R3D (File Format) Data Recovery From Accidentally Formatted External Hard Drive

The Situation

A professional cinematographer from Chennai wrapped up a brand shoot and transferred all the hi-res R3D videos to an external hard disk. To make space for another project, he connected the external hard drive to his MacBook. While organizing storage space on the MacBook, in a rush he clicked “Format” on the drive he thought was an empty backup drive. It wasn’t—it was the external drive containing the videos!

Within seconds all the raw videos vanished and panic set in. Given that reshooting wasn’t an option, he wasted no time in contacting Stellar Data Recovery. Let’s take a closer look at how our team approached the issue, the challenges they encountered, and how they successfully ensured a complete data recovery.

The Challenges

The client informed Stellar’s HDD recovery specialists that the videos were shot using RED digital cameras. These cameras use the R3D file format, and R3D data recovery isn’t exactly straightforward. It’s because these files use the FAT32 file system, which limits the size of videos to 4 GB.

A 5-minute-long 4K/8K footage in the R3D format can create more than a dozen R3D files. This fragmentation, along with the absence of certain metadata, complicates the data recovery process.

At the time of initial inspection, the team of recovery experts found that the drive had been formatted in the APFS file format on a MacBook. The fact that no useful files could be found by any of the sophisticated recovery software programs exacerbated the situation. The data was hidden deep within the drive’s architecture, as the entire file directory structure appeared to be seriously broken.

Regardless of the odds, Stellar’s Video Recovery specialists were committed to retrieving the client’s brand shoot video files.

Device Specifications

• Device Type: External Hard Disk Drive
• Capacity: 4 TB
• Issue: Drive containing R3D files (FAT32) formatted in APFS, heavy corruption
• Affected Files: Large R3D videos

Stellar’s Approach to Recover R3D Files

Due to the complexity of the APFS system, reconstruction was very difficult. Alongside that, its encryption layers and metadata dependencies made it even trickier. To prevent overwriting the remaining R3D file traces, each step was done precisely.

• After the initial diagnosis, our external HDD recovery specialists built a sector-by-sector clone of the 4 TB drive in our ISO 5 Class 100 cleanroom lab. This process allowed for the safe manual intervention on the cloned data.
• After recovering raw data, Stellar’s engineers conducted a comparative file structure analysis to direct reconstruction. Using the same camera model, engineers created a new R3D sample to reverse-engineer chunk encoding, footer patterns, and file headers.
• By comparing the flawed clone with healthy samples, identifiable byte patterns were found, which helped in determining the beginning and end of potential legitimate R3D blocks.
• The team proceeded to manual data carving and recovery after obtaining that map. They looked for R3D headers and continuous data segments in the cloned image using proprietary tools.
• Lastly, data verification and integrity checks made sure the recovered video could be used. Every file was opened and checked for uniformity in timestamps, frame continuity, and playability.
• The original filenames and folder structure could not be consistently restored due to extensive metadata corruption; instead, recovered files were delivered as validated raw R3D assets with comprehensive logs and timestamps so the client could recognize and relabel them.

Final Thoughts

Our client felt a wave of relief when the familiar R3D files, the same brand shoot videos that he had assumed were lost forever, appeared on the screen one by one. He expressed gratitude at how Stellar Data Recovery had recovered both his files and his reputation.
The relief on our client’s face was a reminder of the worth of data that extends beyond numbers and storage, and includes memories, effort, and livelihood, as well as the necessity of professional assistance during times of need.

Explore more of our successful data recovery cases across different devices:

• Data Recovery From an Outdated 80 GB PATA Hard Drive | Stellar – Chennai
• WD HDD Data Recovery: 6TB External Drive Restored by Stellar for Photographer
• Seagate Hard Drive Data Recovery: Critical Business Data Recovered by Stellar
• SSD Data Recovery: BitLocker-Encrypted ASUS NVMe Restored by Stellar
• Pen Drive Data Recovery: Small Design Studio Back in Business

About The Author

Nivedita Jha

Meet Nivedita, an experienced tech blogger with a passion for simplifying data recovery. Ready to guide you through digital challenges, she shares straightforward tips on various blogs. Join her for easy solutions and expert advice, ensuring your data is in safe hands!