This post from MiniTool MovieMaker (one of the best free video editing software) will give you a brief introduction to Apple ProRes and explains how to play Apple ProRes on PC.
What Is Apple ProRes
Before learning how to play Apple ProRes on PC, let’s first understand Apple ProRes files.
ProRes is a family of high-quality lossy video codecs developed by Apple. This video compression format is intended for use in video editing because of its flexibility, color grading performance, and high-quality compression.
In addition, ProRes is widely used by many cameras, such as Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, and now iPhone cameras, as this coding format minimizes file size while maintaining image quality. Apple ProRes videos are saved in MOV container format.
ProRes is supported by many Apple devices, such as iPhone 13, 14, and 15, and Mac with Mac OS X 10.6 and later. Therefore, you can easily play and edit ProRes files in supported apps on these devices, such as the Photos app, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, etc. But, how to play Apple ProRes on Windows 11/10? Please read on.
How to Play Apple ProRes on PC
When you try to open an Apple ProRes video using Movies & TV, Media Player, or Photos on Windows, you’ll be told that the video can’t be played because Windows doesn’t support the ProRes codec. So, how to play Apple ProRes on PC? Here are 2 solutions for you.
Way 1: Use MiniTool MovieMaker to Play Apple ProRes on Windows 11/10
MiniTool MovieMaker is a video editor without watermarks designed to help everyone edit and create high-quality videos with images, video clips, and music. It supports many popular video file types and codecs, such as MOV, MP4, MKV, Apple ProRes codecs, AV1, HEVC, H.264, and more. So, if you want a ProRes player for Windows, MiniTool MovieMaker is a good choice.
Use MiniTool MovieMaker for free on your PC and view your ProRes footage instantly without downloading ProRes codec for Windows 11/10.
Here’s how to Play Apple ProRes on Windows 11/10 PCs using MiniTool MovieMaker.
Step 1. Click the button below to download MiniTool MovieMaker.
MiniTool MovieMakerClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2. Open this app after installation and close the promotion window to enter the main interface.
Step 3. Click the Import Media Files button to import your ProRes video from your PC. Click the + icon on the clip or drag and drop it to the timeline. Then, click the Play button to start viewing the video. You can click the Full Screen icon to play the ProRes video on a larger screen.
Additionally, you can edit your ProRes videos in MiniTool MovieMaker. Trim, split, crop, rotate, flip, and reverse videos, add text, apply transitions and filters, adjust the clip’s color, spice up your videos with stickers, and more. Then, you can export your ProRes video to MP4, MOV, MKV, WMV, AVI, and other common video formats for easy sharing or playback on more media players.
Way 2: Convert Apple ProRes to MP4 H.264
Additionally, you can use a professional video converter to transcode Apple ProRes files to MP4 H.264 (MP4 files encoded using H.264 are currently the most widely accepted video format), WMV, and additional video formats supported by Windows 11/10 built-in media player.
MiniTool Video Converter is a free video converter without watermarks that enables you to convert ProRes, MXF, AV1, and many other files to MP4 and 1,000+ formats by customizing video/audio parameters. The app’s batch conversion feature lets you convert up to 5 files simultaneously.
Moreover, since ProRes files are up to 30 times larger than HEVC files, you can use MiniTool Video Converter to compress GBs of 8K/5K/4K ProRes videos into smaller sizes for storage and management.
MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1. Download, install, and open MiniTool Video Converter.
Step 2. Under the Video Convert tab, click the area saying Add or Drag file here to start conversion to import your ProRes video. Then, click the Edit icon in the Target box to open the output window.
Step 3. Go to the Video tab, select MP4, choose a preset, or click + Create Custom to create a custom MP4 format.
Step 4. Click the Convert button to start the Pros to MP4 conversion task.
Download ProRes codec for Windows 10
To help process video in the ProRes codec on Windows PCs, Apple has released Apple ProRes RAW for Windows 10. This codec is compatible with Windows 10 64-bit PCs.
Download Apple ProRes RAW for Windows 1.3: https://support.apple.com/en-us/106401
However, after installing this codec on Windows 10, you still cannot play ProRes videos using Movies & TV, Photos, Windows Media Player, etc. It only allows you to play ProRes files on Windows 10 64-bit PCs using the following applications:
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Media Encoder
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe Premiere Rush
Conclusion
If you want to play Apple ProRes on Windows 11/10, you don’t need to get Apple ProRes RAW for Windows 1.3. MiniTool MovieMaker can open ProRes videos without installing any codecs. This application also helps you edit ProRes videos. Also, use MiniTool Video Converter to convert ProRes for better compatibility.
To accommodate Windows users working with this format, Apple has released codecs that enables the playback of ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ video files on compatible Windows applications.
This software allows seamless integration of ProRes RAW files into various Windows-based video editing and post-production workflows.
