Parallel Media Encoder Parallel Media Encoder
New · ARRI workflow support

Transcode ARRIRAW & ARRI HDE to ProRes on Mac

Decoded by the official ARRI Image SDK. Full LogC3 and LogC4 color, embedded ARRI looks applied on the fly, and every metadata field preserved.

Download Free See accuracy proof

Requires macOS 14.5 or later. Apple Silicon required.

ALEXA 35 · ALEXA Mini LF · MXF · LogC3 · LogC4 · ARRI looks
ARRI Sources
ARRIRAW
Uncompressed Bayer · ALEXA 35 · Mini LF
.MXF
ARRI HDE
Lossless, roughly 50% smaller than ARRIRAW
.MXF
ARRICORE
JPEG XS pre-debayered intermediate
.MXF
Decode
Debayer
Color
Encode
Output Codecs
Apple ProRes
Proxy · LT · 422 · HQ · 4444 · 4444 XQ
Pro
H.265 / HEVC
Main10 · Main10 4:2:2 · HDR pass-through
Pro
DNxHR / DNxHD
LB · SQ · HQ · HQX · 444
Pro

Every ARRI field, read straight from the clip

Drop an ARRI MXF on PME and the Camera RAW panel populates from the file itself: sensor, resolution, bit depth, color space, essence type, default EI, embedded look, look file, and look target. No probing, no guessing.

Decode controls: As Shot or Custom, with Native LogC pass-through, embedded look toggle, EI override, color temp, and tint.
ARRI ALF support: ALF-2 and ALF-4 embedded looks detected and applied, with the look target shown so you know what the DP intended.
Sensor & codec identified: ALEV III A2X, AWG3/LogC3, ARRIRAW essence, 12-bit, 4448×2346. Exactly what the camera recorded.
Parallel Media Encoder Camera RAW panel showing an ARRI ALEXA Mini LF ARRIRAW clip with full metadata and color controls

Built for every ALEXA

ARRI MXF files from the modern ALEXA 35 and Mini LF through the older Mini, SXT/XT, LF, and 65, all read through the official ARRI Image SDK.

Camera Container Codec Resolution Supported
ARRI ALEXA 35 MXF ARRIRAW / ARRI HDE Up to 4.6K · EI 160 to 6400
ARRI ALEXA Mini LF MXF ARRIRAW / ARRI HDE Up to 4.5K LF · EI 160 to 3200
ARRI ALEXA LF / 65 MXF ARRIRAW / ARRI HDE Up to 4.5K LF / 6.5K Open Gate
ARRI ALEXA Mini MXF ARRIRAW Up to 3.4K Open Gate
ARRI AMIRA MXF ProRes (also handled by PME) Up to 3.2K
ARRI ALEXA SXT / XT MXF ARRIRAW Up to 4K

AMIRA records ProRes natively and is handled through PME's standard ProRes path. Exposure-index range and frame-rate metadata are preserved end to end.

ARRIRAW, ARRI HDE, and ARRICORE: what's the difference?

Three flavors of ARRI essence, each a different trade between disk footprint and decode speed. PME handles all three the same way you'd want it to.

ARRIRAW

Uncompressed Bayer sensor data, straight from the ALEXA. The largest files on disk and the most flexibility in post, with full grading latitude and every photon as captured.

Best for: feature finishing, VFX hand-off, anything that may be regraded.

ARRI HDE

High-Density Encoding: a lossless wavelet compression of ARRIRAW developed with Codex. Roughly half the file size with no image-data loss, identical color science to uncompressed ARRIRAW.

Best for: most modern productions. Same quality, half the storage bill.

ARRICORE

ARRI's newer JPEG XS-based pre-debayered intermediate. Smaller and faster to decode than ARRIRAW, with debayer locked in at record time. The fastest of the three to transcode.

Best for: high-throughput dailies, episodic, anywhere speed matters.

Full LogC pipeline, every modern delivery space

LogC3 and LogC4 sources, eight target color spaces, optional embedded look application. Choose the deliverable; PME handles the math.

Source Color
LogC3 · AWG3

ALEXA Mini, SXT, classic ALEXA. The established log curve.

