We have known for a while that Apple is moving its operating system to support only 64-bit applications. But, a little-known aspect to this that affects filmmakers are that 32-bit media codecs will also stop working.
Not today, but “soon.” Which means that if you have media stored in one of these legacy codecs, you need to think about converting it into something more current.
Earlier this week, Adobe formally announced that it “will no longer support legacy QuickTime 7 era formats and codecs starting from the following product versions:
Affected codecs include:
Read the complete statement from Adobe here.
In my conversations with the Premiere team at Adobe, I learned that converting older files into Apple ProRes 422 (on the Mac) and/or GoPro Cineform (on Windows) would be excellent codecs that protect your assets into the future. While no codec lasts forever, ProRes and Cineform are already 64-bit and actively supported by Apple, GoPro and other developers.
Adobe continues: “Professional codecs typically found in QuickTime movie files, such as ProRes, DNxHD, and Animation, are not affected by this change.”
Keep in mind, it is MUCH easier to convert older codecs now – while the operating system and applications support them, than to wait.
I have contacted Apple to see if other codecs are affected or if their current software will continue to support QuickTime 7 codecs. If I learn more, I’ll update this article.
15 Responses to Important: Adobe Warns QuickTime 7 Codecs No Longer Supported
Thanks for reporting this, Larry. The Adobe announcement reads as highly technical to me — your report is a little simpler — but I am still struggling with the real-world meaning of these pronouncements. I have PR CC timelines in CC “2013” (the first CC) and CC 2014. I _think_ the timelines exist in ProRes 422. I _think_ this means they will not be “obsoleted” by Apple. I was also working in FCP7. Can you mention any real-world types or descriptions of files that may be made inaccessible by Apple? Many thanks.
Robert:
Premiere and FCP X projects/libraries are safe. (FCP 7, however, will not work at all. Anything you need to save needs to be exported as an XML file using FCP 7.
ProRes files are safe.
This warning means early codecs – such as those listed in the article – will not work. I’ve asked Apple for a more complete list of QuickTime codecs that are in jeopardy, but have not had a response yet.
Larry
Hi Larry,
You says “Cineform are already 64-bit and actively supported by Apple” but on this page (https://support.apple.com/en-md/HT209000), Apple says cineform is a “legacy CODEC”… i thought legacy are only 32 bit codec ??? Have you an explanation ?
Gosset:
VERY interesting. When I wrote this article, Apple had not published their KnowledgeBase article. I’ve been asking Apple for this list for the last year. This is the first time they labeled GoPro Cineform and the DNx family from Avid as “legacy.”
When I chatted with the GoPro Cineform folks a while back, they told me it was 64-bit. I’ll do more homework to see what I can learn.
Thanks,
Larry
Hi Larry,
I look forward to seeing which codec you suggest we use on PCs moving ahead. At your suggestion we have been using Cineform for a while now. Should we switch and if so what should we use?
I certainly prefer an option which will let us go cross platform when needed. Is this just forcing a bigger divide between Apple and Windows?
Thanks!
Michele:
All good questions – I’m trying to find out more definitive answers. Hopefully, by the end of the week.
Larry
Any updates on this?
Is ProRes 4444XQ the best to use for cross platform and support of Alpha channels?
Christopher:
My first choice is ProRes 4444, which support 12-bit depth files and alpha channels. I’d only use ProRes 4444 XQ if you were working with HDR media.
Larry
still confused.
I used FC 7 to edit and export Quicktime files in the following formats:
DV 25
HDV
XDCAM EX
Are my exports going to be un-readable by the next Mac OS and FC 10?
Dave:
Maybe. FCP 7 doesn’t run in Mojave and definitely won’t run in whatever comes next.
QuickTime Player 7 runs in Mojave, but won’t run in what comes next. QuickTime Player (X) runs now and in the future.
DV 25 runs now and in the future.
XDCAM EX runs now and in the future.
The question is HDV. Some versions yes, some versions no. The safest thing to do is start exporting to ProRes 422 from FCP 7, then convert any HDV masters to ProRes 422 using Compressor. Or, you can bring one of your HDV files to a system running the latest version of Mojave and Compressor and open it in Compressor. If you see an error message, you’ll need to convert your media OR don’t upgrade to the next version of macOS.
Larry
Thanks for all you do Larry!
Here we are ub 2020, and I’m trying to finish a near-dead-on-the-vine Doc that has reems of HDV footage (that was captured back in 2008-10 in FCP, to ProRes 422) that I can no longer reconnect to in Premiere. I’m running OSX 10.12, and (unfortunately) have Premiere 13.1.5 installed.
I’m happy to either downgrade to CC 2018 either to finish the piece, or to transcode the footage into something more modern. But I can’t do that because the Creative Cloud Desktop app no longer supports installing older versions it seems ( though i have found little discussion about this online)
I’m first of all shocked that my ProRes files are not recognized by Adobe CC, as ProRes is technically still supported according to Adobe.
Kinda screwed at the moment!
All the best in 2020 🙂
David
David:
ProRes in all flavors is still supported in Catalina as well as earlier version of the macOS. Time to call Adobe Support to get this resolved.
This is a Premiere issue, not an OS issue.
Larry
Thank you Larry!
Fast forward to 2021. I created a short video to my kid’s 21st. That was 7 years ago. I tried to update it recently with no success. The video comprises hundreds of family video Shot over the years on 8 mm tape, Hi 8 tape, and mini DV. I digitised them and they are all in the original PAL Dv format. I also have about 100 hours of tape digitised that was not used. Imagine my dismay when I found that I could not revisit the project. I am using the latest version of premiere on an iMac running Big Sur and the links in Premier to all the DV files have disappeared. When I try to import them it tells me the codec is not supported.
I could re-digitise everything to another format – perhaps prores – which I will do as part of upgrading the archives, but revisiting the Premiere project is a nightmare. I would be very happy to get hold of an old computer running an old version of Premier I but this is not practical.
I’m not sure there are answers to this dilemma and I’m just having a bit of a rant, but any suggestions most welcome .
Greg:
This lack of support happened two years ago. I wrote about it extensively:
https://larryjordan.com/blog/important-dont-lose-access-to-older-media/
Your best option is to find a computer system running Mojave or earlier and convert your media to ProRes. At which point, you’ll be able to relink to it in Premiere.
Larry