01
What is the difference between RAW, LOG and standard video?
They differ in how much decision the camera makes for you. Standard video bakes in contrast, colour and sharpening at the moment of recording, so it looks finished straight away but has little room for adjustment. LOG profiles record a flat, low-contrast image that keeps more detail in highlights and shadows, leaving the final look to colour correction. RAW keeps even more of the sensor data, so white balance and exposure can be changed afterwards with fewer side effects.
More flexibility comes with larger files and more work. LOG and RAW footage must be corrected before anyone can judge it, and RAW files can fill drives quickly. For quick social content shot in good light, a standard profile is often the sensible choice; for a brand film, mixed lighting or footage that must match other cameras, LOG or RAW gives the editor room to make everything consistent.
02
Which export codec should each destination receive?
Two kinds of file serve most projects. A high-quality master, such as Apple ProRes 422, keeps the finished edit with very little loss and is the file to archive and to re-export from later. A delivery file, typically H.264 or H.265 in an MP4 with AAC audio, is small enough to upload and plays everywhere, which is what websites and social platforms expect.
Platforms recompress whatever you upload, so sending them a clean, well-made MP4 at the right resolution gives better results than sending a huge master and letting them shrink it. Keep the frame rate the same as the original footage, and name exports with the destination and the ratio so the right version reaches the right place. When footage from different cameras is combined into one graded master, as in the Homeowners project edited from agency-supplied files, that master is the file worth keeping.