LogC4 · AWG4

ALEXA 35 and Mini LF. The new log curve with extended highlights.

+ ARRI ALF look (optional)

Apply the embedded on-set look during transcode, or leave it off to preserve grading flexibility.

Target Color Space
Rec.709

Standard HD broadcast / web delivery

Rec.2020 PQ

HDR10 mastering, 10-bit perceptual quantizer

Rec.2020 SDR

UHD SDR, wider gamut than Rec.709

Rec.2020 HLG

Hybrid Log-Gamma for broadcast HDR

P3 D65

Digital cinema and HDR display mastering

LogC3 / AWG3

Legacy ARRI log for ALEXA Mini / SXT

LogC4 / AWG4

New log for ALEXA 35 / Mini LF

Native LogC

Pass-through. Match the source exactly.

Debayer mode is configurable: ADA5 (default, highest quality), ADA7, or Proxy 4×4 for fast preview.

The accuracy claim

Matches the official ARRI Image SDK reference output within ±0.00025

PME's ARRI pipeline is built directly on the official ARRI Image SDK. Every frame PME decodes is verified against ARRI's own reference float TIFFs, and matches them within ±0.00025 on a 0 to 1 float scale, after U16 quantization. That's the same color science as ARRI's first-party tooling.

SDK

Official ARRI Image SDK

Not a reverse-engineered decoder. PME links directly against the same Image SDK ARRI ships to its partners. ARRIRAW, HDE, and ARRICORE all go through ARRI's own pipeline.

Debayer

ADA5 on Metal

The same ADA5 algorithm ARRI's first-party tools use, accelerated on the Apple Silicon Metal GPU. ADA7 and Proxy 4×4 modes are also available when you need them.

Verification

Frame-level diff against reference

Every PME build is verified frame-by-frame against ARRI's shipped reference TIFFs. ±0.00025 is the threshold. Measured, not estimated.

Direct MXF essence reader, no QuickTime dependency

ARRIRAW MXFs can be very large, and standard Mac frameworks frequently choke when asked to interpret them. PME reads MXF essence directly, so previews scrub cleanly, files open without errors, and your encode doesn't stall halfway through a card.

Every ProRes flavor, picked for the job

Apple ProRes Proxy through 4444 XQ. Choose the bitrate and chroma that match what you're delivering.

Flavor Sampling Use case
ProRes Proxy 10-bit 4:2:2 Fast offline edit, dailies-to-edit pipelines
ProRes 422 LT 10-bit 4:2:2 Lower-bitrate broadcast deliverables
ProRes 422 10-bit 4:2:2 Standard online and master copies
ProRes 422 HQ 10-bit 4:2:2 Most common ARRI ProRes recording mode, the natural sibling for dailies
ProRes 4444 12-bit 4:4:4 VFX hand-off, finishing, alpha-channel deliverables
ProRes 4444 XQ 12-bit 4:4:4 Highest-bandwidth ProRes, for archival and master grades

ARRI footage is also encodable to H.264, H.265 (including Main10 4:2:2), and DNxHR/DNxHD if your delivery spec calls for them. See all encoding options.

70+ ARRI metadata fields preserved

Every reel name, scene, take, lens, look, and timecode value the camera wrote, read and carried into the output. Your dailies pipeline, edit, and DIT logs stay intact.

Reel name
Clip name
Scene
Take
Timecode
Edit rate
Frame count
Duration
Camera model
Camera serial
Sensor name
Software pkg
Exposure Index
Color temp
Tint
White balance
Lens model
Lens serial
Lens converter
Image flip / flop
Production
Company
Location
Season / Episode
ALF look name
ALF look file
Embedded look flag
User info
Ancillary device
Recording medium
Frameline file
Frameline names

…and roughly 40 more, including image-processing model, audio track layout, framelines, and processing flags. Everything ARRI writes, PME reads.

Free to preview. $39 to encode.

Try every ARRI feature on real footage before you pay. The encode path is the only thing behind the Pro line.