The following Adobe applications are compatible with this playback software:
Adobe After Effects: For high-end visual effects and motion graphics.
Adobe Media Encoder: For efficient video encoding and transcoding.
Adobe Premiere Pro: A leading tool for video editing and content creation.
Adobe Premiere Rush: A streamlined, mobile-friendly video editing solution.
With Apple ProRes codecs, Windows users can now work more effectively with ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ videos, ensuring smooth playback and a robust editing experience.
With the release of the iPhone 12 Pro last year, Apple introduced a new image codec called Apple ProRAW for professional users who want to do more with their images. And this year, with the iPhone 13 Pro launch, the company has brought Apple ProRes codec for advanced video processing on computers. While MacBooks support both codecs, Windows computers didn’t have the required proprietary codecs to view these images and videos until recently. And now, with the latest iCloud for Windows update, Apple has introduced support for ProRAW and ProRes formats on Windows. Yes, you can now view Apple ProRAW and ProRes media files on your Windows 10 and 11 PCs. Here is how to go about it.
We have detailed how you can view Apple ProRAW and ProRes media files on Windows 10, 11, 7, and 8 in this article. Along with that, we have provided a brief explainer on what is Apple ProRAW and ProRes.
What is Apple ProRAW?
To bring pro-level photography on iPhone, Apple introduced ProRAW with iPhone 12 Pro. You can capture images in Apple ProRAW, along with other formats like HEIF and JPEG, on your iPhone.
Apple ProRAW stores image information in a 12-bit DNG file just like the standard RAW format that we have on DSLRs. In essence, the ProRAW format is not much different from the standard RAW format. The difference here is that Apple also stores information from its computational image processing such as Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, and Night mode.
So while editing the image, you will have much wider controls to tune the image according to your preference. You will be able to adjust exposure, color, dynamic range, and white balance with ease. Keep in mind that if you are shooting in Apple ProRAW, the DNG file size will be 10x more than JPEG or HEIF.
What is Apple ProRes?
Just like Apple ProRAW is for images, Apple ProRes is for videos. It’s a proprietary video codec developed by Apple that allows you to encode videos with a vast amount of information at reduced storage and supports video resolution up to 8K. If you want to edit videos in post-production, you should shoot videos in Apple ProRes. Naturally, the file size will be much higher than your standard HEVC or MPEG media formats.
That’s why you need iPhone 13 Pro/ Pro Max with at least 256GB of storage to take advantage of Apple ProRes at 4K 30FPS. The best part about Apple ProRes is that it’s not only faster at encoding but can decode videos at the same speed, which is a primary issue with other video codecs. To sum up, if you are someone who wants to shoot professional-looking videos on your iPhone, Apple ProRes will let you edit videos in post-production with much wider controls.
Open Apple ProRAW and ProRes Media Files on Windows 10/ 11
1. First of all, open the Microsoft Store and search for iCloud. You can also directly install the iCloud app (Free) from the link here.
2. If you are already using the iCloud app, make sure to update it from the Microsoft Store. Windows 7 and 8 users can also download the offline setup file directly from here.
3. Next, open the iCloud app and sign in with your Apple ID. This step will automatically install the codecs required to view Apple ProRAW and ProRes images and videos on your Windows 11/ 10 PC.
4. To give you all an example, I am able to view an Apple ProRAW image on my Windows 11 computer without requiring any image or video extension. So that is how you can view Apple ProRAW and ProRes media files on Windows 10, 11, and older versions like Windows 7 and 8 with ease.
5. If you are still unable to view Apple ProRAW and ProRes media files, go ahead and install the RAW Image extension (Free) by Microsoft. That should fix the issue.
Access Original Apple ProRAW and ProRes Files on Windows PC
So that is how you can view DNG and MOV files encoded with Apple ProRAW and ProRes codes on your Windows computers. In my brief testing, Windows 11 and 10 already had the required extension to open the ProRAW images using the native Microsoft Photos app. However, ProRes videos were not working, but they started playing through the QuickTime player once we installed the latest iCloud app. Anyway, that is all from us. If you want to open HEIC, HEIF, and HEVC files on Windows 10, follow our linked guide. And if you have any questions, let us know in the comments section below.
Apple has announced a beta software download to enable Apple ProRes Raw and ProRes RAW HQ compatibility on Adobe Windows systems.
ProRes RAW now on Windows. Image credit: cinema5D
Apple states the beta software will playback in Compatible Applications, listing the below Adobe programs:
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Media Encoder
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe Premiere Rush
Download the Apple ProRes RAW for Windows 1.0 (Beta) here
A Brief History of ProRes RAW
Apple announced ProRes RAW some two years ago now, with the roll-out for compatibility being a little…. slow.
