Why This Matters
It feels surreal to say this out loud, but it’s finally here: ProRes RAW in DaVinci Resolve is no longer a dream. After years of requests, workarounds, and honestly just frustration, Resolve 20.2 brings native support for decoding ProRes RAW footage. For me, this is the biggest news of the year, even in the midst of all the camera drops and firmware updates.
If you’ve followed my channel at all, you already know how vocal I’ve been about wanting this. And now that it’s here, I’ve spent some serious time digging into how it works, where it still falls short, and how you can best integrate it into your workflow.
Let’s break it all down.
What You See in the Camera RAW Tab
When you bring in ProRes RAW footage, you’ll notice a different UI approach in the Camera RAW tab. Rather than the traditional color space and gamma pairings, you’ll now see a single dropdown labeled RAW to Log.
Here’s what you get:
- A solid list of log curves to choose from
- No separate controls for color space and gamma (yet)
- No linear option… but kind of
Let me explain that last point.
How to Work in Linear (With a Twist)
At first glance, it seems like there’s no way to get true linear out of the RAW to Log dropdown. But there’s a workaround.
Select “None” under RAW to Log. That technically gives you linear data, and from there, you can build a CST (Color Space Transform) pipeline using:
- Input Gamma: Linear
- Input Color Space: ASUS AP1
ASUS AP1 works because it’s built to contain any camera’s primaries without clipping. From there, you can output into something like Arri Wide Gamut + Log C3 or whatever flavor of log you prefer. Add a final CST to convert to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4 and you’re done.
I tested this with stills, and the data matched what I got from Resolve’s own Wide Gamut color management—just proves the technique works.
A Few Missing Features
Let’s talk about what’s not here yet.
No Tint Control
You can’t adjust tint. Which is… weird. So if your footage leans green or magenta, your best bet is to use a single node and dial in offset to clean it up. Hopefully we get a real tint slider soon.
Limited Exposure Adjustments
You’re given an Exposure Bias slider and ISO control. But changing ISO in post isn’t like changing ISO in-camera. It functions more like an exposure slider in Lightroom—meaning the noise stays the same even if you bring exposure down. Don’t expect miracles here.
What About Color Management?
I’m still using DaVinci YRGB Color Managed with the timeline set to HDR DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate, and output set to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4 for YouTube.
If you’re coming from my older workflows—especially the ones where we converted ProRes RAW to CinemaDNG and used CIE XYZ for input—you’ll be happy to know that luminance values are basically identical in this new native support. The only real difference? Color temperature shifts, likely caused by third-party RAW converters.
Black Bars on Import? Don’t Panic
When you drop your ProRes RAW clips onto the timeline, you might notice black bars and weird edge coloring in the preview. Ignore them. The second you hit play, it resolves itself and your clip will display correctly. No need to scale or transform anything manually.
It seems to be tied to how ProRes RAW captures 1:1 sensor data, and that slight mismatch gets cleaned up on playback.
My Current Color Grading Flow for ProRes RAW
Since Resolve now decodes the RAW itself, my new process is more streamlined:
- Set contrast using Lift, Gamma, and Gain
I use a parallel node tree and dial in exposure with each wheel separately. - Boost cinematic saturation using color density tricks
I still use my triple-node method for saturation and color richness. (Linked video in the description if you need it.) - Final output in Rec.709 Gamma 2.4
You get a clean, cinematic image without the gymnastics we used to do with external converters and workarounds.
Why This Update Is a Big Deal
This isn’t just a codec update. It’s a shift in industry accessibility.
When I first made a tutorial on converting ProRes RAW to CinemaDNG, there were only about 30 cameras that supported ProRes RAW via Atomos recorders. Today, that number is over 70. And the best part? A lot of those are consumer-level cameras.
ProRes RAW is a true RAW format, meaning 12-bit, non-debayered sensor data, giving creators the same flexibility you’d expect from high-end cinema cameras. It levels the playing field.
The Backstory: Why It Took So Long
You might think the holdup was Apple vs. Blackmagic. But the real tension was likely between Blackmagic Design and Atomos. Both companies had RAW formats and external recorders, and there was no incentive for Resolve to support a competing format—until now.
Add to that the legal shadow cast by RED’s internal RAW patent, and you see why ProRes RAW was limited to external recording. That may change soon. Now that Nikon owns RED, and Nikon previously argued the patent shouldn’t exist, it’s possible that internal ProRes RAW recording might become a reality.
We’ll see.
Two Tips for Shooting ProRes RAW
- Monitor in PQ
This gives you the most accurate preview from camera to NLE. - Protect Your Highlights
Use false color or zebras. RAW video holds shadows well, but once highlights are blown, they’re gone for good.
Let your lamp or background light clip a bit if it’s intentional, but don’t lose critical skin tone or texture data.
Final Thoughts
I’ve waited a long time to say this: ProRes RAW is finally here in DaVinci Resolve. No more conversions. No more hacks. Just clean, raw image data ready to be shaped and molded inside the best color grading software on the market.
So whether you’re working with a Z CAM, a Sony FX3, or any of the dozens of cameras now supported, you can finally start creating in a way that puts image quality first.
I’m hyped to see what you all create with this.
Keep Climbing,
Sidney Baker-Green
