In your professional video application, in the Compression Settings dialog or the equivalent,

1. For the Output or Export method, choose either of

   • QuickTime Movie
     to output a QuickTime movie with a SheerVideo track;
   • Image Sequence
     to output a sequence of Sheer-encoded images contained in either
     • PICT files
       which can be opened by any graphics application
     • QuickTime Image files
       which are more compact but not yet as widely supported
2. For the Video Compressor or Image Compressor, choose

   • Sheer
     the generic Sheer codec.
     [To select a specific Sheer codec, see the section on Sheer Codecs.]
3. For the Color Depth,

   • For 8-bit standard-precision formats, choose either of

     • Millions of Colors
       to store just the color information at each pixel at 8 bits per channel;
     • Millions of Colors+
       to store coverage (alpha) information along with the color information at each pixel, at 8 bits per channel.
   • For 10-bit high-precision formats, when available, likewise choose either of

     • Billions of Colors or Trillions of Colors
       to store just the color information at each pixel at 10 bits per channel;
     • Billions of Colors+ or Trillions of Colors+
       to store coverage (alpha) information along with the color information at each pixel, at 10 bits per channel.
   Note that if your application does not explicitly list ‘Billions of Colors’ or ‘Trillions of Colors’, it may not support 10-bit channels. However, QuickTime Player (Pro) does support 10-bit channels.
4. In QuickTime 5 or earlier, Check the Allow Transcoding box, if present.
5. Uncheck the Prepare for Internet Streaming box, if present.
6. Enjoy letting SheerVideo save you time, space, and money.