Lightworks handles a wide range of media, from phone footage to camera raw. This article covers the format landscape and the technical settings that govern how media is decoded and displayed - and which of them depend on your licence.
Cameras and codecs
Common delivery and acquisition codecs - H.264, H.265, AV1, ProRes, Cineform, DNx - are supported for import, with the exact codec list for export depending on your licence tier (the base tier exports AV1 and H.264; higher tiers add H.265, ProRes, Cineform, Uncompressed, and others). DNxHD requires a separate licence.
Camera raw formats are first-class citizens:
- RED R3D - with configurable R3D decoding (Pro), so you can balance quality against playback performance and adjust raw settings per clip.
- Blackmagic RAW - with configurable BRAW clip settings (Pro).
- Apple ProRes is supported natively.
Numbered image sequences import as clips and export as a delivery format (see Professional delivery).
Resolutions and frame rates
Projects and sequences run at the resolutions and frame rates your licence provides, up to 8K on the top tier - note that 8K export is available with ProRes, Cineform, Avid DNxHR, AV1, H.265, and image sequences. Mixed frame-rate material can be used together; see Sequences and timelines for how sequences handle rate.
Variable frame rate media
Phone and screen-recorder footage is often variable frame rate (VFR), which can drift out of sync against a fixed-rate timeline. The project setting Apply VFR correction compensates, keeping audio and video locked. If imported phone footage drifts, check this setting first (see Project settings reference).
Colour spaces and precision
- Colour spaces - Rec. 601/709 everywhere; higher tiers add Rec. 2020, PQ and HLG (HDR), P3, and ACES2065-1 for wide-gamut and HDR pipelines.
- GPU Precision - on the output page of the project settings, choose 8-bit or 16-bit processing. Rendering at 8-bit is faster; switch to 16-bit for high-quality finishing so grades and effects render without banding.
- 10-bit media - decode support is standard; 10-bit encode on export is tier-dependent.
Where the technical settings live
- Project settings, video page - playback media quality, VFR correction.
- Project settings, output page - GPU precision.
- Clip-level raw settings - R3D and BRAW decode settings on the clip.
- Export panel - delivery codec, resolution, and rate per export (see Export overview).
Tip: Edit first, finesse later: cut with fast, friendly settings (proxies, 8-bit), then switch to full quality - original media, 16-bit precision - for grading and export. See Performance optimisation.