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Create proxies

Last updated on Dec 14, 2023

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Use proxies to improve your editing workflow by adding low-resolution copies of your media in your project to save time and processing power.

Proxies are low-resolution copies of your high-resolution video files. These proxy files are used for editing purposes to improve performance and efficiency, especially when working with large or resource-intensive media files.

You can create proxies only for video clips that don't have captions. Proxies are not supported for growing files. The media must also be online.

_{Enable low-resolution copies of your media to save time and processing power using proxy files.}

Before you begin

Import your high-resolution media files into Premiere Pro.

Right-click a media file in the Project panel. From the context menu, select Proxy > Create Proxies..

A screenshot that shows the Create Proxies option selected from the Project panel menu. — Use the Project panel menu to select Create Proxies to start creating proxies of selected files.

In the Create Proxies dialog, use the default preset, or choose any other built-in preset.

A screenshot that shows the default preset or select a preset based on on your file format. — Use the default preset or select a preset based on your file format.

You can also add presets created in Adobe Media Encoder by selecting the Add Ingest Preset button and navigating to the saved preset.
To quickly identify proxy files in the Program Monitor, select Add Watermark.
In the Destination section, select one of these options:

Next to Original Media, in Proxy Folder: If you choose this option, Premiere will create a new folder for each proxy clip in the same directory as the original high-resolution media. Because most high-end cameras have a complicated file structure where each clip is isolated in its folder, this option generally isn’t ideal. You’ll have difficulty grouping the proxies to move them to another drive or deleting them when you finish the project.
Browse: you almost always suggest browsing and selecting your destination to ensure all the proxies are in the same folder.

Note:

By default, Premiere Pro appends "_Proxy" to the name of your Proxy clips (for example, scene01_Proxy.mxf) and places Proxy clips (on disk) in a folder named Proxies that is placed right next to the full resolution clips. This helps with the reattachment of clips. If you set a custom destination, then you should add the Proxies folder to the destination.

Select OK.

Premiere Pro presents a progress dialog box while it prepares proxy creation jobs to send to Adobe Media Encoder.

A proxy job is then created in Adobe Media Encoder for each of the project items chosen that can be proxied, and an offline proxy is attached to each project item. You can monitor the progress of these jobs in the Premiere Pro Progress panel, or in Adobe Media Encoder.

While the jobs are processed, continue to work with the corresponding high-resolution project items in Premiere Pro.

Note:

Premiere Pro does not need to remain open while proxy jobs are processed in Adobe Media Encoder. If you quit Premiere Pro before all jobs are complete, any proxies created while Premiere Pro is not running are attached when Premiere Pro is launched, and the document is reopened.

Result

While the jobs are processed, continue to work with the corresponding high-resolution project items in Premiere Pro. When the proxy jobs are complete, Premiere Pro automatically switches to displaying the proxy video in the Timeline panel (if you have selected Enable Proxies in the Preferences > Media dialog box).

You can identify proxy files in your project by toggling the Toggle Proxies button on the Program Monitor. This button allows you to switch between proxy and high-resolution versions of the media you're currently working on. When the Toggle Proxies button is enabled (blue), you're working with proxies. When it's disabled, you're working with the high-resolution files. If you selected Add Watermark while creating proxies, Premiere Pro displays a watermark that is visible on the lower left of the files in the Program Monitor. These are also burned into the file on disk.

Tip:

If the Toggle Proxies button isn't visible in the Program Monitor, select the Button Editor icon, select the Toggle Proxies button, and select OK to display it on the Program Monitor. If you encounter any issues with Toggle Proxies not working, quit Premiere Pro and delete your preferences folder. You can also delete Preferences by pressing Shift + Option (macOS) or Shift + Alt while launching Premiere Pro.