Export - Deliverables.
Master first, copies second. You make one top-quality file once, and every delivery version comes from it. Never the other way round. The module shows each decision that gets a film onto a phone, a TV channel or a cinema screen intact.
An aspect ratio is a division
16:9 is 1.78, scope 2.39, a phone's full screen 0.5625. Resolution says nothing about shape: 1920 × 1080 and 3840 × 2160 are both 16:9.
A 9:16 taken from a 16:9 keeps only 32% of the picture. Here the face crosses the frame: a fixed centre crop loses it for part of the shot. Either you shoot wide with the vertical area protected, or you shoot twice, or you accept a very tight crop.
Compose in the widest format of the delivery, protect the others with guides, and derive them in the edit. Cropping is never decided at export: it's a directing choice.
Glossary
- Master
- The top-quality file every delivery version comes from, usually ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQX. It is never delivered for broadcast.
- Deliverable
- A file handed to a client, a platform or a channel, matching its spec sheet. One film often has several.
- Aspect ratio
- Width divided by height: 16:9 is 1.78, scope 2.39, vertical 9:16 is 0.5625. Resolution doesn't tell you: 1920 × 1080 and 3840 × 2160 are both 16:9.
- Resolution
- The number of pixels across and down: 1920 × 1080 for Full HD, 3840 × 2160 for UHD. Scaling up creates no detail: master at the highest resolution of the delivery.
- UHD, 4K DCI
- Two formats both called “4K”. TV UHD is 3840 × 2160, in 16:9. Cinema 4K DCI is 4096 × 2160, about 1.90:1.
- Pixel aspect ratio
- The shape of a pixel: 1.0 when it's square. HDV stores 1440 × 1080 with pixels 1.333 times wider than tall, displayed as 1920 × 1080. Read wrongly, everything is distorted.
- Safe area
- The margin that holds the action and the titles. On television, EBU R95: 93% of the picture for action, 90% for titles. On vertical video, the social apps' interface covers the top and bottom.
- Frame rate
- The number of frames per second: 24 in cinema, 25 for television and advertising in Europe, 23.976 and 29.97 in North America. It doesn't change speed, only how many photos are taken during the movement.
- Shutter speed
- How long each frame is exposed. The 180° rule: half the interval between two frames, so 1/48 s at 24 fps and 1/50 s at 25.
- Motion blur
- The streak left by something moving during the exposure. At 24 or 25 fps it gives the film look. At 50 fps and 1/100 s almost everything is sharp: the look of sport and live TV.
- Reinterpret
- Playing the same frames at another frame rate. Nothing is dropped, but the duration changes, and the sound with it: from 24 to 25 fps the film speeds up by 4% and rises by about 0.7 of a semitone.
- Convert
- Changing frame rate while keeping the duration: frames are repeated, dropped or made up by interpolation. Once only, and from the master.
- Interlaced, progressive
- An interlaced frame is made of two fields, even lines and odd lines, captured at two moments. The 1080i25 of French channels has 50 fields per second. The web wants progressive.
- Timecode
- The address of every frame: hours, minutes, seconds, frames. 10:00:00:00 often marks the first frame of the programme in a broadcast file.
- Drop frame
- The compensated timecode of 29.97. It skips two numbers a minute, except every tenth minute, to stay on time. It skips numbers, never frames. You recognise it by the semicolon: 00:59:59;29.
- Codec
- How the picture or sound is compressed: H.264, H.265, ProRes, XDCAM, VP9. It's what sets quality and file size.
- Container
- The envelope that holds picture, sound and metadata together: .mp4, .mov, .mxf, .webm. A .mov says nothing about quality: it all depends on the codec inside.
- Intra, long GOP
- An intra codec compresses each frame on its own, in full: heavy but smooth to edit, like ProRes. A long-GOP codec stores one full frame, then only what changes: light, made for delivery, like H.264.
- Bitrate
- The amount of data per second, in megabits per second (Mb/s). File size follows: bitrate × duration ÷ 8. 8 Mb/s for 30 s makes 30 MB.
- VBR, CBR
- With variable bitrate (VBR), the encoder spends more on hard shots. With constant bitrate (CBR), it spends the same everywhere: some broadcasters require it.
- Chroma subsampling
- Colour stored for a group of pixels rather than for each one, because the eye sees light better than colour. 4:4:4: every pixel. 4:2:2: two pixels on a line. 4:2:0: a square of four.
