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What is Open Gate recording?
CinemaKit · Updated:
Open Gate recording uses the full available sensor image area instead of starting with a crop to a delivery aspect ratio such as 16:9. It gives you a taller or wider source frame, depending on the sensor, so you can choose your final crop later.
One take, several delivery formats
A source frame with extra height can help you deliver both landscape and portrait versions. For example, plan a central area that works for a vertical crop while keeping space around it for a horizontal edit. Open Gate does not eliminate composition decisions: subjects at the edge of a wide frame can still disappear from a portrait crop.
Open Gate is not the same as 4K
4K describes a resolution; Open Gate describes the image area and aspect ratio used during capture. A camera may offer a cropped 4K mode and a separate Open Gate mode. Neither label alone tells you the frame rate, bit depth or achievable recording duration. Check the actual mode information rather than assuming all sensor modes have the same performance.
When to use it on a phone
Choose Open Gate when reframing flexibility matters and storage can keep up. A larger RAW frame means more data to write, transfer and process. If the final delivery is fixed or sustained recording is more important, a crop or oversampled mode may fit better. In CinemaKit, available sensor modes depend on the phone and lens. iPhone 1440p is a crop mode; Android can also offer 1440p oversampling.
Technical references
Related pages
Open Gate and sensor modes in CinemaKit
Use CinemaKit Open Gate, crop and oversampled modes to balance reframing flexibility, RAW file size and recording performance.
What is RAW video?
Learn how Bayer RAW video differs from processed video, what you can change in post, and the storage trade-offs when recording on a phone.
CinemaKit RAW video on iPhone
Explore CinemaKit on iPhone: RAW formats, recording modes, exports, storage and device-dependent camera support.
CinemaKit RAW video on Android
Explore CinemaKit on Android: RAW formats, recording modes, exports, storage and device-dependent camera support.