Free
$0
forever
  • Import ARRIRAW, ARRI HDE, ARRICORE
  • Preview and scrub in full quality
  • Read full metadata, including ALF looks
Pro · one-time
$39
unlocks the ARRI encode path
  • Encode to any ProRes / H.265 / DNxHR
  • All 8 target color spaces, optional ALF look
  • Watch folders, CLI, REST API, Shortcuts
Buy Pro · $39 one-time

ARRI transcoding FAQ

What ARRI cameras does Parallel Media Encoder support?
PME handles MXF files from the ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF, ALEXA LF, ALEXA 65, ALEXA Mini, and the older ALEXA SXT/XT series. AMIRA ProRes MXFs are also supported through the standard ProRes path. The full ARRI EI range (160 through 6400) is preserved on ALEXA 35 sources, and 160 through 3200 on Mini LF.
What is the difference between ARRIRAW, ARRI HDE, and ARRICORE?
ARRIRAW is uncompressed Bayer sensor data, with the largest files on disk and the most flexibility in post. ARRI HDE (High-Density Encoding) is a lossless wavelet compression of ARRIRAW developed with Codex; it cuts file size by roughly half with no loss of image data. ARRICORE is ARRI's newer JPEG XS pre-debayered intermediate, smaller again and faster to decode. PME handles all three via the official ARRI Image SDK.
Is PME's ARRI decode reference-accurate?
Yes. Within ±0.00025 (on a 0 to 1 float scale, after U16 quantization) of the ARRI Image SDK's own reference TIFFs. PME is built directly on the official ARRI Image SDK and runs the same ADA5 debayer that ARRI ships, accelerated on the Apple Silicon Metal GPU. If you need numbers a colorist can defend, this is the same color science as ARRI's first-party tooling.
Can I transcode ARRIRAW MXF files that hang or refuse to open on Mac?
Yes. PME uses a direct MXF essence reader for ARRI files and does not rely on QuickTime to interpret the container. That avoids the preview hangs and unreadable-file errors common when large ARRIRAW MXFs are opened through system frameworks. Your file plays, scrubs, and exports cleanly.
How does this compare to the ARRI Reference Tool?
The ARRI Reference Tool is the canonical free utility from ARRI for ARRIRAW conversion, and PME treats its output as ground truth. That's what the ±0.00025 accuracy claim is measured against. ART is best for one-off shots and ground-truth checks. PME is the Mac-native batch alternative: drag a whole card in, queue dozens of files, apply embedded ARRI looks, output any ProRes flavor, preserve all metadata, and walk away. Same color science underneath; built for production volume.
Can I use PME instead of DaVinci Resolve just for ARRI dailies?
For dailies and offload-to-ProRes, yes, and it's usually faster. DaVinci Resolve is a full grading suite and brings the overhead of a project, timeline, and render queue. PME is a dedicated transcoder: drop ARRI MXFs in, pick a ProRes flavor and a target color space, encode. If you need to color grade, conform, or finish, you still want Resolve. For the dailies-and-ProRes step that happens before that, PME is purpose-built.
Does PME apply embedded ARRI looks (ALF) in the file?
Yes, optionally. ARRI ALF look files embedded in the clip (ALF-2 and ALF-4 included) are detected and can be applied during transcode, useful for delivering Rec.709 viewing copies that match what the DP saw on-set. Or leave looks off and bake LogC straight through to keep grading flexibility downstream. The choice is per-encode.
How much does ARRI support cost?
Free to import, preview, scrub, and read metadata. $39 one-time for PME Pro, which unlocks the ARRI encode path (any ProRes flavor, all target color spaces, embedded ARRI looks, metadata writeout) along with the rest of the Pro feature set: DNxHR, custom presets, watch folders, CLI, REST API, and macOS Shortcuts.

Related pages

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Blackmagic RAW and RED R3D. Same workflow, different cameras.

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MXF to ProRes

Sony and Canon MXF. Same container, different cameras and codecs.

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All features

Free vs Pro, every codec, every workflow tool PME ships with.

Learn more

Free to preview ARRI footage. $39 to encode.

Download Parallel Media Encoder and drop an ALEXA card on it. See for yourself before you pay.

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Requires macOS 14.5 or later. Apple Silicon required.

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