Lesson 14 · 9 min read
RAW, codecs, proxies, exports, and never losing work
Professional work is repeatable. A consistent pipeline — ingest, organize, edit, export, archive — means you can find any file in two years and deliver in the exact format a client asked for.
RAW keeps all the sensor data so you can rescue exposure and color; JPEG bakes decisions in and saves space. Log video is the same idea for motion: flat-looking files with maximum grading room. Shoot RAW or log when the result matters, standard when speed matters.
A codec is how video is compressed. H.264 and H.265 are small but hard on your computer; ProRes and DNxHR are big but edit smoothly. If playback stutters, generate proxies — small stand-in copies you edit with while the final export uses the originals.
Copy cards into dated project folders: 2026-05-12_ClientName/01_Footage, /02_Audio, /03_Stills, /04_Exports. Name files with date and slate info, not IMG_4471. Add keywords and star ratings during ingest, not later.
Try it at home: Rebuild your last project into this folder structure. Then try finding one specific clip in under ten seconds.
Work in sRGB for web and Rec.709 for standard video, and calibrate your monitor so edits aren't tuned to a wrong screen. Check finished work on a phone as well as a laptop; that's where most people will see it.
Keep saved presets: 1080p and 4K H.264 for web, vertical 1080x1920 for social, high-bitrate master for archive. Then archive the project plus a graded master on two drives, one stored elsewhere.
Practice project
Set up a repeatable ingest-to-archive workflow and deliver one project in three formats.
Open the printable card →Tap an answer — you'll see right away if it's correct.
Editing 4K stutters on your laptop. Best fix:
Which format gives the most editing room?
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