Rec. 709
Also known as: BT.709, Rec709, ITU-R BT.709
The standard color space and gamma for HD video, used by most cameras in normal profiles, web platforms and TVs for standard dynamic range viewing.
Updated
What it means
Rec. 709 is an international standard that defines the colors, white point and tone curve for high-definition video. Almost every standard dynamic range video you watch online, on TV or on a phone uses it. When a camera records in a normal color profile, the result is usually Rec. 709.
Its color gamut is fairly modest compared with what modern sensors and screens can show, but it is universal. A Rec. 709 file looks consistent across devices, which is exactly why it remains the default delivery target for social media and the web.
In grading, people say they convert log footage "to 709", meaning they turn flat camera files into normal-looking standard video.
How it works in practice
If you shoot in a standard or vivid profile, your footage is already Rec. 709 and needs no conversion. If you shoot log or D-Log M, you apply a conversion, often a LUT supplied by the camera maker, to bring it into Rec. 709 before or during grading.
For export, Rec. 709 with a standard gamma is the safe choice for nearly every platform. Most editors default to it, and players assume it when a file has no color tags at all.
Mixing Rec. 709 clips from different cameras is easy, because they all start from the same standard, even if each camera has its own color style on top.
What to watch out for
A common mistake is mixing up gamma handling between apps and players, which makes exports look slightly washed out or too contrasty compared with the editor. Test an export in the same players your audience uses, especially on phones.
Another trap is grading in Rec. 709 and expecting HDR results. Bright highlights simply clip at the Rec. 709 limit. If you want HDR delivery, work in an HDR color space from the start.
Finally, do not apply a log-to-709 LUT to footage that is already 709. The result is crushed, oversaturated and unusable.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip works best with standard Rec. 709 footage, which is what most cameras record by default. If you shoot log, convert it to a normal 709 look before upload, and the AI uses those clips for your highlight.