It wasn’t until September 2019 that Adobe added ProRes RAW as standardized formats to their OS software packages. And now, two years on from the birth of ProRes RAW we are only just seeing beta patches for Windows.
Aside from the odd DJI drone, little other camera manufacture has natively taken the workflow on. Atomos has been the frontier for the format, offering a handful of recorders compatible with the ProRes RAW.
It does seem an appropriate pairing for now– well-integrated third party recording hardware that can work with cameras that don’t have their own raw workflow in place.
It is not raw as some people will be used to – you cannot change values of white balance and exposure index like you can with the likes of ARRIRAW or RED R3D (why so many capital letters?!).
But what it does do store metadata of camera information whilst expand the bandwidth of your recording. The full white paper on Apple ProRes RAW can be found here.
Past ProRes RAW Coverage
In case you missed some of our past coverage of ProRes RAW, here you go:
Why Atomos ProRes RAW Recording for Nikon Z 7 and Z 6 Could Change our Industry
ProRes RAW Explained – Plus Footage (video interview with Atomos CEO Jeromy Young)
Atomos Shogun 7 Announced – 5.7K ProRes RAW, Live Switching, 1500nit HDR Recorder & Monitor
Atomos Ninja V – 5″ ProRes RAW Recorder
Panasonic EVA1 Firmware 2.0 Enables All-I Codecs, RAW, Atomos Adds EVA1 RAW Compatibility
Are you using ProRes RAW already? Let us know in the comments below.
apple
prores
raw
video
codec
windows
Apple ProRes RAW for Windows is a codec that enables RAW video playback in applications on Windows computers. It allows working with ProRes RAW files natively in Windows without transcoding.
What is Apple ProRes RAW for Windows?
Apple ProRes RAW for Windows is a video codec developed by Apple that enables playback and editing of ProRes RAW footage on Windows computers. It removes the need to transcode ProRes RAW files to other formats before being able to work with them in Windows applications.
By installing Apple ProRes RAW for Windows, video editors and producers using Windows machines can edit ProRes RAW files natively in supporting applications just like they would on macOS. This improves performance and quality as there is no loss of data from transcoding the files.
Some key benefits of Apple ProRes RAW for Windows include:
- Playback of ProRes RAW video files in supported Windows applications without the need to transcode.
- Faster performance by eliminating transcode times.
- Higher quality by editing pixels in their raw state before being processed into a deliverable format.
- More flexible workflows for post-production by enabling seamless collaboration between macOS and Windows.
Overall, Apple ProRes RAW support in Windows closes a major gap that previously existed in cross-platform post-production workflows. It enables the full power of the ProRes RAW format to be leveraged by creators on both major desktop operating systems.
Apple ProRes RAW for Windows Features
Features
- Enables playback of ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ video files in compatible applications on Windows machines
- Supports export of ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ video files from compatible applications on Windows
- Leverages the GPU for real-time playback performance and fast export
- Maintains full sensor image data throughout the workflow
- Provides higher image quality than compressed formats
- Compatible with Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects
- Supported on Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later
Pros
No transcoding needed for ProRes RAW workflow on Windows
GPU acceleration provides smooth playback and fast export
Higher dynamic range and color detail than compressed formats
More flexibility in post-production grading and adjustments
Seamless collaboration between Mac and Windows
Cons
Requires powerful GPU for best performance
Large file sizes compared to compressed formats
Limited native support in applications currently
Windows version lags behind Mac version in updates
Potential compatibility issues with some systems
Official Links
The Best Apple ProRes RAW for Windows Alternatives
Top
Video & Movies
and
Video Codecs
and other similar apps like Apple ProRes RAW for Windows
FFmpeg
FFmpeg is a powerful and versatile command line tool for handling multimedia files. It can record, convert and stream audio and video in numerous formats and codecs. Some key features of FFmpeg include:Recording audio and video from various input sources like webcams, microphones, TV tuners etc.Transcoding media files between various…
Voukoder
Voukoder is a powerful and versatile open-source video encoding application. It supports encoding videos into modern and efficient codecs like H.264, HEVC, VP9 and AV1 utilizing hardware acceleration via NVIDIA NVENC or AMD AMF as well as software encoding with x264 and x265.One of the main goals of Voukoder is…
AfterCodecs
AfterCodecs is a plugin developed by Autokroma for increasing the video codec support in Adobe video editing applications like Premiere Pro, Media Encoder and After Effects. It allows importing and exporting media in various professional codecs that are not natively supported by Adobe software.Some of the key features of AfterCodecs…
Autokroma Influx
Autokroma Influx is a professional video transcoding application that provides advanced features for efficiently converting video files into various formats and quality levels. It is designed to help video professionals, creative agencies, video production companies, online video platforms, and other media organizations automate their video transcoding workflows.Some key features of…
