RAW acquisition on RED cameras — uncompressed sensor data, full color correction latitude in post. Foundation for DCI and premium delivery.
When shooting with RED cameras, you're essentially packing raw data onto the memory card — and that's exactly what a Red Record is. The sensor captures every photon, and the processor doesn't apply any filtering, compression, or color space decisions over it. You get the pure information before any camera menu or codec has damaged it. This is the fundamental difference to H.264 or ProRes: you're not stuck in the edit with a compromised image — you make the color decisions later, in grading.
Practically, this means: A Red Record requires RED Rocket hardware for playback, or you use REDCINE-X Pro for debayer conversion. The raw sensor delivers Bayer pattern data — each pixel is either red, green, or blue. In debayering, the full-color image is reconstructed, and that's precisely where the magic happens. You can adjust Kelvin, tint, lift, gamma, and saturation in real-time, without any loss of quality. If the gaffer underestimated the lighting on set — no problem. You can lift the shadows by two stops, and the highlights still hold. Promises? Limited, but greater than with any other format.
The file sizes are substantial. A RED Komodo shooting 6K REDCODE quickly racks up 2–4 TB per shooting day — depending on resolution and codec depth. REDCODE itself is lossy, but only to a degree that the 12K color sampling and the human eye don't register. You save storage space while retaining grading flexibility. Professionals differentiate between 8K, 6K, 4K Red Records, depending on project requirements — and budget.
In the workflow: Red Records go directly to the DIT cart, are verified, and mirrored to backup drives. In the edit, the editor links proxy files (often ProRes Proxy, 1/4 the original size) — offline editing flows smoothly in Final Cut or Premiere. For online conform, you need the original Red files again, and this is where the quality pays off. Color corrections made during grading give you leeway for final calibration in DCP mastering.
Warning: Red Records are not plug-and-play. You need storage infrastructure, DIT expertise, and a post-workflow with RED tools. For TV and smaller productions, this can be overkill. But for feature films, high-end series, commercials with extreme grading freedom — Red Record has become the standard because it delivers what the eye demands in the final format.