting out of FCP and Premiere.

I have talked to some people who are now telling me when I drop the files from my memory card onto my computer, if I convert them to ProRes 4:2:2 that will improve on the quality. Is this so? Do most people convert all their clips before they start editing? What program is best for macs and PC's to convert to prores? I got 5dtorgb on my imac and macbook pro but neither will open. Is there a different program to use or a way to get this working? What is the PC version of this?

anyone have a video comparing footage before and after?

 

[arniepix]

You cannot improve quality by transcoding. You cannot simply go from one codec to another and get something that's better than the original.

That said, there may still be be many reasons for transcoding. You'll get better performance out of your edit system, for one.

 

[stevedocmaker]

The GH3 can output ,MOV or AVCHD files, I'm assuming you're talking about the AVCHD files. Either way, there are some who will tell you that with intense grading, a 4:2:2 codec will hold up better. I think this may be true, but only if you're rendering and re-grading material, otherwise I doubt it matters. That said I use Premiere and I can see an improvement in performance with .MTS files that have been transcoded, and if you're logging with Prelude it's a must. I find it even better, performance wise, to just rewrap the .MTS files with Clipwrap, which also saves a lot of time and disk space.