H.265 vs Apple ProRes Codec? · iPhone Cinematics

H.265 vs Apple ProRes Codec?

One of the biggest questions iPhone filmmakers ask is… which codec should I shoot in?

If you’re shooting on the Blackmagic Camera app, these are the two main codecs you’ll see.

H.265 is the lighter option. Smaller files, no external SSD needed - saves you a ton of space.

But the trade-off? You lose flexibility in the edit, you push the grade too far and it just falls apart.

ProRes is different, it’s 10-bit footage (which means more color information is stored in every frame), works really well with Apple Log, and gives you way more room to grade.

The colours hold, the image feels richer, and it’s smoother to edit.

But the downside is that the files are massive.

You’ll need an SSD if you want to shoot this way. I personally shoot ProRes with Apple Log but I have an SSD so it’s not too bad

So if you want the best colour grades possible on an iPhone, shoot with ProRes.

But if you don’t want the hassle of an SSD, H.265 will get the job done too.

Comment which codec you shoot in below 👇🏼

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