Professional master workflow

A professional master is the approved high-quality file or frame sequence from which review copies and downstream deliverables can be made. Pick the format from the receiver's specification—not from file size alone.

Common Oraphim master choices

• ProRes 422 HQ — 10-bit 4:2:2 intraframe master for standard high-quality picture handoff.
• ProRes 4444 — use when the receiver requires alpha/transparency.
• DNxHR HQX MOV or MXF DNxHR HQX — 10-bit DNxHR finishing/interchange paths.
• OpenEXR, DPX, TIFF, or PNG sequences — use when frame-by-frame interchange, alpha/HDR data, or resilient shot-based handoff is preferred.
• WAV — audio-only mix delivery when requested separately.

Preflight before the long render

1. Confirm the exact exportable resource and final version.
2. Confirm range, dimensions, source frame rate, color-management/output intent, audio and alpha requirements.
3. Check free disk space and use a unique, client-readable output path/name.
4. Render a short representative range containing motion, highlights, dark material, graphics, audio and transparency if used.
5. Approve that test before launching the full job.

Master QC

Verify the output independently: codec/profile, pixel format, frame rate, duration/frame count, audio channel/content, alpha, image-sequence continuity, color metadata and visual playback. Inspect first and last frames and several difficult internal frames. If the receiver provided a written delivery spec, compare every relevant item against it.

Final export uses original media rather than preview proxies, so proxy playback quality is not the master source. Keep the verified master and the editable project archive as separate deliverables when long-term revision matters.