.SIDECAR File Extension
Blackmagic RAW Video Sidecar File
| Developer | Blackmagic Design |
| Popularity |
4.2 | 6 Votes |
What is a SIDECAR file?
A SIDECAR file contains metadata about a .BRAW video file, which includes information about the digital video camera that recorded the video and edits made to the video. The purpose of the file is to store the modifications a user makes to a BRAW video with a video editor without overwriting and erasing the original metadata. Users can open SIDECAR files with a video editor that supports the BRAW format or with a text editor since SIDECAR files are saved in JSON format.
More Information
Digital video cameras that record BRAW videos, such as the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and URSA Mini Pro 12K, embed the metadata in the BRAW format. However, when you edit the BRAW file with a video editor, such as DaVinci Resolve, the editor creates a SIDECAR file to store the edits you apply to the video. Examples of metadata a SIDECAR file stores include BRAW settings, focal length, white balance, tint, and color space.
NOTE: Blackmagic Design introduced the SIDECAR file type in 2018 when it released the BRAW format.
How to open a SIDECAR file
You can open a SIDECAR file with any video editor that supports the BRAW file, which includes Blackmagic RAW Player (multiplatform) and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve (multiplatform). You can also open SIDECAR files with Adobe Premiere Pro (multiplatform), and Avid Media Composer (multiplatform) with the Blackmagic RAW plugin installed.
Since SIDECAR files store metadata in JSON format, you can open the files with a text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad and Apple TextEdit.
Moving the SIDECAR file to a new location
For a viewer or editor to open the SIDECAR file when it opens a BRAW file, the SIDECAR file needs to be in the same location as the BRAW file. It also should bear the same filename. For example, the SIDECAR file associated with the example.braw file is named example.sidecar.
If you move the SIDECAR file, the viewer or editor displaying the BRAW video will not load the edits saved in the SIDECAR file. Instead, the video will revert to its state without any SIDECAR edits.