When DJI first introduced its Ronin 4D, which is a 4-axis digital camera gimbal designed for cinematographers making movies on the bottom (reasonably than within the air, through drone), one in every of its most-touted and highly-anticipated options was that the Zenmuse X9 gimbal digital camera — out there in both 8K or 6K variations — could be able to internally recording Apple ProRes and Apple ProRes RAW.
That Ronin 4D announcement was again in October 2021. However when it really started delivery a couple of months later in February 2022, many potential prospects have been extremely disenchanted. That’s as a result of it shipped with out ProRes RAW capabilities, as was first promised.
DJI did provide up a comfort prize; it dropped the initially-advertised price ticket from $7,199 to $6,799. However regardless of the price financial savings, it was largely a blow to of us looking for to shoot 8K ProRes RAW. Inside ProRes Uncooked was an enormous purpose why many individuals needed the Ronin 4D. On-line feedback present folks cancelling previously-made orders.
However this month, DJI lastly solved the Apple ProRes RAW downside. Together with the launch of its new DJI Ronin Flex, DJI additionally introduced that Apple ProRes RAW video recording is lastly out there on Ronin 4D (observe that you just don’t want the Flex to activate RAW; the 2 bulletins have been simply made concurrently).
Now you should buy an activation license key for the Apple ProRes RAW codec on Ronin 4D on the DJI Retailer. That’s nice information for filmmakers looking for to combine Ronin 4D footage into cinema productions.
However in fact, there’s at all times dangerous information to accompany the excellent news; the Apple ProRes RAW license for Ronin 4D prices $979. That’s far larger than the $400 low cost DJI supplied up as its comfort prize final yr. Maybe the over-2x worth enhance is Ronin’s model of inflation.
What’s Apple ProRes and Apple ProRes RAW?
Apple ProRes is a video compression format developed by Apple to be used in post-production that helps video decision as much as 8K. In 2018, Apple ProRes RAW arrived on the scene, increasing upon the ProRes codecs with a give attention to uncooked knowledge coming from the sensor. Its worth is in providing higher shade replica, given the way it delays the debayering course of to the post-production stage, and it’s perfect for high-dynamic-range (HDR) content material creation.
With ProRes RAW, you possibly can import, edit, and grade video with RAW knowledge straight out of your digital camera sensor — in idea rushing up edits. Mac customers may also render and export quicker with ProRes RAW than you possibly can with different uncooked codecs on condition that ProRes RAW is optimized for macOS and the most recent Mac computer systems.
Now, the Zenmuse X7 and Ronin 4D are Apple ProRes RAW licensed merchandise. (The DJI CineLight, Encourage 2, Ronin 4D and Mavic 3 Cine had been Apple ProRes licensed merchandise already.)
As we speak, there are nonetheless comparatively few Apple Professional Res RAW-authorized merchandise. Except for DJI, different Apple Professional Res RAW-authorized merchandise embody Adobe After Results, Adobe Media Premiere Professional, Avid Media Composer, FilmLight’s Baselight and Daylight, the MTI FILM Cortex and the Nikon Z9, amongst others.
The checklist of ProRes merchandise (not RAW) is way longer, and contains different DJI merchandise together with DJI CineLight, Encourage 2 and Mavic 3 Cine.
What to find out about Apple ProRes RAW for Ronin 4D
When you’ve bought the $979 DJI Ronin 4D RAW License, you’ll be capable to document Apple ProRes RAW video in your Ronin 4D, whether or not or not you even have the Ronin 4D Flex. It’s not a subscription however reasonably a one-time buy, so it’s legitimate indefinitely for so long as you employ the Ronin 4D. The license is appropriate with DJI Ronin 4D and Zenmuse X9-6K
It’s not completely clear why the Ronin 4D solely simply now helps Apple ProRes RAW — and it’s additionally not clear why the preliminary promise fell via at launch, however many suspected it needed to do with patent points.
Although before now, Apple ProRes 4444 XQ had been out there to all purchasers through a firmware replace, and Apple ProRes HQ 422 was (and nonetheless is) additionally out there. However the ProRex 4444 XQ codec was far much less interesting, in that it supplied a worse high quality to file-size ratio than the newer ProRes RAW.
For what it’s price, the Mavic 3 Cine was a game-changer within the drone world when it launched to information that it will provide far richer video processing than simply the Mavic 3 by itself by the use of help for Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, and Apple ProRes 422 LT encoding. Perhaps ProRes RAW for drones is subsequent.
Learn how to buy and activate your license key for the Apple ProRes RAW codec on Ronin 4D
Upon getting your license, it’s fairly easy and requires simply 4 steps:
- Merely join your Ronin 4D to a pc utilizing the included cable, and energy on the Ronin 4D.
- Launch DJI Assistant 2 for the Ronin Sequence with the identical logged-in DJI account you bought the activation key with.
- Click on the icon for Ronin 4D, navigate to the parameter settings web page, and click on “License.”
- Enter the verification code that was despatched to you (both through electronic mail/cellphone) at buy, then click on via to ‘verify’ and ‘proceed activation’ till you obtain an ‘activation profitable’ message.
