Choosing a compressor

Choosing the right compressor can improve the quality of the movies you create.

For the best tradeoff in quality, frame-rate and file size, we suggest using the Apple Intermediate Codec if it is available. Otherwise, use Photo JPEG.

If you need to record the alpha channel, choose Animation or None (Uncompressed), Apple ProRes 4444 or one of the Sheer codecs, if installed.

Using Animation, Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2 or None requires a fast disk drive (preferably RAID or a fast solid-state drive), and may result in worse performance and more dropped frames than other compressors.

Reducing the framerate and/or dimensions of the recording can help prevent stutter due to dropped frames.