- Bit depth
- The number of levels per channel: 256 in 8-bit, 1024 in 10-bit. You can't see the gap on delivery, you see it in grading: a dark gradient breaks into steps.
- Generation
- One more encode. Each generation adds its flaws to those of the one before, and they never come off. Every version comes from the master, in parallel.
- Alpha channel
- The transparency of an image. ProRes 4444, DNxHR 444, PNG or EXR sequences, and VP9 on the web keep it. H.264 can't carry it.
- Colour tags
- The metadata that tell the player how to display the picture: primaries, transfer curve, matrix. BT.709 is written 1-1-1. On a Mac, QuickTime displays it with a gamma close to 1.96 instead of 2.4: the picture looks washed out.
- Loudness
- The volume perceived over time, measured in LUFS (or LKFS, which measures the same thing). A mix is delivered at a target loudness, no longer at a peak.
- LU
- The gap between two loudness readings. A mix at -18 LUFS is 5 LU too loud for a -23 target.
- True peak
- The highest level of the signal once reconstructed, between samples, in dBTP. Spec sheets set a ceiling: -1 dBTP for EBU R128, often -3 for French channels, -2 for Netflix.
- EBU R128
- The European recommendation: -23 LUFS, usually within ±0.5 LU. The United States uses ATSC A/85: -24 LKFS. Netflix measures dialogue only: -27 LKFS.
- Normalisation
- What YouTube, Spotify and social apps do: they turn down anything above their target, around -14 LUFS. A mix crushed to be loud is turned down like the rest, and all it has left is its lost dynamics.
- Broadcast file (PAD)
- The ready-to-air file delivered to a channel (“prêt à diffuser” in France). In France: MXF OP1a AS-10 profile, XDCAM HD422 50 Mb/s at 1080i25, eight audio tracks, following the CST RT-040 recommendation and then the channel's spec sheet. It goes through a technical check.
- DCP
- Digital Cinema Package: the package delivered to a cinema. JPEG 2000 picture in .mxf files, sound, an XML index. Often encrypted: a key (KDM) opens it for one projector and set dates.
- IMF
- Interoperable Master Format: the platforms' master package, holding picture, audio, subtitles and versions in a single set.
- Flash test
- An automated check for flashing, which is dangerous for people with photosensitive epilepsy. The rule: no more than three flashes per second over more than a quarter of the screen (Ofcom, ITU-R BT.1702). The Harding test measures it.
Codecs
H.264 in .mp4. Web delivery. Plays everywhere, even on old machines. The default choice.
H.265 in .mp4. About half the size at equal quality, with patchier compatibility.
ProRes 422 HQ in .mov. The working master. The source of every other export. It is never delivered for broadcast.
ProRes 4444 in .mov. Keeps the alpha channel, with no chroma subsampling. The usual choice for graphics packages.
XDCAM HD422 in .mxf. The broadcast-ready file for French TV channels (MXF OP1a, AS-10 profile, CST RT-040 recommendation).
VP9 in .webm. Loops and graphics for the web. VP9 can carry alpha.
Loudness targets
European TV, -23 LUFS. -1 dBTP (EBU R128). French channels often ask for -3 dBTP: the broadcaster's spec sheet has the last word. Normalised on loudness, not on peak. Anything outside the tolerance sends the file back.
US TV, -24 LKFS. -2 dBTP (ATSC A/85). Same principle as in Europe, with a different target. LKFS and LUFS measure the same thing.
Netflix, -27 LKFS. -2 dBTP. Measured on dialogue only. Only the dialogue is measured: music and effects can go up without counting.
YouTube, Spotify, ≈ -14 LUFS. -1 dBTP recommended. The platform turns down anything louder than its target. A quieter mix is played as is, or barely raised: it will sound lower than its neighbours.
Instagram, TikTok, ≈ -14 LUFS. -1 dBTP recommended. No official figure is published. Independent measurements land around -14 LUFS. Aim for it and check on a phone.
One file per destination
Working master · ProRes 422 HQ. Container : .mov · Codec : ProRes 422 HQ (or DNxHR HQX) · Resolution : The highest of the deliverables · Frame rate : The spec sheet's, otherwise the shooting rate · Sound : PCM 48 kHz, 24-bit. The source of every other export. It is never delivered. You keep it, but it is not an archive.
With transparency · ProRes 4444. Container : .mov · Codec : ProRes 4444, DNxHR 444, or a PNG or EXR sequence · Alpha : Kept, with no chroma subsampling · Sound : Often none. The usual choice for graphics, a title or an animated logo laid over another film.
