Codec conversion

Some files need transcoding to play cleanly, sometimes we can do it for you, sometimes we can't

Not every codec plays cleanly inside ReelChest. The tile badges tell you which is which.

The badge colors

• Blue badge: convertible in-app. Right-click and pick "Convert for editing…" to transcode to ProRes. ReelChest writes a sidecar file next to the original.
• Amber badge: convert elsewhere first. The codec can't be decoded in this sandbox at all (often MXF with DNxHR, or AVC-LongG variants). Open the file in your transcoder of choice, export to ProRes or H.264, drop the result into your ReelChest source folder.
• Gray badge: unknown. We haven't seen this codec before or the file's metadata is incomplete. Try converting elsewhere and see if the result is gray-free.

Converting in-app

Right-click a blue-badge tile and pick "Convert for editing…". A sheet opens with the chosen ProRes flavor. ReelChest reads its default from Settings → Conversion.

The output lands as a sidecar file alongside the original. The original stays where it is; ReelChest just adds a sibling that plays cleanly. Once the conversion finishes, the new file becomes the working asset for previews and editing.

ProRes flavors

Three sizes, all available in Settings → Conversion:

• LT: smallest file size. Fine for most editing previews. The default.
• SQ: middle ground. A noticeable bump in quality, a noticeable bump in size.
• HQ: highest quality. Big files. Pick this if your final cut will go through color grading and you want the headroom.

For most working editors cutting from interviews and screen captures, LT is the right answer. For heavy color work, jump to HQ once and leave it.

Auto-convert on import

Settings → Conversion has an "Auto-convert on import" toggle. Off by default. Flip it on if you regularly drop files that need converting and don't want to right-click each one. The cost: import becomes slower because the conversion runs immediately.

Most editors leave it off and convert in batches when a chunk of footage is amber-flagged.

Bulk-convert the whole library

For when a whole shoot lands in a container your editor doesn't love, there's a batch flow. Settings → Codec conversion has a "Scan library and estimate…" button that walks every source and reports how many clips need converting and roughly how much disk space the converted versions will take. "Convert all" enqueues every eligible candidate into the same transcode queue you'd see from a single right-click. Pick a ProRes flavor for the run, walk away, come back to a library that previews and edits cleanly throughout.

Right-click → Convert for editing… still lets you override the flavor per clip when the bulk run isn't the right fit for a specific asset.

MKV, WebM, and MXF demux

A specific quiet superpower worth knowing. ReelChest demuxes MKV, WebM, and MXF containers automatically when it needs to. Drop in a .mkv from OBS, a .webm from a browser download, or an .mxf from a camera, and ReelChest pulls the streams out of the container ahead of the transcode step. You don't have to remux in a separate tool first.

Combined with the bulk converter, this means a folder of mixed-format dailies (phone, GoPro, screen recorder MKV, broadcast MXF) becomes one batch you can leave running overnight.

Converting elsewhere

For amber and gray badges, the path is the same:

1. Open the file in a transcoder (Compressor, HandBrake, or your editor's export).
2. Export to ProRes (any flavor) or H.264.
3. Save the result into your ReelChest source folder.
4. ReelChest sees the new file and indexes it.

You can keep the original in the same folder; ReelChest treats them as separate assets. If you want only the converted version visible, move the original out of the source.

A small honest note: we'd love to handle every codec in-app. Some require licensed decoders we can't ship, and some are formats we just haven't gotten to yet. Amber means "not today"; we keep adding decoders as we can.