Tutorials Video

Proxy Editing: Smooth Edits on a Slow Computer

Beginner · ~20 min

Overview

4K and high-bitrate footage can make even a solid laptop stutter during playback and scrubbing. Proxy editing solves this by editing with small, easy-to-decode stand-in files, then relinking to your original full-quality footage only at export. The same workflow professional editors use regardless of how powerful their machines are.

What You Need

Your original footage (4K, high-bitrate, or otherwise heavy to decode)
An NLE with built-in proxy support (Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut all include this)
Enough drive space for a second, smaller copy of your footage

Steps

Import your original high-resolution footage

Bring your full-quality footage into the project as normal, proxies are generated from these files and referenced, not a replacement import step.

Generate proxy media

In Premiere: right-click clips in the Project panel → Proxy → Create Proxies. In Resolve: right-click in the Media Pool → Generate Proxy Media. Both create smaller, easier-to-decode versions (typically half or quarter resolution, a lightweight codec) linked to your originals.

Switch to proxy mode for editing

Toggle the proxy indicator (a small icon in the playback controls in both Premiere and Resolve) to edit using the lightweight proxy files, playback and scrubbing become smooth even on modest hardware.

Edit normally

Cut, trim, add effects, and colour grade exactly as you would otherwise, everything you do references timecodes that map identically back to your full-resolution originals.

Switch back to full-resolution for export

Before your final export, toggle proxy mode off so the render uses your original high-quality footage, proxies are for editing speed only and should never be your delivered output quality.

Pro Tips

Generate proxies overnight or during a break. It's a one-time cost per project that pays off across every subsequent editing session.
Always double-check you've switched back to full-resolution before exporting, accidentally rendering from proxy media is a common, avoidable mistake.
Delete proxy files once a project is finished and delivered. They're disposable and easily regenerated if you reopen the project later.

Knowledge Base

Why Proxies, Not Just a Faster Computer

Even high-end editing workstations use proxy workflows for demanding formats (RAW, high-frame-rate 4K/8K) because decoding heavy codecs in real time is expensive regardless of CPU/GPU power. Proxy editing isn't a workaround for weak hardware exclusively. It's standard professional practice for keeping any editing session responsive.

Proxy Resolution and Codec Choices

Common proxy settings use a much lower resolution (often quarter-resolution) in a codec designed for fast decode rather than small file size or high visual quality. ProRes Proxy or a low-bitrate H.264 are typical choices. Visual quality doesn't matter for proxies since you never export from them.

What Happens If You Forget to Switch Back

Exporting while still in proxy mode renders your final video at the proxy's lower resolution and quality, always visually confirm the proxy toggle is off, or check your export settings' resolution field, before starting a final render.

Where This Fits

This guide covers one specific part of video production. The wider picture. The full arc from planning through camera, light, sound, edit, and delivery, and how each stage constrains the next, is in Video Production Fundamentals: The Complete Guide, which frames the discipline as a whole and links out to the detailed guides underneath it, including this one. If you are starting from scratch rather than solving a specific problem, read that first and come back here.

FAQ

Q: Do I need proxies for 1080p footage?
A: Usually not, unless your machine specifically struggles with it: proxy editing earns its keep most clearly on 4K+, high frame rate, or RAW footage.

Q: Can I share a project with proxies to a collaborator who only has the originals?
A: Yes, as long as file/folder structure and names match, most NLEs can relink proxies to originals (or vice versa) automatically when you reopen the project on a different machine.