Archive · EXR or DPX sequence. Format : .exr or .dpx sequence · Bit depth : 16 or 32-bit · Along with : The project, the sources, the fonts, the licences. A compressed master is not an archive. When someone asks for a fix three months later, what they are really asking is whether you kept the master.
YouTube · H.264 · 8 Mb/s at 1080p. Container : .mp4, with Fast Start · Codec : H.264 High Profile, progressive, 4:2:0, variable bitrate · Keyframes : Closed GOP of half the frame rate, 2 B-frames · Bitrate : 8 Mb/s at 1080p, 35 to 45 at 4K (more at 50 or 60 fps) · Colour : BT.709, tagged 1-1-1 · Sound : AAC-LC 48 kHz, 384 kb/s stereo. Figures published by YouTube. Upload at the shooting frame rate: the platform won't convert it any better than you.
Instagram, TikTok, Shorts · H.264 · 1080 × 1920. Container : .mp4 · Codec : H.264, 4:2:0 · Resolution : 1080 × 1920 · Sound : AAC 48 kHz, stereo · Bitrate : No official figure published. Every platform re-encodes. Upload a clean file, not an over-compressed one, and keep text clear of the interface areas (Frames tab).
French TV, broadcast-ready · MXF · XDCAM HD422. Container : .mxf OP1a, AS-10 profile · Codec : XDCAM HD422, MPEG-2 4:2:2, 50 Mb/s · Picture : 1920 × 1080 interlaced, 25 frames (50 fields) · Sound : 8 PCM tracks 48 kHz, -23 LUFS · Leader : Bars, 1 kHz tone, first frame at 10:00:00:00 · Reference : CST RT-040, then the channel's spec sheet. A contractual file, not an export. It goes through a technical check before being accepted, and the slightest difference from the spec sheet sends it back. For an advert, clearance from the ARPP (the French advertising regulator) is also required.
Streaming platform, Netflix-style · IMF · SDR and HDR. Package : IMF: picture, audio, subtitles and metadata · Picture : Lightly compressed master, SDR and HDR versions · Sound : -27 LKFS on dialogue, ±2 LU, peak -2 dBTP · QC : Automated, full viewing, flash test. The specs change several times a year. Ask for the current version before grading, not before delivery.
Cinema · DCP. Package : A folder: picture .mxf, sound .mxf, XML index · Picture : 12-bit JPEG 2000, in XYZ · 2K container : 2048 × 1080 (4K: 4096 × 2160) · Sound : 24-bit PCM, 48 kHz, fixed channel order · Encrypted : Key (KDM) valid for one projector and set dates. A DCP is not an export, it's a package. A key requested the day before is a screening that won't happen.
Silent loop · H.264 or VP9. Container : .mp4 or .webm · Codec : H.264 or VP9 · Sound : No track. Remove the audio track rather than turning it down to zero: a silent track adds weight for nothing, and a video with no audio track autoplays everywhere, even if you forget to mark it as muted.
The eight checks
The first and last frames. A stray black frame, a flash, one frame too many. The most common and most visible fault.
The sound. Level, mono or stereo, a click at the start, silence at the end. Listen on headphones and without.
The edges. Transparent pixels on one side, uneven vignetting, text too close to the edge. Check the safe areas.
The text. Typos, widows, weak contrast, a missing legal line. Have someone else proofread.
Format and frame rate. Resolution, frame rate, pixel aspect ratio. An export at 24 instead of 25 doesn't show at first, but it shows.
The exact duration. A thirty-second advert lasts thirty seconds, not thirty seconds and two frames.
The file name. Project, version, date, format. No spaces, no accents. It's the first thing the client will see.
Another screen. Watch the film on a phone and on an uncalibrated screen. That's where blacks crush and text disappears.
Sources: the course pack Du brief au master (Xavier Reyé, 2026), pages 108 to 115 · YouTube recommended upload encoding settings · EBU R95 (safe areas) and EBU R128 (loudness) · ATSC A/85 · CST RT-040 (French broadcast-ready files) · Netflix delivery specifications · Ofcom and ITU-R BT.1702 (flashing images) · Meta ad safe zones. Checked in November 2026. Music: Stars as my guide, Xavier Reyé.
Ten questions: three formats to recognise, seven on frame rates, compression, sound and deliverables.
